I am a lover of chicken wings. While I do not eat the killer hot wings that use the spiciest sauces imaginable so all you feel is burning in your mouth, I do like a little bit of heat on them to go along with a really nice crunch. I often order wings from the local places around here or make my own and while Michelle will eat wings with a little bit of heat, Sean tends to turn them down. This means when I make wings at home I have to come up with alternatives to Buffalo wings and the classic sauce. I have tried a few different kinds, including the honey mustard wings recipe I posted here not that long ago, but when I saw a sale on chicken wings at the local grocery store not that long ago I thought I would try something different one night for dinner while Michelle was away. I came across this recipe from the Cooking Channel (it’s actually a Tiffani Thiessen recipe) for honey-ginger chicken wings that you bake in the oven so you can avoid all of the frying and make something a little better that still tastes great.
Honey Ginger Chicken Wings
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup lime juice plus 1 tablespoon grated lime zest, plus more zest, for garnish
1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
3 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 scallions, thinly sliced (about 3 tablespoons)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
16 chicken wings (about 4 pounds), tips removed, drumettes and flats separated
In a medium bowl, whisk together the honey, lime juice and zest,tamari or soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, scallions, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Reserve 3/4 of a cup of the marinade for later use. Pour the remaining marinade into a 2-gallon zip-top bag. Add the chicken wings and seal the bag, pressing out as much air as possible; massage the bag to distribute the marinade over all of the chicken wings. Marinate, refrigerated, for at least 6 hours, or preferably overnight.
Remove the chicken wings from the refrigerator and let them sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil and place a rack inside the baking sheet.
Put the wings skin-side down on the rack in the baking sheet and spoon half of the marinade from the bag over the wings. Cook the wings for 20 minutes, then flip the wings, baste the wings with the remaining marinade from the bag, rotate the pan and cook until the honey has caramelized and the skin on the wings is a dark amber, about an additional 20 to 25 minutes.
Pour the reserved 3/4 cup of marinade into a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook the marinade until the liquid is thick and syrupy and turns into a glaze, about 4 to 5 minutes. Coat the wings with the thickened marinade. Transfer the wings to a serving platter and garnish them with lime zest.
It is a little bit of work to get the wings done but it is worth the effort you put into it. The marinade tastes great and you get excellent flavor from the honey, soy and ginger. The sesame oil has a very distinct taste as well so if you are not a fan of sesame oil you might want to cut the amount back or eliminate it altogether. To me, 3 tablespoons of sesame oil was a lot to add and I only put one in because I thought it would overwhelm the taste of the wings. For me, they came out perfectly. Sean really loved the wings and they came out with crisp skin (not as crisp as when you fry them of course) and good flavor. They can be great to have as an appetizer for any type of get together or as the main dish. I served them with some yellow rice and zucchini and it was a nice meal.
That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!
onedadskitchen 