It’s just about game time, and you’ve just got to have a few snacks hanging around, right? O.K. I have to admit that I won’t be watching the big game this year. I only know who’s playing because everyone is talking about it. That doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy a good hot wing every once-in-a-while though, and these wings are most definitely good.

To be honest, I wasn’t expecting these to be as hot as they were. I had originally made these for my wife and I, but she’s sensitive to capsicum, and these little bitty wings pack one heck of a punch in the spice department. I ended up eating all of them myself. Next time I’ll skip the garlic chili sauce so that she can enjoy them with me.

In any event, these really couldn’t be easier to put together, and the recipe can be doubled, tripled or quadrupled depending on the number of people you are serving and their appetites. I would suggest however, that you serve a milder version along side them for those guests who don’t have a love of blast-furnace heat.

Rocket-Hot Asian Style Chicken Wings

Marinate for 15 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 1 22 oz. package chicken drumettes
• 1 tbsp honey or light corn syrup
• 4 tbsp. black bean garlic paste
• 1 tsp chili garlic sauce
• 3 tbsp. warm water
• 3 scallions, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 slice fresh ginger, minced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Arrange on baking sheet.

Marinate chicken wings for 15 minutes at room temperature in mixture of honey, black bean garlic paste, garlic chili sauce, water, scallions, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper.

heat oven to 350°F. Place drumettes on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, brushing occasionally with remaining marinade. Turn oven to broil and cook 5 more minutes, turning chicken once at 2.5 minutes to avoid burning.

Transfer immediately to a platter and serve warm or at room temperature.

What I would have done differently had I thought of it at the time:

The flavor on these wings is truly amazing, but as I said, they were spicier than expected at the beginning of cooking. Next time I’ll cut out the garlic chili sauce altogether and use a little hoisin sauce in its place. Other than that, a bit more honey might have been nice, but is definitely not necessary. These little bad boys were enough to put me in my carnivorous happy place for quite some time.

And yes, Dr. Biggles, I’m sure you could grill them as well.

Links to other recipes like this:

• Spicy Hot Wings and Drumettes, from An American Housewife