Finger Licking Goodness

I love chicken wings.  They are the part of the chicken that most people toss aside out of their "buckets" or disregard as they are carving the Sunday roasted bird.  Not me.  I go for the wings first.  Granted, there is not much meat on them but what meat there is tends to be far more flavorful and succulent then any thigh or drumstick.

One thing I had never made despite my love of them was baked chicken wings so when I spotted this recipe in the Oregonian newspaper I just knew I had to try it.  It combines the wonderful Thai flavor combination of sweet, sour, salty and spicy into a glorious glaze.  It was very simple to put together and there was no fussing once the wings were in the oven.

The results was a fragrant, sticky, moist chicken wing that was utterly addictive.  The recipe calls for two pounds of wings, but since it was just The Husband and I devouring these, I cut the recipe in half.  The proportions I give you are as it was in the original recipe. The other thing I added was a clove of finely minced garlic because it just felt right to me.  I served them over a bed of slighly sweet coconut rice which was a delicious compliment to the wings.  I will blog about the rice another time.  Enjoy!

Sticky Chicken Wings

3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 1 inch piece fresh ginger, crushed with the flat side of a knife blade and peeled (I minced mine)
2 finely minced garlic cloves (optional)
1 jalapeno chile, halfed lengthwise, seeded and chopped.  (I left the seeds in mine)
2 pounds chicken wings, cut in half at joint (wing tips removed)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  In a 9 by 13 inch baking dish, whisk together brown sugar, fish sauce, lemon juice and soy sauce until sugar dissolves, about two minutes.  Add ginger, chile and chicken wings; toss to coat.  Arrange wings in a single layer in baking dish.

Bake wings for one hour.  Increase heat to 450 degrees and bake until sauce is reduced and wings are glazed, about 30-35 minutes (watch closely), turning wings occasionally.