Kitchen Sink BarBQ Wings

My husband doesn’t handle hot, spicy food very well, so I’m constantly adjusting recipes, tempering heat and amping up flavors. These barbeque wings passed the test tonight at supper, served with baked oven fries and my creamy cucumber “side”, my winning recipe on the food52 site.

I bought good-sized, organic chicken wings and used my favorite ketchup, organic 365 from Whole Foods.

Tip: make the sauce a day ahead, allowing its complex flavors to develop.

Yields 20 pieces

• 2 1/2 cups organic ketchup
• 1 tablespoon double-concentrated tomato paste
• 1/4 cup organic apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry
• 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup dark brown organic cane sugar
• 1/4 cup organic wildflower honey
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 pinch cayenne
• 3 tablespoons organic Dijon mustard
• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
• 1 one inch piece of ginger root, peeled
• zest and juice of one Meyer lemon – or any organic lemon
• 2 1/2 pounds organic chicken wings

Sauce:
1. In a large non-reactive bowl combine ketchup, tomato paste, vinegar, hoisin sauce, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, honey, chili powder, cayenne and mustard. Mix well. Add the garlic and zest both the ginger and lemon into sauce. Add the lemon juice and stir again to thoroughly combine ingredients. Store in fridge until ready to bake the chicken wings.

Chicken:
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a sheet pan with foil. Cut each wing into three pieces and freeze the tips for stock later.

3. Pour one cup of sauce into a small bowl to brush on wings during baking. Pour another cup of sauce into a small bowl for serving, warmed, with the baked wings. Pour the rest of the sauce in a large, flat-bottomed bowl and toss the chicken with clean hands, really coating those wings. Place wings on sheet pan. Discard any remaining sauce that has touched the raw chicken!

4. Bake for 50 minutes, turning once and brushing on additional sauce. Serve piping hot, along with warmed sauce.