In our house, Friday nights have always been about no-nonsense, minimum preparation food, and these sticky chicken wings are exactly that. Juicy and succulent, spiced up with a hint of chilli, they will have you licking your fingers and reaching for ‘just one more’.
Sticky chicken wings
Back in the day when I was working at a full time job, and having to come home and feed the family every night of the week, I very quickly decided that Friday nights would be easy, pre-cooked, pre-frozen dinners.
If it wasn’t ready-made and in the freezer then we weren’t eating it!
I’d freeze leftovers during the week (bolognese sauce, curry, meatballs and stews). I’d even freeze left-over pasta and rice. And on Friday night we’d whip something out of the freezer, set the microwave into action and have a meal on the table in 15 minutes or less.
My one concession to Friday cooking was sticky chicken wings. On Saturdays when I did my shopping, I’d often pick up a pack of chicken wings and pop them in a freezer bag, complete with marinade, ready to be taken out and baked when needed.
This was my favourite Friday supper – sticky chicken wings – served with crusty bread coated in garlic butter, with a sliced tomato on the side. I don’t know what it is about chicken, garlic bread and tomato, but they seem to go so well together. A slice of garlic bread, topped with fresh tomato and a mouthful of juicy chicken is my idea of heaven.
OK – so they do take 35 minutes in the oven, but as they are pre-prepared and marinated, there is not much work involved.
And while they are in the oven you’ll have time to enjoy a glass of your favourite tipple! A great start to the weekend.
Ingredients for sticky chicken wings
For four people you will need the following ingredients
- 1 kg chicken wings – tips discarded and wings separated into two pieces
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 4 Tablespoons runny honey
- 6 Tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 1 inch piece of ginger – grated (or you can use 1/2 teaspoon ginger paste)
- 2 cloves of garlic – finely chopped (or you can use 1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic or garlic paste)
- 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
- Salt and pepper to taste
How to make sticky chicken wings
Prepare the wings
- Rinse the chicken wings in cold water and pat dry with kitchen towel.
- Using a sharp knife, chop off the wing tips and discard. Separate the wings into two pieces.
- Mix the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and add the chicken. Stir through thoroughly to coat each chicken piece with the marinade.
- Allow to stand for 30 minutes to marinate.
Bake
- Tip the chicken and the marinade onto a baking sheet sheet lined with aluminium foil (this saves on washing up) and spread out into a single layer with the skin side down. Don’t oil the baking sheet – the oil in the marinade is sufficient.
- Bake in a hot oven (200C / 400F) for 35 minutes, turning once about half-way through the cooking to get the skin side to the top. This ensures the skin turns nice and crispy.
Freeze for Friday
If you want to freeze the wings before cooking, just tip them, with the marinade, into a freezer bag, and seal. They will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer.
To use, defrost them in the fridge, or use your microwave defrost function. Then arrange them on a baking sheet as above and bake in the oven.
Other easy ideas for a Friday night meal
I like to prepare and freeze crispy orange chicken along with a container of orange sauce. Then on a Friday night I can just take the chicken out of the freezer, pop it onto a baking sheet and allow it to bake for 15 minutes while I defrost the sauce. Warm up a container of frozen Chinese Egg Fried Rice, and you have a delicious Chinese meal faster than you could order from the takeaway.
Peri peri chicken livers freeze like a dream. I always make a double batch and freeze half, then when I don’t feel like cooking I just defrost and warm the livers, and pop a couple of breadrolls in the oven to crisp.
I always keep a batch of chilli bolognese sauce in the freezer. It’s a great standby for a lazy supper. The spaghetti cooks in the time that the bolognese sauce is being defrosted and warmed, so you have a quick supper in the time it takes to boil a pot of pasta.
I love to buy a rack of uncooked pork spare ribs from my local supermarket, get them home and separate them into individual ribs. Then I pop them in a freezer bag with a homemade marinade. For a quick meal, just take them out of the freezer, defrost and bake. Easy!
Equipment
To make sticky chicken wings you will need the following equpment. I’ve included some handy links to products on Amazon in case you need anything.
- Sharp knife – to separate the chicken wings
- Chopping board
- Mixing Bowl
- Baking Sheet
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Recipe – Sticky Chicken Wings
Sticky Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 1 kg chicken wings tips discarded and wings separated into two pieces
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 4 Tablespoons runny honey
- 6 Tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 1 inch piece of ginger – grated
- 2 cloves of garlic – finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 220 degrees F
- Chop the tips off the wings and discard
- Cut the wings into two pieces through the joint
- Combine the remainder of the ingredients into a bowl and toss in the chicken pieces, making sure each piece is nicely coated
- Cover the bowl with cling film and leave in the fridge to marinade for half an hour or so
- Tip the chicken wings and marinade onto a foil-lined baking sheet and spread out so they are evenly spaced
- Bake for 20 minutes then turn them over, baste with the juices and bake for another 15 minutes until they are nicely golden brown and sticky
- Serve with a fresh green salad, and crusty bread to mop up the sticky residue
Notes
- You can easily adapt the recipe to feed more people – just double up on the marinade ingredients. I’d be careful about doubling the chilli – adjust that according to your taste.
- You can substitute the fresh ginger and garlic for a couple of squeezes of garlic or ginger from a tube, but in my opinion, fresh does taste better.
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
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