Piri Piri chicken wings with coleslaw and new potato salad

It’s actually summer, like, it’s proper sunny and everything! Even if it’s just for a week or two, I’m satisfied with that! Given the rare lovely weather, despite the fact that we have no outside furniture at the moment which makes me very grumpy, we are making regular efforts to pop the tablecloth on the camping table and get on the back field to have BBQs. The kids love it, as does Adam. Plus once the sides are done, I can relax and let him do all the work!

There’s nothing like having a cold glass of vino whilst the barbie gets going, knowing that the sides are all sorted and all that needs to happen now is the fire bit. That’s my secret – doing the sides first and then sitting back and letting the bloke do the fire cooking. Adam is a massive BBQ-er, he sits watching YouTube videos about Texan BBQ competitions. He’s obsessed. So he is the wielder of the tongs in this house. Good for you if that’s not the case in yours, but here BBQ is man zone.

Heinz were good enough to send a selection of their BBQ sauces, which I have used in these recipes. A barbie isn’t really a barbie without sauce, is it? I do think as Brits we need to up our BBQ game. There’s nothing wrong with a simple sausage and burger with salad on the side get together, but with a little more effort we could have something a bit more special. Heinz call it ‘adding some magic’ to summer BBQs – and that’s what it is really. By using classic flavours like their Mild Deli Mustard, Seriously Good Mayonnaise and a bit of spice with their Piri Piri Sauce you can create something delightful without breaking much of a sweat. But instead of adding them to the side of your plate, why not use them to create recipes?

I chose to do some chicken wings as the centrepiece. I chopped them in two at the middle point which was a new thing – so worth doing, it just feels like more meat and they are more manageable for the kids. I used a super big sharp knife but good kitchen scissors would do the job – find the obvious middle point and chop away, watching your fingers… To go with the chicken we simply cooked up some little cooking chorizos, which went well with the Piri Piri thing.

The coleslaw has fennel in which adds a gorgeous subtle aniseed flavour (don’t let that put you off as I hate aniseed but I love fennel). The new potato salad has barbecued sweetcorn in, which gives crunch and a smokey flavour.

Heinz are giving away little hampers of sauces to add a little magic to your summer BBQs – simply comment on my Facebook post and the first 5 will get sent some free sauce!

Just a note that the sauce is fairly spicy, so leave some wings free of sauce for very little kids. Saying that, the heat does mellow after some cooking so let them try one and see if they can manage the spice.

Serves: 4 people
Prep time: 30 minutes (approx)
Cook time: 30 minutes (approx)
Total time: 1 hour (approx)

Piri Piri chicken wings:
10 chicken wings, snipped in two
Heinz Piri Piri sauce

New potato salad with sweetcorn:
750g new potatoes
2 tablespoons of Heinz Seriously Good mayo
Bunch spring onions, finely chopped
Handful fresh parsley, finely chopped
Tablespoon fresh mint, finely chopped
2 ears of sweetcorn, barbecued first then added
1/2 juice lemon
Salt and pepper

Fennel, red cabbage and carrot slaw:
1/4 red cabbage
1 large carrot
1 bulb of fennel
3 tablespoons of Heinz Seriously Good mayo
3 tablespoons of Greek yoghurt
2 tablespoons Heinz Mild Deli Mustard
1/2 juice lemon
Salt and pepper

Instructions: 

1. Get the BBQ heating up.
2. Cook potatoes until tender in boiling water then plunge into cold water to stop cooking and cool. Drain.
3. As soon as BBQ is ready cook the corn for a few minutes until tender and a little charred. Let it cool then add to cooked potatoes (hold and run a knife down one side they will come away easily). Add chopped spring onions, parsley, mint, mayo, lemon juice and seasoning. Toss and set aside.
4. Grate carrot, fennel, and cabbage – give each one a squeeze after you’ve grated. You can, by the way, slice finely with a knife but I find grating gives a better texture as when I slice it’s too thick – that is, unless you are highly skilled at slickly thinly. Toss with mayo, mustard, yoghurt, lemon juice and seasoning. Set aside.
5. If using chorizos, like us, add them at the same time as the wings. Cook the wings until almost done on all sides – about 15-20 mins, moving around to ensure they are cooked through. Then for the last 10 minutes paint Piri Piri sauce on and let the glaze become charred too – just a little. See picture below.
6. Let the wings rest for 5 minutes while you get the other stuff out. Eat up and enjoy!