ooo saa hicken leads he pack in arty snacks AN ALL-TIME favorite snack or party appetizer is chicken --— wings lead the pack but skewered bites and chickezx balls are popular too. Just have a look to any pub appetizer menu and you're sure to see chicken in various forms — strips, usually breaded and wings . under various aliases come to mind. The wings are usually heavily sauced while the strips ” come with various dips such as mustard, sweet and sour or creamy. You must never undercook chicken but chicken breasts are delicate and dreadful if overcook- ed. Wings aren’t so touchy as the meat is juicier to start. Depending on .the sauce, too, you can let _ them bake until crunchy. If you’re not concerned about costs, chicken ‘‘drumettes” are an easy choice. These are the wing joints closest to the. body and have only. one bone. They are easiest for guests to eat. If you buy a bag of chicken wings — much cheaper — ycu must separate the three pieces _— drumettes and middle joints are suitable for appetizers but - the wing tips aren’t. Either discard them or bag and freeze for soup ‘stock. To separate the three sec- tions, bend and snap at the joints aad then cut with a sharp knife or poultry shears. Strips can be ‘purchased already breaded — often quite tasteless — or plain. Usually the breast pieces sold as chicken strips are the tenderloin part of the breast. This -small middle section separates itself from the rest. of the breast and is very tender. _ Ground chicken can be pur- chased. everywhere but please . handle it with care. Plan to buy it, “rush it home-and make it up im- ‘mediately. [t doesn’t store well and salmonella is an ever-present risk. : Oriental Chicken Wings “3 pounds prepared chicken wings Y% cup soy sauce % cup dry sherry . % eup bottled Hoisin sauce % cup bottled plum sauce 1 buach green onions, chopped 1 teaspoon granulated garlic % cup vinegar — % cup honey - (Optional) 2 teaspoons finely grated ginger root Set chicken aside and bring re- -maining ingredients to a boil. Simmer until slightly thickened — about 10 minutes. Cool. Pour over wings — I use a stainiess steel bow! with a tight .cover. Refrigerate overnight. Every time you Pass ‘the fridge, reach. in and give the bowl a shake. To bake, drain wings and place on a stick-proof or ‘Sprayed baking sheet. — ‘Bake at 400°F about half an hour, basting with marinade every few minutes, turning. Keep a close eye on these as _they burn easily. I set them on the highest rack in my oven. Buffalo Wings 5 pounds prepared chicken wings 1 cup packed brown sugar _ % cup sherry -.. Leup say seuce . , 2 teaspoons dry mustard 1 teaspoon Tobasco sauce 4 cloves garlic, crushed . - Spread the wings out on two or three large baking sheets — whatever you can fit into your - oven. * \Boil the remaining ingredients. Toss the wings in the sauce, reser- Barbara McCreadie BUDGET BEATERS — ving a bit for basting. Place pans in a 400°F oven and bake about 45 minutes, turning often and ad- ding more sauce as needed. These should be quite crunchy and sticky —- give them a run under the broiler if they don’t look right. . Dips For Chicken Strips Creamy Dips: Start with “4 cup each sour cream and real mayon- naise. Add the seasoning of your choice and refrigerate overnight to biend flavors. Mustard Dip % cup Dijen mustard Dash Worcestershire sauce Garlic Dip 6 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed ¥ teaspoon seasoned salt Crecked pepper (grind well over the top) Blue Cheese Dip ¥2 cup well crumbled blue cheese 2 green onions, finely minced Y, teaspoon wine vinegar Snipped parsley (topping) Ranch Dip 2 teaspoons mixed dry Italian herbs 1 teaspoon granulated parlic Paprika (to top) Other sauces: If you’re in a rush, try bottled varieties of plum, honey-mustard or salsa. My favorite is this one: Rye Whisky Sauce Y% cup rye % cup ketchup 2 tabiespoons brown sugar Stir together in a small sauce- pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and keep an eye on it, stirring often for about 10 minutes. Chicken Balls 2 pounds very fresh ground chicken . 2 pound ground pork Legg 1 small bunch green onions, very finely chopped Y2 cup fine dry breadcrumbs — use the packaged ones 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce ¥2 teaspoon poultzy seasoning Seasoned salt — a good sprinkle Rinse your hands under cold’ water and blend this mixture together. Form bite-sized balls and place on a sprayed baking sheet. Bake at 375°F for 20 minutes. You can bag and freeze these — I freeze the balls first unbagged to keep them from clinging together. . To serve, reheat in a moderate oven — 350°F — about 10 minutes, Skewer on cocktail picks and pass your favorite sauce. . DOUBLE COOKTOP "© Grill covers cover grill w simeaat anarenen ey ROASTING CHICKENS Grade A or Utility EXPIRES OCTOBER 3/92 im-9pm Sat. sone Fem. an damfpm BUNDARAVE WEST YAN. 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