Ain't No Thing Like a Chicken Wing

The people have spoken.

"Why don't you post some of your chicken wing contest recipes?"

Alrighty then.

This whole thing started after Fellow Traveler and I, having discovered our mutual love of chicken wings, exhausted the meager assortment of wing flavors available within a 50-mile radius and decided to make them ourselves. First we just tried different premade sauces and rubs (try Patak's Hot Curry Paste on wings -- this is one of our favorite favorites); then our competition evolved into whole recipes. I do not yet have FT's recipe for peanut wings, her personal best, or her spicy Thai wings, another great recipe -- if you ask nicely she may share it -- but here are the latest wing recipes I've tried:

Standard Recipe: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Season wings, if not alread marinated; place in a single layer on cookie sheets. Bake for 30 minutes. Baste with sauce of choice. Bake another 15 minutes; turn; baste with sauce; bake another 15 minutes.

The Sauces: (these make enough for about 3-4 pounds of wings)

Maple Wing Sauce
1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 TBS minced garlic
1 TBS garlic powder
1 TBS onion powder
1/2 TBS freshly ground pepper
1 cup maple syrup

Mix together and use as a wing baste. The amount of garlic seems insane...but it works.

Tandoori Wing Marinade
2 cups plain yogurt
1 TBS ground cumin
1 TBS garam masala
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp chili powder
juice of 1 lemon
8 crushed cloves of garlic
1 inch gingerroot, grated

Mix together. Marinate wings overnight in marinade, then use to baste the wings while baking. This is actually meant to be used in a much hotter oven...is great on grilled foods.

Spicy Apricot Wing Sauce
1 jar apricot preserves
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 TBS cider vinegar
1 TBS Dijon mustard
1/8 cup minced onion
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp or so garlic powder
a good shake of red pepper flakes

Mix in saucepan; bring to boil; simmer until preserves are melted and flavors are melded together. Cool and use as wing baste. (Note: This may be because I am genetically predisposed to sweet-sour flavors, but I think this recipe would be better with more vinegar for a little more zip. Your mileage may vary. Taste and adjust.)

(Hat tip to Dave's Un-Official Superchicken Page .)