Nigel Slater calls these finger food at its very best, and he is not wrong. Six wings, a lemon, a handful of black peppercorns, bay leaves, olive oil, and sea salt — that is the entire list. The trick, as Slater puts it, is to roast them until they are almost stuck to the tin. No knife and fork. No argument.
I have a lot of time for Nigel Slater in this kitchen. This one sits alongside my Nigel Slater chicken with cream and tarragon as proof that the man understands how to cook for one hungry person without making it feel like a consolation prize.
Nigel Slater's Roast Chicken Wings with Lemon and Black Pepper — The Recipe
Serves 1
Ingredients
- 6 large free-range chicken wings
- ½ large juicy lemon
- 2–3 bay leaves
- ½ heaped tbsp black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/Gas 6.
Check the wings for stray feathers. Put them into a roasting dish and squeeze over the lemon. Cut up the spent lemon shell and tuck it, along with the bay leaves, between the wings.
Put the peppercorns in a mortar and bash them until cracked into nubbly pieces — not finely ground. Mix with the olive oil and toss through the chicken. Scatter the salt flakes over the top without crushing them.
Roast for 40–45 minutes, turning once. The wings should be golden and sticky, with edges blackened here and there. Eat with your hands.
This Nigel Slater roast chicken wings recipe is part of my Chicken Wings Recipes collection — every wings recipe on The Flexible Chef, organised by cooking method.
If you like cooking from Nigel Slater, you might also enjoy my Nigel Slater chicken with cream and tarragon and Nearly Nigel's dark sticky fig and grape chutney.
This recipe is also featured in my Chicken Hub — every chicken recipe on The Flexible Chef, from whole roasts to stir fries.
Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures — The Flexible Chef
