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Chicken wings, tomato and harissa recipes

I make a point of asking for the chicken wings to be left complete. (Butchers seem to have slipped into the habit of removing the tips from chicken wings and I do wish they wouldn’t.) I love the way the pointed tips caramelise chewily in the roasting tin.


This recipe is very much a fork and fingers job. One of those dishes for which you will need a fork or spoon for the tomato sauce, but only fingers and some enthusiastic nibbling will get at the most delectable nuggets of flesh lurking on the crisp, roasted wing bones.

Serves 2-3
chicken wings 500g
olive oil 3 tbsp
thyme 10 small sprigs
garlic 5 cloves
tomatoes 450g, small 
red chillies 2 small, hot
harissa paste 1 heaped tsp
boiling water 150ml

Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6. Put the chicken wings in a roasting tin, pour over the olive oil, season with salt, black pepper. Pull the leaves from the thyme and scatter over the chicken, then tuck the whole garlic cloves among them. Turn the wings over with your hands so they are nicely dressed with the oil and seasonings, then bake for 35-40 minutes till deep gold and crisp.

Lift out of the roasting tin and keep warm. Squeeze the soft garlic from its skins into the roasting tin, then add the tomatoes, halving them as you go. Tuck the two whole chillies among the tomatoes then place the tin over a moderate heat and leave to bubble for five minutes, adding a little more oil if necessary, until the tomatoes are starting to soften. Stir the harissa into the pan with a wooden spatula, then pour in the boiling water, scraping at the surface of the roasting tin as you go. Just as the tomatoes are starting to caramelise and the juices are bubbling, return the wings to the pan, continue cooking for a couple of minutes, then serve.

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