Chicken Wings with Garlic, Cilantro, and Lemon Juice

I bought myself a few cookbooks for Christmas. One of them was "The Book of Tapas," a new cookbook published in 2010 by Phaidon Press Limited. The authors are Simone Ortega and Inés Ortega, both renowned Spanish tapas chefs.

The book is a collection of simple recipes for tapas. They all look delicious; some look adventurous; and all look relatively easy to prepare and simple in terms of ingredients.

I made a variation of one of the recipes -- Chicken Wings with Garlic, Cilantro, and Lemon Juice.

I thought it was decent, but next time I will use less lemon juice, and possibly add some heat, like a diced pepper or something.

Recipe: Chicken Wings with Garlic, Cilantro, and Lemon Juice

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken wings

1 cup Olive oil

1 Habanero pepper, chopped

Juice of 1 lemon, strained

4-5 cloves garlic, chopped

Several sprigs of cilantro, chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Rinse chicken wings and pat dry. Season both sides with salt and pepper.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet or frying pan. Cast-iron is preferred, as it will give a better flavor.

3. Add the chicken wings, in batches, and cook over medium heat, turning frequently, for 12-15 minutes, until evenly browned and cooked through. Check that the wings are cooked by piercing one with the point of a sharp knife; if the juices run clear and the meat is no longer pink, the chicken is cooked.

4. Drain the skillet, reserving about 2 tablespoons oil. Stir in the lemon juice. Add the garlic, cilantro, and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes.

5. Serve the chicken wings immediately with the skillet juices spooned over them. These are good accompanied with French fries (chips) or a green salad.