Chicken Wings in 3 flavors

This was my little Superbowl Sunday lunch/snack. I have to admit I've never been much for watching football and only watch it for the commercials. But it also gives me an excuse to cook up some of my favorite comfort foods. As many of you readers know, I try to avoid deep frying as much as possible. I still love my fried food, but only in a "once in a while" kind of thing. I learned a trick of steaming the wings first, then baking them in the oven from watching an episode of Good Eats a few years back. It's the way I've been cooking them up ever since. The result is a crispy skin with a nice tender juicy meat without all the fuss of the oil.

While the chicken did its thing, I made three flavors to mix them into. Hot, Honey Mustard Sesame, and Sweet and Sour. The small batch of hot flavor for myself as I'm the only one who would eat them. I served it with a side of ranch dressing as I didn't have an blue cheese on hand. But it was all finger-lickin' good!!

Chicken Wings in 3 Flavors (Honey Mustard Sesame, Sweet and Sour, Hot)

5 lbs chicken wings -- wing and leg separated
salt and pepper

Note: Do not use bamboo steamers. Metal or aluminum would be best. If you get whole wings, cut off the tips of the wing. You can reserve those pieces and use them to make chicken stock for soup.

Prepare your steamer. Bring some water to a boil. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper before placing the pieces on the steamer (or steamer basket/rack) and steam for roughly 30-40 minutes until the chicken has cooked. Let the chicken cool for several minutes.

Preheat your oven to 400˚F

Place the chicken wings on a baking sheet lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 30-45 minutes. Flip the piece halfway through for an even browning.

Flavor 1: Hot
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 Tbsp hot sauce

Melt the butter and stir in the hot sauce.

Place some of the chicken wings in a medium bowl and add in the spicy sauce. Toss thoroughly covering every piece. Serve warm

Flavor 2: Sweet and Sour
1/4 c. Apple Cider vinegar
1/4 c. Sugar
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/2 c. Stock or Water
2 tbsp. Cornstarch (dissolved in 2 tbsp water)
1 tbsp. Cooking Oil
2 tbsp. tomato ketchup
1/2 c Pineapple Juice
1 Tbsp chili flakes (optional)

Combine vinegar, pineapple juice. sugar, salt, stock and cornstarch.
Heat oil on large wok or saucepan and "fry" tomato ketchup until near simmering. Then add the vinegar mix and boil until thickened. Let cool and serve with egg rolls, dumpling, or which ever side dish you prefer. It should look red-pink in color. Add in the optional chili flakes.


Take 1/4 c of the sauce and toss in some of the chicken wings. Be sure to cover thoroughly and serve warm.

Flavor 3: Honey Mustard Sesame
1 Tbsp Honey
2 Tbsp Dijion Mustard
1/2 Tbsp sesame seeds

Combine the honey and dijion mustard. Add some of the chicken wings and toss to thoroughly cover. Serve warm and sprinkle the sesame seeds over.