Baked Chicken Wings

I love finger foods, this is a fact.  I love finger foods even more when they’re easy to whip up and simple to make.  These, my friends, are exactly that- easy, simple, straight-forward comfort finger-food goodness.  And guess what, no deep-frying here.  Just boiling, baking, and devouring.  I triple like.

I was never a huge chicken-wing gal.  Yah, they’re good, but eh, wasn’t ever my go-to snack.  Until recently. A few months back, I bought some wings and decided to come up with a quick version of wings on the spot.  I busted out my ghee, coconut aminos (a soy sauce-like taste, just a bit sweeter, less salty, and Paleo-approved), and Louisiana-style hot sauce.  I mixed it all up, slathered it on, and fell in love.  It literally happened just like that.  I loved how tender yet crispy the wings were. Soft on the inside, crispy and flavorful on the outside.  What made them so you ask?  I think the key is the boiling.  I boiled them in water first, which makes the meat super tender, then baked them in the sauce to get the skin crispy.  No deep-frying, no messes.  Just a simple and healthy way to cook these bad boys up.

Since that first wing-making success, I’ve been making these guys right and left.  Probably a good ten times I’d say, each time with the exact same method.  I’ve used different hot sauces- I’ve tried a habanero one, a homemade one, and local pepper sauce…. all are good, but there’s something super tasty and straight-forward about that tangy Louisiana-style kind.  I just like it.

Of course if you have a different kind of sauce in mind, go for it… you could use this method of cooking with any sauce you like.  I’m a fan of playing around and experimenting… 🙂

Sometimes I serve these guys with ranch- man, it’s so good (see the recipe for my homemade ranch HERE).  This last time though, I made a chipotle mayo… it was a killer combo.  Would totally recommend it- check out the recipe HERE!

Have an event coming up that requires some longer-food munching?  {Cough cough, Super Bowl!}  Here’s one of my go-to platters… cook up some wings, make some chipotle mayo dip, and serve it all with some chopped veggies.  That’s a real people-pleaser.  Sometimes I’ll add in a few more treats, like these homemade potato chips (made with sweet, Hawaiian, and Russet potatoes, and a simple tomato-avocado salad.  Finger foods are my fave.

INGREDIENTS

1.5 lb chicken wings (10-15 wings)

2 tbsp ghee

3-4 tbsp hot sauce, depending on spice-level*

2 tbsp coconut aminos (available HERE and at most natural food stores)

1 tsp salt- 1/2 for boiling water, 1/2 for seasoning

*I like Louisiana-style hot sauce, but you could use any you like…

use more for less spicy sauces, less for spicier ones

**Serve with homemade CHIPOTLE MAYO!
(Don’t feel like making it from scratch?  Add the spices to mayo- boom, good enough)

***Heads up, these aren’t the buffalo-style super saucy wings…

if you want them extra saucy, toss ’em in extra sauce at the end before devouring

DIRECTIONS

To make the sauce…

Add the ghee, hot sauce, and coconut aminos together in a small bowl

Heat until melted

Taste to adjust flavors as desired

Set aside for now

 To make wings…

Preheat oven to 500 degrees

Heat a large pot of water to a boil

Add 1/2 tsp salt to the water

Once boiling, add wings

Lower heat to med-high, for a light slow boil, and cook for 10 minutes

Strain water

     

This step is needed only if you have chicken wings instead of party wings…

Basically, “party” wings are cut into smaller little pieces and don’t have the wing tip

It makes them easier and more ‘fun’ to eat

You can either get party wings to begin with (just ask your butcher or buy them as is)

or you can easily chop them into party wings yourself

This is much easier to do after they are cooked first…

Just take a knife and slice the little wing tip off- it may require a wee push and muscle 😉

 

Then hack the wing apart right at the joint…

you’ll be able to tell when you’ve got the ‘right’ spot

There, party wings 🙂

Toss wings in a bowl

Sprinkle with approx. 1/2 tsp salt- toss to coat

Pour the sauce over the wings

The longer you let them sit, the more flavor they’ll absorb…

I personally never have much patience and just go for it right away

When I’m hungry, I’m hungry 😉

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or foil)

Lay the wings down, skin-side down, and drizzle with about half the sauce

Bake for about 15 minutes- about half way through, once skin is browned,

flip them and pour the remaining sauce over the tops

Continue baking until done

That’s it!

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce and enjoy!!