JB's Chicken Wings: No deep frying required!

I am by no means a chef. However, that does not mean I enjoy cooking up a storm. One of my favorite recipes comes from my deceased father, it still holds up pretty well to this day and is always a hit when people come over.
We are dealing with chicken wings, one of my favorite foods, one thing I don't like about wings though is how unhealthy they can be when you go out to eat. So I bring to you a healthy way to cook wings. Don't worry, they still retain their crispiness and actually come out a little bit better in my opinion..Anyway fthis recipe yields 24 cut wings, along with sauce. We'll start out with the wings, then move onto the sauce.

The wings:

12  fresh wings: (always try to buy fresh, frozen takes alot of the flavor out of it)
1/4 cup Red Pepper
1/4 cup Black Pepper
1/4 cup onion powder
1/4 cup garlic powder

First off, lets cut the wings. Take a sharp knife and cut the wings at the knuckle. This takes some practice, if you can't get it you're first try, thats fine, try to actually feel the wing first for the knuckle joint and base it from there. Toss the tail, and you should be left with two wing segments, I call these The Rounder (the drumstick-y part), and the Longshankes (the flatter segment).

Now get the peppers and powders, and combine them..make a dry rub and cover the wings in them. Then follow it up by spraying the wings with a vegetable oil spray, or mazola lightly. This is going to make the wings crisp up when placed in the oven.

Let's get the pan ready, as this is also another important part. Take a cookie sheet and place tin foil over it, on top of the foil place a cooling rack, put the wings directly on the rack. This is going to allow alot of the grease to drain out of the wings, and fall onto the tin foil. The foil also helps the heating process and will allow the wings to cook more evenly.

Now preheat the oven to about 425 and place the wings on the middle rack. Let the wings cook for about 45 minutes then open up the oven. If the wings appear to be crisping up, turn them over with a pair of thongs, and let them finish cooking for about another 25 minutes.  You'll see them crisp up. If you have a small oven you might want to open a window as it might get a little smoky from the grease dripping off the wings.  When you have about 10 minutes left, work on the sauce.  Here's my version of the sauce, you might want to add/change it pending on your pallate.

The Sauce:

1 half bottle of crystal or texas pete hot sauce: (these two work best, I don't ever buy premade or regular tabasco)
1/3 stick of butter
2 capfulls of vinegar
1 tablespoon of honey

Take the butter first and put it in a sauce pan, let it melt down on low, and then add the sauce, vinegar and honey, stir it up and taste it first. If you want to add more of a certain ingrediant, feel free! Once it all metls and mixes down it's finished.


There you have it. Take the wings out, place em in a bowl, and serve the sauce on the side with a little blue cheese if you are into it. You can pour the sauce on them, but to me, it works better if you dip. Just my opinion though :) They taste really good, and theres not alot of grease because it drains out!