Asian Apricot Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

1 Package Chicken Wings (approximately 2 pounds)

Peanut Oil

Seasoned Rice Wine Vinegar

Soy Sauce

Fish Sauce

Ground Ginger

Red Pepper Flakes

No Sugar Added Apricot Jam

Kosher Salt and Cracked Pepper

 
How To:

Preheat oven to 450°.

Line baking pan with foil and insert rack.

Prep wings. Cut off wing tips or as Alton Brown calls them, the culinary wasteland. Snip the skin between the wing and drumstick portion then snap it backwards for its natural breaking point. You can now easily cut thru making two pieces. Lay chicken pieces flat on the baking rack. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes.

In the meantime make the sauce. I didn't measure so this is approximate: Equal parts oil and vinegar to equal ¼ cup; about a tablespoon of soy sauce; about a teaspoon of fish sauce, a good sprinkle of ginger (about a ½ teaspoon) and a shake or two of red pepper flakes. Mix with a wire whisk. Add 2 heaping tablespoons of jam. Mix to combine.

After wings have been in the oven 15 minutes, brush sauce over wings, turn them over and brush the other side. Return to oven and bake 15 minutes. Put under broiler for about 5 minutes or until golden brown.

~Source: This was inspired by a Kraft recipe that called for Asian Ginger Salad Dressing and Orange Marmalade. I had neither so I made my own version of an Asian Dress and used SF Apricot Jam instead. (The original recipe called for ¼ cup dressing; ¼ cup jam and double baking. I added the salt & pepper, turning the wings over to get the sauce on both sides and the broiler part cuz I like ‘em tasty and crispy!)

Patti’s Notes: The foil lined pan will make clean up a snap and the rack will allow the heat circulate for even cooking. Don’t throw away the wing tips. Put them in a zip bag and freeze them for another day (chicken stock). Hey, you paid for them, might as well get your money’s worth and not have to buy stock/broth. Don’t be afraid of Fish Sauce (found in the Asian section of the grocery store). It does not taste fishy; it just tastes like a different layer of salty.

Health-o-Meter: I’d say middle of the road because of the chicken skin.

Easy Meter: Also middle of the road because of prepping the chicken. You may be able to find wings already separated. In that case I’d say easy schmeasy but DIY is less expensive.