Honey-Ginger-Sriracha Baked Chicken Wings

It’s that time of year again, folks! Let’s get ready for some football! I am from Texas so of course I love a little football but to be honest, I really like the social aspect of it a heck of a lot more. When there is a big game on I love nothing more than hosting our friends over and making finger-licking good football food for everyone…and nothing says “football food” like some classic Buffalo Wings. The possibilities with wings are endless and this time I wanted to step my wing game up a notch. Let me tell you, I may have stepped up my wing game two notches because these Honey-Ginger-Sriracha Baked Chicken Wings are GOOOOOOD. They have the obligatory spice from the sriracha, a nice tanginess from the orange and lime juice, a little sweetness and a nice sticky texture comes from the honey, and some delicious gourmet flavor is added through the ginger, garlic and soy.  It is a winning recipe that is easy to whip up and will seriously impress your favorite football fans next time you are hosting people for game day! Enjoy these Honey-Ginger-Sriracha Baked Chicken Wings!

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. (about 24 pieces) of split chicken wings and legs
• salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp. olive or vegetable oil
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 inch chunk of Ginger.  Peeled then grated (about 1 tbsp)
• 1/4 cup Honey
• 1/4 cup Sriracha
• 1/4 cup Tamari (or Soy Sauce)
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 2 tbsp. lime juice
• Cooking Spray
• For Garnish:  Chopped cilantro, toasted sesame seeds, scallions or chives.

Method:

1. Rinse and pat dry chicken wings.  Season with salt and pepper.  Place seasoned wings in a large ziplock bag.

2.  Combine all other ingredients into the zip lock bag (except for the garnish and cooking spray, obviously), seal, then toss to combine ingredients and to coat the wings evenly.  Place in fridge and allow to marinate for at least 2 hours, but preferably all day or even overnight!  The longer the better, but they are good no matter what!

3.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

4.  Wrap a cooking sheet in foil.  Spray with cooking spray.  Using tongs, carefully remove each wing from the ziplock bag and place on foil wrapped sheet– reserving as much as the marinade in the bag as possible.  ((IF you have a wire rack, I would place the wire rack over the foil wrapped cooking sheet, spray it with cooking spray, then place your wings on that.  I had difficulty removing my wings from the foil wrapped baking sheet.  They tasted great, just a little more work than I wanted getting them off.))

5.  Place wings in oven and bake until cooked through and skin is crispy, 30–35 minutes.  Halfway through the cooking time, using tongs flip the wings over so they crisp up evenly.

6.  Meanwhile, when there is about 15 minutes left in the cooking time of the wings–pour the remaining marinade into a skillet.  Heat skillet over medium-high heat and bring sauce to a simmer, stirring occasionally.  Turn heat down to keep it slightly simmering, but not boiling to allow the sauce to thicken for about 10-15 minutes, stirring often and being very careful not to burn.

7.  Remove wings from oven.  Using a kitchen brush, brush the simmered and thickened marinade over each of the wings.

8.  Place the wings on a serving platter and garnish with cilantro and scallions.  Drizzle with a little more sauce if you have more (you should). Serve with lots of napkins, carrots and celery (if you want) and ENJOY!