I'M ON HOLIDAY TOO: SWEET & SOUR CHICKEN WINGS & CHICKEN STOCK, Easy-Peasy,

Frugal, Low-Sugar, Child & Seniors Friendly, 'I'm on Holiday Too!'  

Recipe provides super-tender Chicken Wings for kids & seniors 
 as well as intense soup stock for the adults.

This recipe does what it says on the tin:  it provides wonderful stock/broth and a quick child-friendly meal. It is also perfect for older people who don't enjoy chewing very much.  It perfectly illustrates how raw materials which produce wonderful stock can be re-used for additional meals.   

The recipe was inspired by a colleague at an award-winning restaurant at a major rail station.  Tasked with feeding the Wait staff, he rescued a load of wings from the stock pot, prepared a quick sweet and sour tomato sauce and poured it over the wings. The Wait staff and other chefs (like me) fell on the chicken like ravening hordes.

The diced veg and fruit appear like jewels in the rich, thick sauce and the flavours are bold.  Easy-to-eat nutritious meals do not have to be pureed out of existence!

Instructions for making Stock appear in Improve Your Health With Soup Stocks and Chicken Stock.  For this recipe, use at least a dozen chicken wings, tips removed but added to the pan (Sainsbury's has been offering a kilo of wings for the amazing price of £1.50). When the stock is complete, remove the wings intact and allow to cool before removing skin.  

The sweet and sour sauce is simple but delicious...and utterly more-ish.

You don't have to make a proper stock.  Just buy wings and cook in gently boiling seasoned water with an onion & carrot thrown in, until tender (say half an hour). Keep the water the wings were cooked in and use to add flavour to other dishes.     

Cost: Just wings (£3.50) or (stock and wings) £6'ish 
Feeds: 2-3 people with small appetites, with sides

Ingred:
   
   8-12 chicken wings cooked in chicken stock, drained, skin removed 

 
   390g packet of Chopped Tomatoes with Basil 
   1/3c/80ml pureed stock veg (opt. but adds vitamins)  
   1/4 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into med dice (or a small tin of pineapple, drained)
   1 stick celery, peeled, in fine dice
   1/4 green pepper, in fine dice
   small handful green beans, cut small (opt)
   1/2 - 1 tablespoon brown sugar (opt)
   1-2 tbsps malt or balsamic vinegar
   juice of half an orange    

Method:

1. (This step can be done the night before needed). Remove tips from wings but add with the rest of the wings to a large pot.  Cover with water by an inch; add a whole onion and a couple of carrots.  Bring to a boil, skim off any skim that comes to the surface; reduce heat and allow to bubble gently at least half an hour but the longer the better - until wings are very tender.  Cool & remove skins (opt).  Set aside until ready to use. 
2. Heat tomatoes and pureed veg, if using, over med heat
3. Add orange juice, vinegar, sugar and pineapple.  If the sauce is too thick, add up to a third of a cup/80 ml stock or water. Cook over med heat until pineapple is soft.  (It could be a few minutes if the pineapple is not tinned.)
4. Add celery, green pepper and green beans.  Stir. Season, adding pepper and salt to taste.  Add chicken wings and heat through for 3-5 minutes.  
5. Serve piping hot with Chinese egg noodles, toast, or White Rice mixed with frozen peas 5 mins before end of cooking.    

Tips: 

• the chicken stock will be perfect for Egg Flower Pea Soup 
• an adult version of this dish would involve the same sauce but with added fresh chilli or chilli flakes and maybe a bit of tabasco 
• substitute peaches for pineapple .

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Copyright: This recipe has been developed by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced without the author's written permission.