Slow Cooker Sticky Wings

So, this Sunday is Super Bowl Sunday.  I am always torn on how to feel about this day.  On one hand, I get to do two of my favorite things--watch football with friends, and eat yummy food.  On the other hand, I know that when the last whistle blows, I won't be able to enjoy another game until the end of August.  And that is just soooo far away!

But I will try to focus on the positive today--food.  One of my favorite football-watching foods is wings.  The are the epitome of sports bar food.  And they come in so many varieties!  I have shared a few recipes already.  My first homemade wings were good ol' Buffalo wings, which are still probably my favorite.  I have also made Asian honey BBQ wings.  These also were finger-looking good!  I found this recipe in an issue of Cook's Country.  Sticky wings were something new to me, and I knew that during football season, it wouldn't take me long to make them.  And I was right!

Makeover Monday: Sweet and Sour Chicken with Fried Brown Rice

Add Chinese food to the list of things I didn't like as a kid, and now can't get enough of. In case you're keeping track at home, that list now includes chocolate and beans as well. I think Chinese food was one of those things I just decided one day I didn't like and I refused to eat it. I went many, many years without trying it. That changed in college when I experienced the food nirvana that is Panda Express. I don't even remember the first time I gave Chinese food another chance, but I'm so glad I did.

Unfortunately, I don't make Chinese food at home very often. I have no good explanation for this. It just doesn't happen a lot. Tragic, I know!  But the excuse I'm going to use today is that when I get Chinese food, I get chicken.  And most of the recipes I have for Chinese chicken are fried. I'm not a food saint, but food just doesn't get fried in my house. A few weeks ago I remembered that I had a recipe for sweet and sour sauce scribbled in a cookbook and I decided it was time to try it out. But I wasn't going to put it on pieces of fried chicken. So I took a shot at pan-frying some chicken pieces and adding this sauce to make my own healthier version of sweet and sour chicken.  And I'm happy to report that it turned out even better than I had hoped!

Asian Honey BBQ Oven-Baked Chicken Wings

I don't like sports.  I love sports.  I can't get enough.  Imagine my love for March Madness!  I watched a ton of basketball in the past weeks, and I already can't wait for the Sweet Sixteen to start tomorrow.  Other than my beloved K-State wildcats being knocked out of the tournament on Saturday, it has been a great month of basketball!  And I don't like wings.  I love wings.  Put wings and sports together, and I am one happy gal!  Perhaps I have been brainwashed by too many Buffalo Wild Wings commercials, but there is something magical about watching a big game while chowing down on wings.  

I do have many fond memories of watching March Madness games at Buffalo Wild Wings (including an overtime thriller where K-State defeated Xavier) and Hooters in Topeka with my husband's law school friends.  Good times!  Unfortunately, those days are a thing of the past.  With no Buffalo Wild Wings or Hooters nearby, we have been watching games at home.  Fortunately, I now know how to make my own wings.  And I love them!

Makeover Monday: Oven Baked Buffalo Wings

Football season is in full swing.  Are you as excited as I am?  For those of you who don't know me, I am a diehard K-State and Kansas City Chiefs fan.  In case you haven't been paying attention, the K-State football team is off to a 7-0 start and is ranked as the #8 team in the country this week.  And the Chiefs, after an abysmal start to the season are 3-3 and shut out the hated Raiders 28-0 yesterday.  So I'm feeling pretty good about football season today.

While I love the game itself, I must say one of the best things about football season is coming up with a delicious game day menu.  Watching a game just isn't as fun if you are sitting on the couch not eating.  I think part of the excitement of a big game for me is the excuse to throw my normal routine out the window and eat something sinfully bad for me.  And what captures the essence of football watching better than wings and beer? 

So a few weeks ago, in the spirit of football watching, I decided to make Buffalo Wings.  Chicken is rarely prepared in my house, and frying chicken is even more rare.  As in, it's never been done.   I had what seemed like a great recipe for wings from Cook's Illustrated, but I was feeling really uneasy about frying the chicken.  Then my husband proposed that I just bake the chicken.  I wasn't sure about it at first.  Chicken wings are fried, not baked, and I was afraid they wouldn't turn out well if I baked them.  But in the name of clear arteries I decided to try it.  

I prepared the recipe basically as written.  I coated the wings with seasonings and cornstarch.  Then instead of frying them, I sprayed them with a little cooking spray and baked them.  While they were baking I prepared the Buffalo sauce.  When the wings were done baking I coated them with sauce.  Then we ate them--all of them!  I really meant to make enough to last for two meals, but these were just too good.  I suppose I should point out that I halved the recipe.  No, we did not eat three pounds of chicken!

Despite my fear, I think the texture was just as good as if they had been fried.  The sauce had a nice kick to it without being overly hot.  One change I did make to cut out a few calories from the sauce was that I used margarine instead of butter.  Butter isn't exactly the dominate taste in Buffalo wings, and the fat isn't needed for textural purposes so I don't think you miss out on anything except the calories!  I don't know exactly how many calories were saved by baking instead of frying.  The original recipe called for a whopping 1-2 quarts of oil for frying.  Of course, not all of that ends up on the wings.  But some of it does!  And at 120 calories per tablespoon of oil, the calorie saving potential is enormous! 

So next time you are planning an afternoon of football watching or just have a random craving for Buffalo wings, try this baked variety.  Your arteries and your waistline will thank you!

Oven Baked Buffalo Wings

Ingredients:

Sauce

4 Tbsp margarine

1/2 cup Frank's Louisiana Hot Sauce

2 Tbsp Tabasco sauce

1 Tbsp brown sugar

2 tsp vinegar

Wings

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt

1/4 cup cornstarch 

3 lbs chicken wings

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.

Mix together cayenne and black pepper, salt, and cornstarch.  Dry chicken with paper towels and place pieces in large mixing bowl.  Sprinkle spice mixture over chicken and toss with plastic spatula to coat evenly.  Place wings on baking sheet, spray lightly with cooking spray, and bake about 20 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

While chicken is baking, melt margarine in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Whisk in remaining ingredients until combined then move to large bowl. 

When chicken is done baking, add to sauce bowl and toss to coat wings evenly.  Serve immediately. 

Recipe adapted from Cook's Illustrated.