Chicken Wings with Blue Cheese Sauce and Good Times in Brooklyn

When Archie went to New York I was desperately worried about him.  Desperately worried because he was an 18-year old male who was and still is impulsive, who acts now then thinks later and has a strong belief that he is invincible.  And adolescent males like this can sometimes end up in a lot of trouble so my major concern was that there was going to be drama.

Interestingly, we had sent Archie to New York to study drama.  He attended the Summer Conservatory Program at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting.  We organised student accommodation for Archie in Brooklyn in the St George Weller building.  The accommodation certainly wasn’t five-star.  He was in a triple-share room and like a bad joke the three rooming together were a black rap artist who played his music continuously and at full volume at any time of the day or night, a tiny Chinese-American studying graphic design who was quiet and said nothing, and a loud Australian with a guitar and didgeridoo who liked folk music.

Chicken wings with blue cheese sauce


The room had two beds in it with a third in a loft arrangement and as Archie was the last of the three to check-in, he scored the bed in the loft.  There wasn’t much more to the accommodation, there certainly wasn’t room for much else but there was a bar fridge.  Archie had nothing in the fridge but the Chinese guy had one of those jugs that filters water.  And he was very particular about it.  And he didn’t want anyone to touch it.  But Archie had just done six years of boarding school where anything in the communal fridge was up for grabs.  The little Chinese guy finally relented and said, ‘You can have some water, but you need to use a glass.  You cannot drink from the jug.  And you have to fill it up after you’ve used it’.

A few days later it was Archie’s orientation day at Stellar Adler.  At the end of the orientation he suggested to some of the other acting students (he’d only just met), that they go out that night to celebrate.

Archie prepared well for the night by going into a bottle shop.  When he was there he couldn’t believe how cheap everything was compared with Australian prices.  Not wanting to pass up an opportunity for a fantastic bargain, he bought a 1.75ltr bottle of scotch that was like Jake Daniels but much, much lower in quality.

He brought the boys back to his Brooklyn digs where they sat in the recreation room and sampled Archie’s bargain.  At about 1am when the bottle was looking close to empty Archie jumped up and said, ‘Hey everyone, I’ve got an idea.  Let’s walk across the Brooklyn bridge’.  So they all got up and walked to the bridge.  When they were walking across Archie decided to climb the bridge.  And that’s not only illegal, it’s dangerous because if you fall, there’s nothing below you but six lanes of traffic.  So Archie climbed the bridge and was really enjoying the view when the other boys became alarmed for his safety and encouraged him to climb back down.  Archie couldn’t understand the fuss.  They said to him, ‘Climbing bridges is illegal here, man, for a reason, what if you fall?’  They weren’t too sure what to make of their new Aussie friend.

The top of the Brooklyn Bridge

Archie made it back to his accommodation at 4am.  He stood outside his door and realised he didn’t have a key.  He banged on the door until the poor little Asian boy was woken and let him in.  And Archie pushed straight past him, opened the door of the fridge, pulled out the water jug and without using a glass drank the contents until it was all gone then climbed into the loft.  The poor Asian took his jug, sterilised it somewhere, re-filled it and put it neatly back into the fridge.

Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge

And for obvious reasons, Archie didn’t tell me this story until quite a few months after this event.  If there’s anything to celebrate it’s that he did apologise to the Asian for defiling his water jug.  And they ended up being good friends and the Asian has said when Archie records his music and puts out a CD, he will design the cover for him.  For free.  Everything works out for Archie.

Here’s the way I like to enjoy whiskey.  With the alcohol cooked out of it and used as an ingredient to flavour food:

Chicken wings marinated in whiskey

Chicken Wings with Blue Cheese Sauce

Serves: 4-6 (depending on what you serve with them)

Degree of Difficult:  2/5

Cost:  Very inexpensive.  Chicken wings are very affordable.

  • 2kgs chicken wings
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup wiskey
  • 4 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 2 tspns ground cumin
  • 1 tbspn tabasco sauce
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Blue Cheese Sauce:

  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 160g soft blue cheese, crumbled
  • 1 tbspn lemon juice
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed

Remove and discard the tips from each wing.  Cut the wings in half at the joint and place in a single layer in a shallow ovenproof dish.

Combine the maple syrup, whiskey, Tabasco sauce, garlic, cumin and cayenne pepper in a jug.  Pour over the chicken and turn to coat.  Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 6 hours to marinate.

Preheat oven to 200C.  Remove the wrap.  Bake in oven, turning occasionally, for 1 hr and 10 mins or until chicken is golden.

Meanwhile, to make the blue cheese sauce, place the sour cream, mayonnaise, blue cheese, lemon juice and garlic in a jug and blend until smooth.

Transfer chicken to a serving platter and serve with the sauce.

This recipe has been adapted from Taste.

See you on Facebook! 

 

Comments

  1. I love New York. My sister lives up the Hudson near the CIA (culinary kind) so we’ve spent a lot of time in the city. My niece went to Julliard so Lincoln Center was always a favourite hangout. I don’t think Emily ever climbed a bridge though! I’d have worried myself sick if one of mine was on a bridge like that – good thing you found out about it later.

    I’ve been to Lynchburg, Tennessee and those folks would be incensed at Jake Daniels. Only Jack can come from pure branch water. 🙂 No wonder Archie needed to drink from the jug.

  2. Haha, boys will be boys!! I love this recipe. Chicken wings are one of my fav foods!

  3. Minnesota Prairie Roots says:

    Hmmmm, Archie also risked arrest for underage purchase and consumption of alcohol. And, yes, those dorm rooms are pretty small spaces. I can’t imagine how most of us survive college living in cubicles for at least a year or two before stretching into an apartment.

  4. Oh man amd I in for a treat. I will be rocking up on your doorstep looking for some of that chicken with a double dose of whiskey and some calming advice to soothe my nerves. 😉 xx

  5. Young people are amazing… I am glad to hear that the celebration finished without any problem! But unforgettable of course… Your recipe seems delicious again dear Charlie, Thank you, love, nia

  6. HAHAHA Archie’s stories will never fail to give us scary but amusing stories hehe so glad the boys were able to convince him to get down and not hurt himself phewwww OOO These chicken wings look and sound lovely ~ yum!

  7. Archie certainly has quite the tales! I thought I did some crazy/foolish things when I was young and imbibing more than my share…Never in a million years would I have thought to climb a bridge! Glad it all turned out ok. He’s going to have some amazing stories to tell his kids/grandkids some day. I love this chicken! It looks delicious!!!!

  8. It’s amazing that Archie keeps coming out of his adventures mostly none the worse for wear. 🙂

    Yummy wings.

    http://a-boleyn.livejournal.com/

  9. kitchenriffs says:

    Good recipe – great way to use whiskey. One of the downsides of being male and young is you do some really, really stupid things. I sure did, and everyone I know did. Things that now make me whimper and ask for my mommy! But at the time? No big deal at all. Good story – thanks.

  10. Victoria at Flavors of the Sun says:

    My son lived in the international dorm during a couple of summer sessions at UCLA. Of course, his coterie of friends included some very lively, very fun Aussies–each with that wonderful sense of humor about life, language, and just everything. I can relate to all of this, especially about how young males think they are invincible. And I can really relate to those wings. They look like a good use for whiskey to me!

  11. oh my goodness, so glad Archie didn’t get hurt! What a daredevil he is… I don’t even know how he climbed up brooklyn bridge as it’s not very conducive to that. I can’t believe he actually told you he did that! haha.

  12. The Squishy Monster says:

    I adore the maple syrup in this! YUM!!

  13. Purely.. Kay says:

    Okay, the next time Archie is in NY, you let me know. I will keep an eye out for him for you lol. Love this story and I love your chicken wing recipe. You know how I fee about chicken recipes 🙂

  14. Wow Archie has some serious steel to be able to do such feats 😛
    Glad him snd that Asian kid became friends though 🙂
    I love your recipe today my friend I think my own brother would enjoy it a lot 😀

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru
    http://gobakeyourself.wordpress.com/

  15. Wow Charlie…I am glad that he told you this story after the facts…so scary!
    On the other hand…the chicken wings look fabulous with maple and whiskey hehehe! And yes, I would dip it the blue cheese sauce…YUM!
    Have a great week my dear 🙂

  16. Charlie, I love the sound of this recipe! But I think I need a Bex and lie down thinking about your Archie! How did he even get the grog? I thought the legal drinking age in the US was 21?

  17. Eva Taylor says:

    That is quite the dare-devil son you have Charlie. How luckie he got to come to one of my all-time favorite cites! I thought the drinking age in New York state was 19? Good thing he didn’t get caught.
    I adore chicken wings with blue cheese sauce. And it’s great you baked the wings too. We haven’t had wings in ages, I’ll have to make some after our vaycay which is fast approaching.
    Eva http://kitcheninspirations.wordpress.com

  18. I’m so glad I have girls Charlie!
    Archie is such a charmer though I bet he could sweet talk himself out of any situation- I’m just glad he wants to be an actor not a politician, there would be no chance for the opposition. Archie for PM 🙂

  19. Claire @ Claire K Creations says:

    It does seem that everything works out for Archie. It must be his fun-loving nature!

    I like your way to enjoy whiskey much better.

  20. Before moving here, I worked with a woman whose son did the same thing on Detroit’s Ambassador Bridge, with far different results. Archie is certainly a risk-taker and lucky he didn’t get caught. I’ve always got room in my recipe file for more wing recipes. With “American football” season just getting underway, I will definitely be giving these a try. Thanks, Charlie!

  21. yummychunklet says:

    Ha! I can only image the trouble he got in in NYC!

  22. That is so dangerous……the picture is scary in itself. But I am glad it works out for your great kid :))
    Whiskey and wings…..mmmmnnnnnn….

  23. Are those photos of Archie?? I am feeling a bit quivery and he’s not even my child! I think it’s for the best he didn’t tell you about the evening until some time after the event! He’d have been much safer at home eating this chicken, but I suppose adventure is part of being 18…

  24. Ashley @ Wishes and Dishes says:

    Oh man is this making me hungry right now!! Tell Archie to stay off those bridges! 🙂

  25. *laughs* I, too, am making sure that I tell my parents certain parts of my travels after they’ve already taken place. God bless America for its cheapness and blue cheese abundance! 😛

  26. Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says:

    Eeek! I can’t believe he showed you that photo! I shuddered and he isn’t even my son but then again I’m the least likely person to climb a bridge 😛 Could he have said to the police that we climb bridges in Australia as a tourist activity?

  27. Sweet Posy Dreams says:

    Whiskey and maple syrup — sounds like a pretty divine combination. Football season has just started; looks like a good game day snack.

  28. Goodness! Archie’s guardian angels must work overtime! I like the way things work out for him…I hope they always do, of course! 🙂 The blue cheese sauce looks so good I think I’d like it on top of a baked potato!

  29. justonecookbook says:

    You got me worried a bit when he started going out at night!!! Phew! My first time away from home was when I was in high school. I came to Berkeley to spend the summer. I met all kinds of interesting international students back then, and had tons of fun, but now I think back, I wonder how my parents were feeling about me. Obviously I get worried if my kids going abroad somewhere… Archie has a special talent – although it might make you worry a bit, he’s a good man and everything works out for him! 🙂 I’m sure your heart got tougher thanks to Archie! haha. Great chicken wings – I love chicken wings too, and this looks delish!!

  30. cityhippyfarmgirl says:

    oh the things you do when you are young and invincible! 🙂

Leave a Reply to Sonia@ LIfe Love and Hiccups Cancel reply

*