Maple-Chipotle Hot Wings

Oh my, these babies are so good that I'm tempted to make them again tomorrow!

When I saw this recipe for hot wings in Food & Wine I knew I just had to make them, for several reasons. Firstly, because I made some chicken wings awhile back using a blogger recipe which turned out to be only mediocre. I needed to find a better recipe! Secondly, I already had all the ingredients on hand- expect the chicken wings, which was easily remedied. Thirdly, I'm always looking for ways to use up my chipotle peppers. They come in a little can packed with adobe sauce. One can usually contains between 4 and 6 peppers but they're extremely potent so I'll use one (for my chili recipe) and put the rest in the freezer for times like these. Ah, three birds with one stone - that's how I like to cook!

I made several changes to the original recipe, as usual. I used my favorite hot sauce, Tapatio, instead of the Frank's Red Hot (never heard of it) that the recipe called for. I also cut the amount of hot sauce down to 1/2 - 1 tablespoon since Tapatio's got some serious kick. But add as little or as much as you'd like. I used 1/2 tablespoon and they came out mild (but I like things spicy). Then I cut the amount of butter down to 1 tablespoon since I didn't feel it was extremely necessary. You could probably get away with cutting it out all together. The butter seems to be there just to help the sauce coat the wings.

I thought it was a little excessive when the recipe called for roasting the wings at 500F for forty-five minutes. But hey, what do I know, right? So I went along with it. Around the 35-40 minute mark, when I opened the oven door to turn the wings for a second time, the smoke detector went off! I immediately pulled them out of the oven, shut the door and turned it off. My apartment unit has fairly high ceilings (loft-style) so I had to climb onto a step ladder and use my tennis racket to poke at the detector until it turned off. Even after I was able to turn it off, the detector continued to emit high pitched squeals every few seconds for the next half hour. Luckily, it was the middle of the day and no neighbors were home to complain :). I have to say though, the wings came out extremely crispy without having to be fried in oil. So as a word of caution, you may want to open all your windows and doors or turn off the smoke alarm before making these wings.

But trust me, they're worth it.

Maple-Chipotle Hot Wings
(serves 2-3 people, with sides)

adapted from Food & Wine, February 2010

2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried sage
2 lbs chicken wingettes and drumettes*
1/2-1 tbsp Tapatio hot sauce
1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 minced chipotle pepper, from can
2 tbsp pure maple syrup

• Preheat oven to 500F. Line baking sheet with foil and spray with vegetable oil.
  
• In a bowl large enough to hold the chicken, mix the flour, salt and dried sage. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Spread chicken on prepared baking sheet in a single layer and spray with vegetable oil. Roast chicken for 35-40 minutes, turning once or twice, until skin is browned and crispy.
• Meanwhile, in another bowl large enough to hold the chicken, mix together the Tapatio sauce, melted butter, chipotle pepper and maple syrup. Once the chicken is done roasting, add it to the hot sauce mixture and toss several times to coat evenly. Serve while still warm.

*a chicken wing is cut into three parts: 1) the tip - this is discarded, 2) the wingette - the middle section with the two connecting bones and, 3) the drumette - the part that attaches to the rest of the body and looks like, well, a miniature drumstick. Wingettes and drumettes are usually sold separately but I've found them packaged together before. Or, you could buy whole wings and section them yourself. You'll need a knife/cleaver that is sturdy and has some weight to it.

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