Phil Heath will always be a bodybuilder — it’s something that’s ingrained in his very being.
“Bodybuilding is in my DNA,” the seven-time Mr. Olympia told Muscle & Fitness. “That has not changed one bit. I’ll always have that in my blood.”
But in recent years, Heath has tried to become much more than that. He’s launched his own supplement and apparel lines, and is a partner in Mile High Meats — a supplier of high-quality meats.
And now he’s adding chef to his ever-growing resume. Heath is one of 10 celebrities who designed their favorite chicken wing recipe to be featured in Off the Menu’s Wing Showdown, presented by Uber Eats. The “Mr. Olympia’s Cheat Meal Wings” feature a honey-sriracha glaze (with rice wine vinegar and toasted sesame oil), and a breading that includes cayenne pepper for even more kick.
His wings are available through the Uber Eats app in Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, and other cities from July 29 to Aug. 2. After you try his wings, you can vote for him at thewingshowdown.com. Other celebrities participating in the showdown include Shaq, Snoop Dogg, and Anthony Anderson.
“I love food, but most importantly food brings people together,” Heath says in explaining why he decided to participate in the showdown. “And with everything going on right now in the world, I thought maybe we could bring some happier times with food.”
Food, he continues, is also a way for people who may not be into bodybuilding to get to know him and who he is. “Food is a great way to really connect with people and find some commonality,” he says.
In addition to his love for wings, we spoke to Heath about the ongoing debate around systemic racism, what he’s been up to in quarantine, and if we’ll see him on a bodybuilding stage anytime soon.
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Raimunda-losantos
Drums or flats?
Being a bodybuilder, it’s not often Heath gets to enjoy something like chicken wings. But when cheat meal time does come around, he likes to eat something he can get stuck into. “This is something fun,” he says. “That’s what cheat meals are for.”
He’s not picky with his wings, but he prefers a nice drumstick most of the time over flats. “It looks cooler, and typically it’s meatier,” he says. “Flats are good, too.”
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Lev Radin/Pacific Press/Shutterstock
Discussing systemic racism
The celebrity who receives the most votes will not only get bragging rights, but a donation made in their name to the Center for Policing Equity, an action think tank that reduces the causes of racial disparities in law enforcement.
Heath says that was a very important reason for him joining the showdown. “I grew up in an inner city in Seattle,” he says, “and I was around a lot of violence, and I was approached by different kinds of police. There was quite a bit of crime but there was also a strong and positive presence there, too.”
With the ongoing protests following the murder of George Floyd, a Black Minneapolis man who was killed by a White police officer, Heath said it’s imperative people debate each other in a way that’s not disrespectful.
“I want people to remember the main goal, and the main goal should be let’s bring everybody together,” he says. “Let’s do our best. Let’s try our hardest. We’re all human, but we are not the same, and that’s what’s great.”
He adds that he’s willing to have discussions with people who don’t necessarily see eye-to-eye with him. “I really want to know how they tick and how they feel about this,” he says.
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What he’s been up to in quarantine
Being one of the greatest modern bodybuilders, Heath had access to a gym even as many across the country were forced to shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. But even he decided to take a little bit of a break from his Iron Paradise when it too was closed (it’s since reopened), and focused on other things — such as gardening. No, really.
“Being in a yard is actually somewhat calming,” he says. “I can appreciate landscaping.”
Other than that, he’s been reading books (sometimes three books a month) on leadership and team building to help him grow as a business owner. “It’s been very fruitful, kept me away from getting sucked into too much television,” he says.
But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been sucked into a Netflix binge every now and then. “I mean who didn’t watch Tiger King?” he says with a laugh.
Did he miss the gym? A little, but not too much. “My muscles aren’t going to go anywhere,” he says.
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A return to bodybuilding?
So will see Heath on a bodybuilding stage anytime soon? “I haven’t retired or anything like that,” he says. “I love my fans, I obviously miss all the guys. If the stars align and the timing is right, who knows what will happen?”
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Courtesy Uber Eats
Heath’s Chicken Wing Recipe
If you’re not in an area where you can order Heath’s wings, try them out for yourself.
Ingredients:
8-12 chicken wings
Cooking oil
Flour
2 eggs
Salt and pepper
1 Tbsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp garlic powder
½ cup sriracha
⅓ cup honey
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 ½ tsp minced garlic
Instructions:
Salt wings the night before and leave in the refrigerator covered. The next day, marinate wings in a mixture of milk (whole or 2%), 2 eggs, and Sriracha (about 1/3 cup) for 2 hrs in the refrigerator.
While the wings are marinating, mix the honey sriracha glaze in a bowl: (Sriracha, honey, rice vinegar, sesame oil and minced garlic). Set aside.
To prepare the wing breading, mix flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder and cayenne pepper in a large bowl. (I use about 1 tablespoon of cayenne but you can add as much as your spicy preference). Lightly coat each wing in the flour mixture.
Fill a large pot half full with cooking oil (you want to hit roughly 300F-350F) and set a rack over a baking sheet. In batches, coat the wings in the breading mix, then let the excess fall off before adding to oil. Fry until golden, anywhere from 5-7 minutes depending on wing size. Transfer the fried wings to rack to cool.
Once cooled, add wings to a large bowl and mix to coat evenly with the sriracha glaze. Serve with blue cheese or your favorite wing dipping sauce!
