Sriracha Soy Chicken Wings

Perhaps you partook in a black tie New Year's Eve filled with Gatsby-esque glamour, elbow-length silk gloves and flowing fountains of sparkling Champagne. I can see the dripping diamonds now. But back to reality, the rest of us usually aren't usually so glamorous. This year we enjoyed a house party with friends and notably a lot of young male guests. So what did I bring? 

First rule of marketing... know your audience. Upon seeing the guest list, I knew Chicken Salad Skewers or Earl Grey Panna Cotta probably wouldn't go over so well. So what to make for a group of rowdy 20-something dudes? Chicken wings...natch! Buffalo chicken wings though, soooo junior year of college. We've matured alright... we've discovered new forms of hot sauce splendor. Sriracha was the perfect way to ring in 2013.

So I know a lot of restaurants now offer "boneless chicken wings," but those are NOT chicken wings. They're chicken fingers with buffalo sauce. Some grocery store brands even go so far as to call them "wingz."  There's a reason they can't call it what it is... walk away. Reject incorrectly spelled foods. 

Man up alright, pull the meet from the bone in a bold act of mastication!!

There is a bit of break-down required when you buy raw chicken wings. A sharp knife will help you easily dissect the two wing pieces and tip. Just cut along the joint and you'll be done in no time.

 
Sriracha, soy, sesame oil, honey, ginger, garlic and lime give this killer Asian flavor. That said, it's still familiar enough to be wing-y and acceptable to the discerning palette of a Bro.

You'll just prepare one sauce mixture, using the most for a marinade and reserving a bit to sauce the wings. 

Ummm... you might also get a little tipsy on gin and Champagne at a party and forget to get more than one photo angle on your prepared wings, not to mention fail to notice a party popper wrapper on the plate. It was 2:00 am by this time, okay? Whoopsypoodle... hope you guys will still love me.

Sriracha Soy Chicken Wings
5 lbs chicken wings
2 inches fresh ginger, grated
5 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of 4 limes
1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
4 tablespoons sesame oil
6 tablespoons sriracha
3 tablespoons honey

If not purchased prepared, break down chicken wings by separating the two sections and wing tip, using a sharp knife to slice at the joint. Discard the wing tips.

In a large bowl, combine ginger, garlic, lime juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, sriracha and honey. Reserve 1/2 cup of sauce. Pour remaining sauce over chicken wings in a large freezer bag, ensuring wings are completely coated. Refrigerate overnight (or at least 4 hours).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken wings on a foil-lined cookie sheet, in a single layer. Bake in oven for 30 minutes. Remove wings from oven and rotate on sheet and brush on remaining sauce. Cook for another 15-20 minutes, or until sauce thickens on wings.

Serve hot. I suggest avocado crema as a dipping sauce.