Sticky Maple & Bourbon Glazed Chicken Wings

“Party Chicken Wings” with all kinds of glazes and serving dips are quite the rage these days. Chicken drumette and wing appetizers, once sold only as “add-on’s” by pizza chains, are now are featured in dedicated “chicken wing” restaurants. I have to admit, chicken wings are very tasty. Several years ago, I posted a recipe for Party Chicken Wings with Buffalo Dipping Sauce. I loved them — along with my homemade “hot” Buffalo Dipping Sauce. So, I’m on a mission to find additional sauces and glazes with different flavor profiles to serve with these chicken wings — preferably, a sauce which isn’t sooo hot. I have an extra bottle of maple syrup. When I noticed a recipe for Party Chicken Wings with maple and bourbon glaze, I knew I had to try this recipe. The maple glaze turned out to be quite sticky! The flavor reminded me of a sweet, mild barbecue sauce. My husband loved the maple & bourbon glazed chicken wings — always a good sign — and announced that this recipe is “a keeper.” Although usually served as an appetizer, I included the chicken wings for supper with jambalaya.

Reference Recipe Idea

I was looking forward to making many chicken wing and sauce recipes after purchasing a new Southern Living magazine which featured delectable chicken wings on the cover. Alas, the cover photo was misleading. The feature article was about restaurants in the South which served chicken wings as their main attraction. From oriental flavors to hot Nashville chicken — everything was covered. However, no recipes. What a let down. But, I see that I am going in the right direction. It appears that you can travel anywhere in the Southern states and find an outstanding “Chicken Wing” restaurant.

Novel Recipe Approach

The Southern Living magazine issue did include a novel approach for cooking chicken wings and drumettes. No deep frying was involved! The recipe promised juicy chicken wings which were not dried out; yet had a crispy outer surface. To make these wings, the drumettes and wings were coated with baking powder and salt. The wings were baked in a “hot” oven — 450 degrees.

The novel ingredient in the recipe was baking powder. Yes, an unusual ingredient to add for a breading. But, here’s why… According to A.I….. 1. Baking powder is alkaline, which raises the ph on the skin of the chicken pieces. This breaks down the collagen and peptide bonds in the chicken skin, allowing it to become more porous and significantly crispier. 2. The baking powder absorbs moisture which enables the skin to dry out faster. This helps make a crispy texture. The disadvantage of using baking powder, in my opinion, is that it also contains sodium — we don’t need a high salt appetizer. So, I still used baking powder — just a smaller amount.

Easy, successful wings recipe tips:

Baking these chicken wings was actually very easy. Here are a few tips:

1. Preferably, use aluminum-free baking powder. Otherwise, you may have a metallic taste. And don’t substitute baking soda. These are two different leavening agents. If you accidentally use baking soda — wash it off and start over.
   
2. Dry the chicken wings thoroughly using paper towels. Wet chicken wings won’t “crisp” up. They may turn out to be rubbery.
   
3. Place the chicken wings on a rack — so the air can circulate all around the wings — while baking.
   
4. Bake on a high temperature — I used 425 degrees. This helps the wings “crisp up”, too.

Ingredients for the wings:

Here we go.

I used 1-3/4 lb party chicken wings for this recipe. This was 18 wings; and it is enough for, perhaps, 3 people for an entree. Increase the recipe as needed, This package had the chicken wings split into drumettes and wings. I have discovered that these pieces are readily available in grocery stores. It is much easier to use these prepared wings than cutting up whole chicken wings.

The first step is to rinse and dry the wings on paper towels. Make sure the pieces are completely dry.

Mix the baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Then coat the chicken pieces with this mixture.

Place the coated the chicken pieces on a well-oiled rack and roasting pan. The baking powder may seem to disappear — it is just dissolving.

Bake in 425 degree oven for 25 minutes until crisp and golden on the first side.

Continue to bake….25 additional minute until the second side is golden.

And, oh my….the chicken wings are cooked. So…these chicken wings baked for 50 minutes at 425 minutes. I was surprised that it took so long to try out the recipe. That was one reason to try out this recipe.

Maple & Bourbon Glaze….or is it a Barbecue Sauce?

Now, comes the fun part; creating a glaze for the wings. With my excess jar of maple syrup, I was excited to find a glaze using this ingredient. Bourbon added another great flavor. And after I finished the sauce, my husband and I both decided that this glaze really tasted like a very subtle, delightful barbecue sauce. I guess that adding tomato paste, onion and Tabasco Pepper Sauce turned this glaze in the direction of a sweet barbecue sauce. And, the small amount of butter added a bit of richness. I’m not complaining!

To. make the glaze (barbecue sauce), chop the onion finely. Sauté in butter over low heat until the onions are tender and translucent.

Stir in the remainder of the ingredients — maple syrup, bourbon, tomato paste, salt, pepper and a few drops of Tabasco Pepper Sauce. Let the sauce cook and simmer — over low heat — until the sauce is reduced and thickened — this took about 15 minutes. I made the sauce while the wings were baking in the oven.

That’s it. The sauce is finished. Pour the sauce over the baked wings and serve.

Well, I see why there is a “chicken wings” craze. These little party chicken pieces were delicious. And, the “Maple & Bourbon Glaze,” aka Barbecue Sauce, really turned out well. I was so pleased. Plus, baking chicken wings in this manner was so easy….They were crispy and juicy as the original recipe promised.

Another way to serve chicken wings. Just in time for the Fourth of July!