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.