grilled tahini chicken wings
Meals featuring a multitude of dishes (tapas, dim sum, mezze) really appeal to me – I like the feast-like quality and the choice it affords me (or perhaps I’m just greedy). These moreish chicken wings from the kitchen of East London restaurant Moro, are a breeze to prepare and would be a hit on any mezze spread. Ideally these would be cooked outside, in the sunshine, on a barbecue, but since we’re in the midst of one of the coldest British winters ever, the oven had to do (and they still came out great). The original recipe suggests serving them with a Tahini Sauce but I found that a mild cool Garlic Yogurt made a more successful pairing, given the wings were already marinated in tahini. Why not make both and see which you prefer? (recipes below)
Grilled Chicken Wings with Tahini
(from the Moro Cookbook)
serves 4, as part of a selection of mezze
12 chicken wings, tips removed
a generous pinch of salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp tahini paste
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
Combine all the ingredients (except the chicken) in a large bowl and mix well to form the marinade. Toss in the chicken wings and mix well to coat then leave to marinade at room temperature for an hour, or in the fridge for 2 hours, or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (425°F), on the grill setting.
Spread the chicken wings out on a large baking tray and grill for 15-20 minutes, turning them halfway. If the wings should be golden and slightly charred, but if they start to colour too much, turn the oven down to 200°C (392°F).
Serve hot or at room temperature with the tahini sauce, garlic yogurt and lemon wedges.
Tahini Sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp tahini paste
juice of 1 lemon
5 tbsp water
black pepper
sea salt
Combine all sauce ingredients and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature.
Garlic Yogurt
200ml natural greek yogurt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp milk
Combine all ingredients and mix well. Serve at room temperature.
gourmet traveller 
I never thought to used tahini in a marinade.
i have that cookbook on a wish list. i’ve heard so many good things about it. i have a stash of tahini sauce in my fridge almost all the time–i use it a lot on meals, eggs, sammies, pickles, salads, etc…
Looks good, Tahini is a thing we always have in the pantry it enters in a lot of Lebanese things. Definitely a must try. I love the presentation in the clay pan.
I made my own tahini recently. Am intrigued at using it for chicken, will try this recipe soon.
I’ve never had garlic yogurt before, does it taste anything like french onion dip or is it completely different?
No, it’s pretty different. It’s essentially yogurt with crushed garlic and olive oil so it’s quite mild but goes beautifully with grilled or barbecued meats.
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Finger Licking Chicken Wing Recipes | Yummly said this on July 29, 2011 at 5:34 pm |
I would suggest a “tahina” sauce, basically the same as the tahini sauce with yogurt added giving the “mild cool” taste you are looking for. Actually, make both sauces, Tahini and garlic yogurt and then mix them together.