Day 11: Ain't No Thing Like a Chicken Wing

So, the Superbowl was kinda boring this year. So were most of the commercials. (I said "most"!) The half-time show had me cringing. (That may be more from me not liking Madonna that much.) There were some commercials that had me literally scratching my head in confusion. Most of the game had the feel of a regular season game instead of, you know, the big deal it should have been.

That is, until the last 5 minutes! I gotta tell you, I'm quite pleased at the outcome. At heart, I am a Manning fan. I followed Peyton's career even through his rough years (like this last one). When Eli started playing professionally, I was excited to see the same things I saw in Peyton when he first started out.

What got me through most of the night was the food. I've tried to be humble about it, but, if I say so myself, I rocked it! I know, I really need to get that humility thing in check! Also, good company!

Anyway, this post is about just the chicken. I made two kinds, pineapple barbecue and mildly spicy. I borrowed bits from a couple different recipes for the spicy ones, but the pineapple barbecue, while I could have made it all myself (it would've tasted like the Polynesian pork chops), I cheated for time constraints and used Sweet Baby Ray's with a slight addition. The spicy ones were a mild buttery spicy, while the pineapple barbecue ones were sweet and tangy. I loved them both equally!

First, the spicy:

Ingredients:

2 pounds wings
3 ounces (about 3/4 stick) unsalted butter
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup hot sauce
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Then the pineapple barbecue:

2 pounds wings
1 cup Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue Sauce (or follow your favorite recipe)
3 ounces pineapple juice

Directions:

1. Bake wings in a 400 degree (F) oven for 35 to 45 minutes, turning wings over halfway through baking.

2. While wings are baking, heat butter, garlic, hot sauce and kosher salt in a sauce pan over medium heat until smooth and combined. Remove from heat and place in large bowl.

3. In a separate large bowl, mix the barbecue sauce and pineapple juice thoroughly.

4. When wings have finished baking, separate into the two bowls of sauce and toss until coated.