Game Day Baked Wings & Blue Cheese Dressing

 

My husband is a sports guy, through and through.  He lives, eats and breathes sports.  Baseball, Hockey, Basketball...and (ugh) Football.  There are a lot of women out there who like sports. Unfortunately, I am not one of them.  I kind of like Baseball.  I can get through a quarter or two of Basketball.  I can tolerate Hockey (from the other room).  But I hate, hate, hate football.  HATE IT.  Every Sunday is a waste of a day.  I couldn't get my husband off the couch if I set it on fire.  There's the pre-pre-game, where they discuss what they're going to talk about the during the pre-game.  Then the pre-game, where they discuss who they think is going to win, and stats and a bunch of other crap I don't care about.  Then FOURTEEN games. (FOURTEEN OF THEM!!)  Then the post-game, where they discuss every single highlight of every single game.  Then the post-post-game where they discuss the highlights of the post-game coverage.  I just can't.  I dread football season like you couldn't imagine.
 
Anyway, during football season, I busy myself in the kitchen.  I'm making food for my husband and his friends so he won't force me to watch the games with him.  It's a win/win for everyone.  So this Sunday, I begrudgingly kicked off football season with one of my favorite game-day recipes.  This recipe is for my baked version, which is healthier than the fried version - well, as healthy as chicken wings can be.  If my husband is going to eat junk food all Sunday, every Sunday, I'm going to try to give him the healthiest things I can.  And did I mention they're super easy?
 

(I realized after I took this pic that I grabbed Frank's Red Hot Wing Sauce at the store. 

I had some Frank's Regular on hand and switched to that but forgot to snap a new pic)

Game Day Baked Wings
 
2 lbs. Chicken Wings (cut at the joint, with weird little wing-tip removed)
2/3 c. of Hot Sauce (I like Frank's, but you could use another)
8 Tbsp. Margarine
2 (heaping) Tsp. Crushed or Pureed Garlic
Salt & Pepper to taste

• Preheat oven to 435°.  Arrange wings, skin side up, on a rack that fits within a sheet pan.  The wings need to drain some of their fat so they get crispy.  You don't want them sitting in a puddle of oil.

• Salt and pepper the wings liberally.
• Bake them for 20-30 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 160° and the outside is crispy and golden brown.  Turn them over after about 20 minutes to crisp up the other side.  You can certainly leave them in longer if you want a crispier skin.  It's very hard to over cook or dry out wings because of their high fat content.
• While the wings are baking, start preparing your wing sauce.  In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, melt margarine oven medium heat.  (Just a side note: I prefer margarine because it blends better with the hot sauce and doesn't separate like butter can.  You can absolutely use butter or even a butter substitute if you prefer).  You can also dial back the margarine a little for a spicier sauce.

 

• When the butter has just melted add the garlic.  Allow it to cook in the hot butter for 1-2 minutes.
• Add the hot sauce and salt, and whisk until completely blended.  Allow to cool slightly.

• When wings are ready, remove from the oven and let them cool for 3-5 minutes.  Pour a little sauce in the bottom of a mixing bowl and add a portion of wings.  Toss to coat.  Serve immediately. 

• When I'm cooking for a crowd, I'll serve with celery & carrot sticks and Blue Cheese Dressing.  (Recipe below).  This weekend it was just me and my husband and my grocery store didn't have buttermilk in stock, so I skipped the dressing. But it is a delicious accompaniment to the wings.

Blue Cheese Dressing

4 oz. Blue Cheese or Gorgonzola
1/3 c. Sour Cream
1/3 c. Buttermilk
1/4 c. Mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. White or White Wine Vinegar
1 Pinch of Sugar
Freshly Ground Black Pepper and Salt to taste

Mash the Blue Cheese or Gorgonzola with a fork, inside a mixing bowl.  Add the Sour Cream, Buttermilk, Mayo, Vinegar, Sugar, Salt and Pepper.  Combine well.  Serve or store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.


Here is what was left after my husband's third helping...

Enjoy!

xoxo Kristen

P.S.  The wings and sauce are gluten free!  The dressing is not.