3 Bold Recipes Beyond Buffalo Wings

Chicken wings, the ultimate pub food, have grown up to cocktail-party status without losing their finger-licking appeal.

Contributed By:
Beth Dooley
www.seasonalappetites.com

Chicken wings are the essence of relaxed entertaining and are one of American’s favorite foods. They’re economical, wildly available, quick-cooking, and lick-your-fingers good!

If that’s not enough good reasons to love them, I like to make them because they hold nicely in a low-heat oven and don’t have to be served piping hot. They’ll wait patiently on the buffet or picnic table, but usually aren’t around that long.

Here are three variations perfect for mixing and matching. If you can’t decide on one and like variety, make them all! You can simply reduce the quantity in each recipe to yield a smaller amount. Here’s a sampling…each prepared in their own distinctive way.

Citrus and Soy Glazed Wings are made stovetop in a large skillet. A glaze of soy sauce, orange juice and honey coats the wings for their delicious flavor.

Maple and Mustard Roasted Wings are roasted in the oven, then brushed with a glaze and baked until deep golden brown.

Cajun Spice Fried Wings are classic deep fried wings with a kick delivered by chili powder, cracked black pepper and garlic powder. Wings are fried in batches, with the finished ones kept warm in the oven until serving.

All the ingredients for these chicken wing recipes are easy to find and the techniques are very straight-forward. Each recipe calls for 4 pound of wings (about 48 individual pieces) yielding appetizers for 6 to 8 people.

FOODIE FACT: Where did Buffalo Wings come from?

A staple in cuisines throughout the world, chicken wings didn’t take flight in the States until the 1960s. They’re credited to the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, N.Y., where owner Teressa Belissimo deep-fried and then doused them in her husband Frank’s hot sauce. To tame the heat, she served them up with blue cheese dressing. That simple, easy approach still works today.