Spicy Blood Orange Chicken Wings

It’s that time of year again! That’s right, it’s time to start planning our Super Bowl menus, if you haven’t started already.

Last season, I shared a few of my favorite game time snacks here, here, and here. But while I’m at it, these, this, and these would also be fantastic munchies for the big game. I enjoy making a huge spread of SNACKS for such things, rather than a large meal with a few small bites. But that’s just how I roll. If you’re looking for something to serve as a main course, these, these, and this may be good places to start!

I’m definitely planning on revisiting a few of those wonderful bites for this Sunday’s game. Still narrowing it down. One thing is for sure, though: these blood orange chicken wings will definitely 100% be on the menu. They are everything I love about a snack: crispy, salty, sweet, spicy, and kinda messy. They require lots of napkins, which automatically makes them fun.

They are a delicious change up on the traditional buffalo chicken wing, although I absolutely have NOTHING against the classic. I feel strongly about buffalo chicken, as you may have gathered from my recipes so far (there are a whopping 7 recipes featuring buffalo chicken on the blog already), and feel that at least one of my football snacks should center around those flavors. Not these wings, though. They are perfection just the way they are.

I adore citrus of all kinds. My husband and I devour a box of clementines weekly when they are in season, and I’m constantly spritzing lemon and lime on my food or in my drinks. Pink grapefruit is one of my favorite breakfasts. Oranges, however, are one of my least favorite things to eat. I am obsessed with the taste, but there is not much I hate more than peeling a fresh orange. I know. Ridiculous. It’s just a lot of work! SO, when I use fresh oranges, I’m often using them for their zest and juice.

When blood oranges are in season, I stock up big time and try to incorporate them into as many meals (or cocktails) as possible. They’re just so….beautiful. While I don’t taste a huge difference between regular and blood oranges, I will always pick the latter if I have the option. Pretty food! It’s rather exciting.

I thought it would be fun to incorporate blood orange juice into a chicken wing situation. Why not? I settled in on an Asian flavor profile, complete with toasty sesame seeds and pretty green scallions. These wings are citrusy, but not overly so. The blood orange juice adds the perfect amount of sweetness to the sauce and also lends an irresistible stickiness to the final product. AND they have so much spicy-sweet flavor going on, you don’t even need a dipping sauce for these babies. They are good to go!

I also loved that I was able to BAKE these wings, rather than deep fry them. Frying is fun every once in awhile, but I really have to be compelled to do it given the mess it makes. These were steamed and then baked in a really hot oven and came out perfectly crispy and juicy! No frying needed…which makes them easier to add to the regular snack rotation.

My mouth is WATERING. Can’t wait to make them again this weekend.

Spicy Blood Orange Chicken Wings

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• Yield: 4 servings 1x

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Ingredients

• 3 lbs split chicken wings
• 1 cup freshly squeezed blood orange juice (can substitute with regular orange juice)
• ½ cup orange marmalade
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 garlic clove, grated or pressed
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
• ¼ cup hot sauce (or more to taste)
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch, dissolved in a splash of cold water
• Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
• Scallions, for garnish

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Instructions

1. To cook the chicken wings, I followed this method exactly and tossed them in my own glaze, rather than the buffalo sauce listed.

To make the glaze:

1. Heat the orange juice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer; cook for 10 minutes or until the juice has reduced slightly. Whisk in the marmalade, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, and hot sauce. Simmer for another 10 minutes.
2. Whisk the dissolved cornstarch into the sauce and cook until thickened and glossy, about 3 more minutes. Remove from heat and then stir in the toasted sesame oil. Check for seasonings and adjust as necessary.
3. Toss the wings in the glaze as soon as they come out of the oven (I found it easiest to do this in a large bowl). Garnish with sesame seeds and chopped scallions.

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