Chimichurri Chicken Wings (Argentinean)

Subtly flavoured with paprika and grilled until golden brown, brighten up your next batch of wings with a generous serving of spicy chimichurri. A bright chimichurri sauce adds freshness to chicken wings marinated in fragrant paprika and lightly charred on the grill. Sliced avocado served alongside helps cool you down between bites.

4 lbs chicken wings, split at the joint, wingtips removed and discarded
½ cup + 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp. ground sweet paprika
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground
3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
½ cup fresh parsley leaves
½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
2 Tbsp. fresh oregano leaves
¼ cup ice cubes
1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded and roughly chopped
vegetable oil, for oiling the grill grates

Combine the chicken wings, ¼ cup of the olive oil and paprika in a large bowl, sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper then toss until evenly combined. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

Meanwhile, make the chimichurri: Combine the vinegar, garlic and a generous pinch of salt in a blender and blend on low until smooth. Add the parsley, cilantro, oregano, ice and jalapeno and blend on medium speed. With the blender running, slowly drizzle in the remaining ¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp. olive oil and purée until smooth, about 1 minute, stopping to scrape down the sides if necessary. Season the chimichurri with more salt and pepper and transfer to a serving bowl, cover with plastic and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Preheat a grill to medium. Brush the grill grates with vegetable oil. Grill the chicken wings, turning every 6 minutes, until golden brown, lightly charred at the edges and cooked through, about 25 minutes.

Transfer the wings to a serving platter and season with salt to taste. Drizzle with some chimichurri sauce and serve the remaining sauce on the side.

Makes 6-8 servings.