A Super-Simple Anchovy-Garlic Dipping Sauce for Chicken Wings (and Other Things)

I recently was moved to make chicken and dumplings, I think by the onset of fall and the fact that my husband was sick. When I make homemade chicken stock, I usually use chicken wings, and this recipe also called for using wings for the soup base. I usually cook stock until the wings practically dissolve (except for the bones). I simmered the chicken and dumplings stock for a much shorter time, and I had a plateful of intact, cooked wings when I was done.

Of course, I saved them. I put them under the broiler for a few minutes to brown and crisp up the skin. I don’t usually like chicken wings because I think they’re too greasy, but these were moist and flavorful. I think simmering them in the stock cooked most of the fat out of them.

I needed something to serve them with, and I found a recipe for anchovy-garlic sauce in one of Mark Bittman’s cookbooks that seemed to fit the bill. It reminds me of the dipping sauce we get with chicken wings at a local restaurant, a lighter, tastier alternative to the traditional buffalo-style sauce. I think this sauce is related to the traditional bagna cauda, but this one comes together in minutes.  I think this would also make a tasty dip for crudites.

Note: I used anchovy paste, but if you have real anchovies, by all means, substitute them. You have to guesstimate amounts, depending on your tolerance for anchovies. Taste frequently and adjust as necessary.

Anchovy-Garlic Dipping Sauce

Yields: ~4 servings

• 3 tbsp. butter
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tbsp. anchovy paste
• Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the butter and olive oil with the garlic over low until the butter melts. Stir in the anchovy paste until it is mixed well. Season to taste. Keep warm until serving.

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• Recipe Redux: Bagna Cauda, 1960 (nytimes.com)

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Tagged: Anchovies, Chicken, Dips, Garlic, Italian, Mark Bittman, Sauces