Eating wings is an 8-finger affair (my pointed-up pinkies tend to stay clean as they are too short to get in the way), especially if you serve wings whole like I have in this recipe.
Any wing connoisseur will tell you that each of the 3 parts of the wings are incredibly different. The drumstick end is meaty, easy to eat, but can be a little dry if you over cook them. The flat part is the most tender (especially the sliver of meat between the bones) but is a little fussy to eat.
The small flapper part, which gets discarded and ignored most of the time, is the little crispy treat that has the most flavor of all. Since it’s so thin and small, it tends to get caramelized the most – and nibbling the edge of the flap is so tasty.
And lastly, because you and I have become friends, I’ll confess that my favorite part most of all (I know you’re saying, wait…there’s ANOTHER part!?) is the cartilage. Perhaps is my Asian heritage (we love to eat all sorts of strange animal parts), but the soft-yet-crunchy white bits that holds together each wing section is irresistible.
There. I’ve told you. It took me 4 months of dating Scott before I would let him see me eating the cartilage. The first time that I did, he was sitting across from me at Hooters, enjoying his plate of wings and beer.
“crunch. crunch. crunch.”
He looked up at me. “Are you eating the bone?”
When I told him, he just shrugged off my eccentricity and went back to eating.
That’s when I knew I was in love.
These Sticky Asian Chicken Wings are a recipe from my friend, Heather Christo’s cookbook, Heather Christo’s Generous Table. You’ll love her – she’s funny, glamorous, laughs loud (like me!), and just such a happy presence.
Take a look at her book – full of recipes that she makes together with her ADORABLE girls named Coco and Pia. These wings are everything that wings deserve to be – sticky, savory, sweet.
Sticky Asian Chicken Wings Recipe Video
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Sticky Asian Chicken Wings Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar (substitute with red or cider vinegar)
- 4 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 stalk green onions, chopped
- 1 tablespoon hot chili sauce
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 2 1/2 pounds chicken wings, with tips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together all the ingredients except for the chicken wings. Set aside half of the sauce mixture to use later.
- Toss the chicken wings in with the marinade in the large bowl to coat. Line a baking sheet with foil and spread the chicken wings in a single layer. Bake for 30 minutes or until the wings are cooked through.
- When the wings are done, toss with the reserved sauce mixture.
