Ancho-Marinated Wings

This post used to be a recipe for ancho-marinated drumettes, but I tweaked the ingredients, along with my cooking and marinating techniques.  This dish has gone from one we liked, to one we love!  I had to force myself to walk away and stop eating the wings tonight.  They were that good!  

I recently purchased a very large Pyrex baking dish from Bed, Bath, & Beyond to make a Szechuan Chicken Wings recipe given to me by a friend.  I liked her marinating and cooking technique so much that I adopted it for this recipe with amazing results.  I have even learned how to cut apart chicken wings in the last week.  My kitchen shears are definitely a necessity!  Let me tell you, I have touched more raw chicken in the past 6 weeks as a stay at home mom than in the previous 12 years of our marriage.  It hasn't gotten any less gross, but I have been enjoying all the new chicken dishes I have been cooking. 

After baking for 25 minutes, the wings are ready to be turned. 

The only downside to this recipe is that some serious soaking time, a scrubbing sponge, and elbow grease will be needed to get your glass dish looking clean again. 

 

My daughters requested that I make garlic smashed potatoes tonight to go with our wings.  It was a pretty great combination.  

Ancho-Marinated Wings

Ingredients

2 to 3 pounds of chicken wings (separated at the joint) or drumettes 

1/4 C + 2 T of orange juice

1/4 C canola oil (I use High Heat Spectrum Organic)

Juice of 2 limes

2 T honey

1 heaping tablespoon dark brown sugar

2 tsp ancho chili powder

3 garlic cloves - minced

1 tsp kosher salt

Red pepper flakes - to taste (I use 3 large pinches)

Directions

Combine all the marinade ingredients in a large pyrex dish, mixing it around with a fork before adding the chicken.  Turn the chicken around in the marinade so it is coated on both sides before covering and refrigerating.  Marinate for 4 to 6 hours, turning the wings half way through.  

Remove the wings from the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Cook the wings for 25 minutes, then turn them over to cook for another 20 minutes.  Turn the oven to broil, brown the top of the wings, turn them, then brown the other side. Watch the wings closely to make sure they don't burn. 

Recipe Notes

Don't worry about the ancho chili powder being spicy, because it is not, but it might be hard to find.  I purchase it at Penzys Spices, and I have also seen it at The Fresh Market.  

Sometimes I remove some of the marinade before putting the wings under the broiler, and set it aside to pour on the wings when they are served.  

Inspiration for the marinade comes from one of our favorite recipes, Ancho-Marinated Mango Pork Skewers.  When we make this recipe, we use pineapple instead of mango, and we usually use center cut pork chops.

Linked to:  Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Gluten-Free & DIY Tuesday