Hoisin Honey Chicken Wings Recipe

One added bonus of having Umma over is random deliveries of kimchi J  Here's a recipe for chicken wings that I like to make that goes well with (or without) the Korean side dish.

I can't figure out where I got this recipe from, but there's a ton of variations online.  There are no step by step picture instructions this time because I quickly prepared it in the morning before work.  And there's not much to it anyway...mix ingredients, marinate, bake.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
12 wings, cut in half at joints, wing tips removed and discarded

Preparation:

*In a small bowl, stir together the hoisin sauce, orange juice, ginger, garlic, honey, and cayenne. Set aside 3 tablespoons of the sauce.

*Place the wings in a large reclosable plastic zipper bag. Pour the remaining sauce in over wings and coat them well. Refrigerate the wings in the marinade for 2 to 3 hours.

*Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cover a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

*Remove the wings from the marinade and discard the marinade. Place the wings on the baking sheet.

*Roast the wings for 25 minutes.

*Brush the wings with the reserved sauce and bake another 5 minutes or until the wings are done.

Mama Stuart’s Notes:

1. The recipe calls for ginger, but I don’t like ginger and never use it in any recipes. 
2. I use two packages of chicken drumettes (approximately 20 wings for Doug and I with leftovers) beacuse I don't like separating the wings at the joints myself.
3. As with all meat, season with salt and pepper before adding anything else.
4. Before you go pouring your marinade over the chicken, DON’T FORGET to reserve a few tablespoons.  I always forget this step and get sad when I can’t give the dish a pretty glaze at the end.
5. Most recipes say to bake chicken anywhere from 25 to 45 minutes. I like to bake my chicken for an hour.  I’m always afraid my chicken will be undercooked (and end up putting it back in the oven for longer), so an hour is comfortable for me without it ending up dry.
6. Sometimes I also sprinkle sesame seeds over the wings in the last 5 minutes because I happen to have them on hand. 
7. If it's not tasty enough for you, maybe double the marinade (since it's two packages of wings).
8. I also have other recipes that call for Hoisin sauce – what a great pantry staple! Don’t be afraid you can’t find it, I get mine from Jewel.

MmMMmm chicken wings, rice and kimchi. J