honey sriracha lime wings

We’ve had these chicken wings three times in two weeks.  Seriously. 

Here’s the backstory:

I had been thinking about combining sriracha (mmm, yes) and honey to make a glaze for something and chicken wings seemed like a no-brainer.  I began with those ingredients and got creative from there.  I wanted a recipe that would work equally well in the oven as they would on the grill.  

Because they were great on the grill!   The first tasting went well, and there wasn’t a morsel left on the platter.  But I felt the sauce needed a little more tweaking.  Back to the lab um, kitchen.  This time, I cooked them at a very high heat in the oven and didn’t start glazing until they were halfway cooked.  The second sampling got a very enthusiastic thumbs up!

And finally, we had to make them one last time, because — well, they are so freaking amazing!

The key is the glaze/dipping sauce.  The flavors hit every part of your tongue — with a sledgehammer!  Sweet, salty, tangy, bitter, spicy-hot, umami.  Seriously, this sauce is to wings what that magic nacho-cheese powder is to Doritos.  Completely and hopelessly addictive.

When it’s brushed on halfway through the cooking, the sauce fuses to the chicken creating the most fabulously complex, sticky, finger-licking, lip-smacking lacquer! 

These wings are crispy, too.  They’re not sad, flabby, meh wings.  No.  They are crusty and meaty andutterly satisfying.  Save some sauce for dipping and add a sprinkle of fresh cilantro,  freshness and sesame seeds for even more flavor and crunch!  Ohmagod!!!  Mere words can’t do justice…

sticky asian wings

Serves 4

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Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

30 min

Total Time

45 min

Ingredients

1. 4 pounds chicken wings
2. sprinkle of kosher salt and black pepper
3. 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
4. 2 tablespoons sriracha hot sauce
5. 2 teaspoons fish sauce (nam pla)
6. 1/2 cup honey
7. 2 tablespoons soy sauce
8. 2 limes, zested and juiced
9. 1 teaspoon black sesame seeds
10. 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
11. fresh cilantro leaves

Instructions

1. Set oven rack to the top third of your oven. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Cover a large baking sheet with tin foil. Set a wire rack on top of the baking sheet (I used a cooling rack) Set aside.
3. Cut the chicken wings into sections: drums, flats and tips. Use a sharp chef's knife to cut between the joints of the drums and flats, and flats and tips. Save tips for making stock.
4. Lay the drums and flats on the wire rack, so they are not touching. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
5. Bake the wings for 15 minutes.
6. Meanwhile assemble the sauce. In a small bowl combine the garlic, sriracha, fish sauce, honey, soy sauce, lime zest and juice and stir to combine. Reserve 1/4 cup of marinade for dipping.
7. Remove the wings from the oven and brush them with the marinade. Return them to the oven and cook for an additional 8 minutes. Remove them from the oven and flip them over. Brush with marinade and cook for an additional 8-10 minutes until crisp and browned.
8. Transfer wings to a serving platter. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and cilantro. Serve with reserved marinade for dipping or drizzling over the wings.

Notes

1. Recipe can be doubled or tripled.
2. You can also grill the wings instead of baking them (I've done it both ways - just wait until the wings are almost cooked before glazing them with the sauce, to prevent flare ups
3. (http://www.garlicandzest.com/)