Sticky Glazed Chicken Wings

I would be remiss if this week’s entry didn’t involve Super Bowl-appropriate nibbles for the big game this Sunday.  So here it is, America’s favorite bar food:  chicken wings.

Though I’ve partaken of my fair share of wings, I’d never attempted fixing them myself.  I looked through recipe after recipe with endless variations – baked, fried, slow cooker, buffalo, Korean, etc. – but all had a common denominator, of which I was completely unaware.  Wings are comprised of three parts: tip, wingette and drumette.  When you eat them at Buffalo Wild Wings you’re eating the wingettes and drumettes.  However most supermarkets sell the wing whole requiring a carving job by the home cook.  I’ll admit I was a bit put off.  Hacking up a chicken wing seemed like a bit of an ordeal.

YouTube to the rescue!  Thanks to YouTube I was able to watch several videos, some of which made cutting up a chicken wing appear ridiculously easy – akin to a knife through butter.  It isn’t quite that easy, but it’s not exactly difficult either.  Watch a few videos and I assure you, you’ll figure it out too.  The whole watching and cutting process took maybe 10 minutes max.

Now for flavorings, I knew I didn’t want buffalo wings as they’re too spicy for the entire family, so I was thinking more Asian style.  This was the first recipe I tried and it couldn’t have been simpler with amazing results.

I am not waiting another 40+ years before making my next batch of wings.  In fact, I’ll be fixing them up for Sunday’s Super Bowl – it’ll be a good midnight snack while we’re watching the big game here in London.

1 year ago:  Frittata

Sticky Glazed Chicken Wings (makes 4 dozen wings)

Note:  This was my first attempt at making chicken wings at home which means it was also my first attempt at cutting a whole chicken wing into sections (tip, wingette and drumette).  If you have never sectioned a chicken wing, I suggest watching a tutorial on YouTube.  Search “cut chicken wings” and you should find quite a few.

24 chicken wings (about 4-5 lbs or 2 kgs)

1 cup (250 ml) soy sauce

1/2 cup (125 ml) dry red wine

1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon (135 grams) granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

---

Preheat oven to 400°F / 200°C.  Cut off wing tips and halve the wings at the joint, so that you have a wingette and drumette.  Discard the tips or save them to make chicken stock (which you can use in Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup).  Arrange the wingettes and drumettes (you should have 48 pieces total) in a large roasting pan or rimmed baking tray in a single layer.  If all the pieces don’t fit, put excess in another pan/tray.

In a small saucepan heat the remaining ingredients over medium-low heat, stirring, until sugar dissolves (about 5 minutes).  Pour liquid evenly over the wings and then using tongs or your fingers, gently roll the wings in the sauce so they are coated on all sides.  Bake for 45 minutes. Turn wings and continue baking until the liquid becomes thick and sticky and wings become dark brown (a few burnt bits are ok), another 45 minutes to 1 hour.  Let wings cool for about 5 minutes, transfer to a platter and serve….with lots of napkins.

Adapted from Gourmet (La Brea Tar Pit Chicken Wings)