Provencal Herbed Chicken Wings with Gorgonzola and Celery

What's all this I hear about BBQ wings? I wish I had a good SNL Emily Litella comeback to this, because grilled wings are so often associated with sweet, red, goopy (perhaps) sauces.  And sometimes I feel they are getting too hyped up.

What happened to the simple herbed (and garliced!) chicken wing?

Enter Mark Bittman who proposes such a thing.  Here is my take on his simple approach to a most wonderful cut of the chicken - the wing.  Although I designed my own marinade here, and still go for an accompaniment of blue cheese dip with celery, I really want you to look at Mark's innovative grilling technique, which has transformed the way I grill chicken of any shape or size, these days.

Thanks, Mark.
1 dozen wings, separated
2 ribs celery, cut into dipping matchsticks

Wing Marinade:
2 Tbsp herbes de Provence
1 tsp red chili pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic, pushed through press
1 tsp Kosher coarse salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp prepared horseradish
1/2 cup oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice or rice vinegar

Gorgonzola dip (see link)

Mix together the wing marinade ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Toss marinade together with the chicken wings and allow to marinate at least an hour or even better, overnight.

Heat grill to high. Turn one side off and place wings on the side tuned off. Close the grill and allow to cook about 8-10 minutes. Reduce the middle and/or other side to medium and flip the wings to grill their other side on the other (hot) side of the grill. Cook for about another 10 minutes, turning once or twice, until the wings are cooked through and browning up nicely.

Serve with celery sticks and Gorgonzola dip.

Serves 6-8 as an appetizer or 3-4 as a meal.