Spicy Apricot Wings

Spicy Apricot Wings

Football is the great American religion and this weekend is its most important holiday-Super Bowl! And even those who don’t believe, celebrate. Any true follower will tell you that wings are a required part of the feast.

Okay is that enough of a cliché filled introduction? Cliché or not, everyone wants wings this weekend. These are simple and delicious. They must be good because usually the only way I know that my husband likes what I have cooked is how much he eats. He doesn’t hand out praise lightly. However, yesterday we were driving around and he looked at me and said, “You know that batch of wings you made? They were freakin’ yummy.”

We like spicy, so I used extra cayenne. You can use less, but these need heat. Otherwise, they would be too sweet. You could substitute orange or peach preserves if you prefer.

Servings:  2 dozen wings

Hardware:  Kitchen scissors, measuring spoons and cups, food prep gloves, a small bowl, tongs, a baking sheet, a cooling rack (optional), foil, a sauce pan, a rubber spatula

Time: Active time: 10 minutes Cook time: 50 minutes, Wings in an hour

 

Ingredients:

• 2 dozen wings
• 1 stick of butter at room temperature
• 1-3 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• salt
• 1 ¼ cup apricot preserves
• ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon onion flakes
• Cooking spray

1.  

 

1. Preheat the oven to 400°.
2. Use the kitchen scissors to separate the flaps from the drumettes. Also, snip the points from the flaps.
3. Line the baking sheet with foil. If you have a cooling rack place it over the foil-lined sheet. Spray with cooking spray.
   
4. Salt the wings liberally. If you are using extra cayenne you can sprinkle some directly onto the wings.
5. Place the butter in the small bowl. Wearing the gloves mix the cayenne pepper with the butter by sort of smooshing it as if it were play-doh. Rub the mixture all over the wings, making sure they are thoroughly covered.
6. Lay the wings in a single layer on the cooling rack. Place in the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Flip and roast for 20 more minutes. If you prefer crispier wings turn the broiler on for 5 minutes or so. Make sure to monitor them so they don't burn. Otherwise, turn the heat off and leave in the warm oven for 10 minutes.
7. When you turn the oven off, mix the preserves, soy sauce and onion flakes together over medium high. Stir until the preserves have melted.
8. Remove the wings from the oven and toss them in the sauce. Make sure the wings are completely coated. Serve warm.