Hot Honey Garlic Chicken Wings & Broccoli – Recipe!

My grandson is a chicken lover, and hot wings always seem to be on the top of his list of favorite foods.  In all honesty, there is something so satisfying about a good wing and I probably use him as an excuse to eat them more often.  I think there are a multitude of reasons why chicken wings are so darn good.  Maybe it’s the crispy exterior that’s so enjoyable, or the sauce that’s so addicting, but what I do know is that this union of salty, sweet and hot, makes most of us very happy.  I never fry my wings, and I really don’t miss that part of a classic wing recipe because the broiler can do a pretty nice job replacing a deep fryer.  To me the sauce matters most, and you really must nail it, to get wings to be super tasty.

I do rub my wings down in a spice blend and place them in the refrigerator for several hours, before I broil them.  I think adding layers of flavors are also the trick to a good chicken wing.  In this recipe, I broil them for several minutes on both sides, then I turned the heat to 425 degrees, and let them cook for some additional time, along with broccoli spears.  Yes, I know that may seem weird, but the end result of crispy wings and fork-tender broccoli tossed in a hot honey garlic sauce, will blow our mind.  Think of it as a little bit of good with a lot of naughty.  The best kind of food.

The sauce is prepared on the stove top, while the wings are cooking in the oven, and it’s made with ingredients you probably already have in your pantry that need some attention.  Hot chili paste, like sambal oelek or other artisan chili pastes are best in a hot wing sauce, because they are slightly sweet, but mostly hot, and provide the right balance, when added to honey and fresh minced garlic.  However, if you have a wonderful hot sauce in your refrigerator that you’re in love with, go ahead and use that, you’re the boss.  These wings and broccoli totally rock and the first thing my grandson said when he ate a plate was, “Are these on your blog grandma?”  Now that’s the best test of a good recipe.

Ingredients

1 pound chicken wings and drums

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 1/2 cups broccoli spears

Hot Honey Garlic Sauce

1 cup honey, any variety

1/4 cup sambal oelek, or other hot chili paste or sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

big pinch of salt & pepper

1/4 cup microgreens, optional

oil for cooking

(Serves 3-4)

To Prepare:

1. In a large bowl, combine garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and cayenne.  Toss wings in bowl and coat with rub.  Refrigerate at least 2 hours, up to overnight.
2. Preheat oven to broil.  Cover sheet pan with foil and set aside.  Place wings on sheet pan drizzled with oil and broil for 4 minutes.  Flip over and broil for 3 minutes.
3. Turn heat to 425 degrees and place broccoli around wings on sheet pan.  Cook for 10-12 minutes or until almost fork-tender.  Turn heat back to broil setting and broil for 2 additional minutes.
4. While wings are cooking, combine all sauce ingredients in a saucepan and cook over medium heat.  When sauce is bubbling, turn to simmer and reserve until wings are cooked.
5. Add 1/2 of sauce to bottom of bowl and add wings and broccoli on top.  Drizzle remaining sauce over top and toss with tongs.  Place in a serving bowl and top with microgreens, if desired.  Enjoy!