Tailgating Recipes: Week 1 – Zesty Lemon Pepper Wings
Being an Atlanta girl, I had to take a cue from College Gameday, by starting out the season in Atlanta with a little inspiration from the Chick-fil-A kick off game. An ACC and SEC showdown in the peach state required a recipe good enough for the bangles of the bayou. While this certainly isn’t red beans and rice, jambalaya, or gumbo, I think these wings with a kick and Saturday’s drink of choice will measure up!
As you will get to know me over the next few months, you will see that I like to cook as natural as possible, with an organic flair. However, my recipes are never lacking in flavor! So, while I may leave out something you love, like blue cheese dressing from a bottle, I will always leave room for you to improvise and make it your own! In fact, I welcome your comments and feedback as to how you altered my recipes…my goal is to be the inspiration for your tailgate each week!
For all of you wanting to sport your gold on Saturday, these super zesty lemon pepper wings are worth the extra prep time! Since I know everyone does not have the same size tailgate, I am going to do this recipe in increments of 2 pounds of meat. So, for every two pounds of meat you have, multiply the recipe. This is a great recipe for a crowd, is easy prep for tailgate time, and utilizes a lot of things you should already have at the house. Here’s your shopping list for Friday: 3 lemons, 2 pound package of wings, chives, and a head of garlic. You should already have sea salt, pepper, and vegetable oil at home. The day before the game, make things easy on yourself by making the marinade in a container you can cover and transfer to the game. Simply put a 1/4 cup lemon juice and a 1/4 cup of vegetable oil in the bottom of the bowl (for each 2 pounds of meat you plan on marinating) and whisk it together. After juicing your lemons, save the rinds, you will need those! Add your wings to the marinade, cover and place in the fridge until you are ready to go…then, just transfer your container straight into the cooler for easy transportation to the game.
In a gallon size zipper lock bag, prep and include the following (for each two pounds of meat): 4 cloves of minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of freshly ground black peppercorns, the zest of 2 lemons, and 1.5 tablespoons of ground sea salt. Shake well, and throw the bag in the fridge with the wings so you don’t forget it.
Once you have a drink in hand (keep reading for inspiration), the grill is ready to go at your tailgate, and everyone is hungry as a tiger…go ahead and drop the wings into the lemon pepper seasoning bag you prepped the night before, and shake until evenly coated.
Immediately place the wings on the grill and cook at medium heat for about 3 – 4 minutes on each side until they are cooked through and browned. Garnish with chives for an impressive, but easy presentation. These wings have are perfect on their own and have a good kick to them, just how the Cajuns like it! But, if you want even more, you could always dip them, or add a few dashes of Tabasco.
For the extension of your hand pre-game, I am going with a New Orleans classic, none other than the hurricane made famous by Pat O’Brien’s. However, mine is a little more simple so you don’t drag the entire liquor cabinet to the game with you, and much more natural so that you aren’t getting your fill of red food dye for the year. Here’s how it goes… in a shaker with ice mix the following: 2 oz. of light rum, 2 oz. of dark rum, 2 oz. passion fruit juice, 1 oz. orange juice, juice of half a lime, and 1.5 oz. agave nectar. Pour into a sugar rimmed glass, and add a wedge of lime or orange. For all of you looking for some purple to go with your gold, add a drop of purple food coloring! This drink’s punch can compete with the wings! Happy first week of football — I hope you enjoy the recipe, the games, and the fanfare, but most importantly come back next week for another game day of grub!
We've made it easy to stay connected:
I can’t wait to try this recipe. My stomach is growling just reading the recipe and looking at the pictures!! Thanks for the inspiration!!
You think it would be ok for a Texas Tech fan who also cheers for her husband’s beloved Buckeye’s to serve these at our tailgate parties too? For a bit of redemption – I’ve lived in Atlanta for 30 years so GO DAWGS!
They look mouth-watering yummy!!
As Elizabeth’s sous chef and chief taster (aka her husband)….the recipe is AWESOME!! I really enjoyed the tangy but yet spicy taste of the wings. In my opinion they were spot on for tailgating!
I look forward to having it again this weekend as we cheer on the Samford Bulldogs as they play Florida State. Go Dawgs!!
This recipe looks and sounds sooo YUMMY!!! I like that its not too complicated to make! Excited to try it out!!
This sounds awesome! My wife and I are headed to “The Loveliest Village on the Plains” (Auburn for those SEC challenged) and were wondering what to bring to the tailgate. We love wings and this looks like a very light tasty sauce. Love the hurrricane recipe too! Keep recipe’s like this coming
Don’t be scared to bring some of these to Athens this year!
Very excited to try the hurricane recipe – and the wings will follow there after for sure! thank you – seems simple but delicious!
I’m lookin’ forward to throwing a little Tabasco sauce on those wings for a little kick (just like your suggestion said)!… Definitely adding this to my “BBQ To Do List” for today!
Looks delicious and much healthier than the alternatives!! I look forward to seeing more blogs of what you come up with next! :)
Yummy! I am super excited to make these wings!
Do you deliver? YUM!!
As a single guy and a football lover, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate sites like this that provide some really good ideas and instructions that a kitchen novice like myself can follow. These wings look amazing, and I can’t wait to try them out at the FSU/BYU game. Keep the good ideas coming, Elizabeth
I actually got to try the wings and the drink from Elizabeth, and all I can say is WOW!! The wings were fabulous and really tasty. The Hurricane was delicious and the raw sugar really added to it. I can’t wait for next weeks post.
I’m glad my recipes were so well-received, and people outside of the SEC tailgate scene are interested in what we are all about! I’ve been asked by others around the country about Southeastern tailgating tradition. Part of being a southerner is inviting others to your table…hospitality at it’s best! So, absolutely be the southerner at your favorite teams’ games (no matter what conference you may be in, or what sports you support) — try my recipes, grill, drink, set a table, and invite others to join!
THANK YOU so much for all of the “reads” and responses! Because of all of the love you sent me this week, I got super encouraged, and I am already working on next weekend’s recipe and drink! I’m convinced you will LOVE IT! In the meantime, please follow me on twitter at FoodDownSouth for daily updates, and maybe even sneak peeks for week 2 and more!
Cheers!
Elizabeth
You can follow Elizabeth and her tailgating recipes and other good eating on twitter @FoodDownSouth
We had the wings as an appetizer for dinner tonight, grilled in between rain drops in Seattle, and they were yummy! Can’t wait for the next recipe!
Wow! These wings are amazing!!! I just made them from my labor dinner BBQ and not one person needed the ‘typical’ wing dipping awesome. Easy to make and full of flavor. I highly recommend trying Elizabeth’s fabulous recipe!!!
[...] lemon pepper wings last week were such a success, and I appreciate all of the wonderful feedback! However, I have to [...]
[...] food section and weekly column. Her work is absolutely excellent. You can see her work here, here and here. She already has a little following in just three weeks. She knows she is good [...]