Wings are a staple in our home, perfect for those should-we-order-takeout? nights when no one wants to cook. Until recently I had no idea how easy it is to make wings – at least if you’re not planning on deep frying them, which is a lot of messy work. It only takes a few minutes to whisk together a marinade and throw the wings straight from the freezer to the oven; by far the hardest part is waiting for them to be done.
Spicy Garlic Ginger Wings is my favorite variety that I end up making nearly every time. The flavor was inspired by mixing Sweet Ginger Thai and Spicy Garlic Chili sauces from a local wing shop, because I can never leave a good thing alone, and the result is absolutely fantastic.
A few thoughts on the ingredients:
Our local grocery store (Kroger, aka King Soopers out here in Colorado) has a great Sesame Ginger With Mandarin Orange marinade that I use as the base of this sauce. Use whatever similar Asian-style marinade you can find locally. You could totally make your own and I’m sure it would be amazing, but the idea here is to use a couple ingredients already in your fridge with very little work. All about laziness with this one!
Ketchup? Really? I know, I’m not a fan, but you need the acidity. It works here.
Brown sugar always belongs in wing sauces because caramelization. YES.
Here’s the thing: even baked chicken wings are never going to be suuuper healthy. And that’s okay because they are DELICOUS.
Spicy Garlic Ginger Wings
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sesame ginger marinade
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 2 T. brown sugar
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 t. sambal oelek or chili garlic paste
- 1 t. red pepper flakes
- 1.5 lb. frozen chicken wings approx. 16
- carrots, celery, and bleu cheese dressing (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Whisk together everything but the chicken wings. Taste & adjust – it will be very strong.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Use the smallest sheet you have that will fit the wings in a single layer.
- Arrange the wings bone-down on the sheet. Brush the tops with sauce.
- Bake for 15 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. Turn wings over, brush the bottoms, and return to the oven.
- Repeat turning and brushing every fifteen minutes.
- The wings are done when the sauce has caramelized and thickly coats the meat, usually around an hour.
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