I don’t know about you, but one of my absolute favorite appetizers or small meals is chicken wings. I don’t think that I’m alone on this because, on average, Americans each eat about 90 wings in a year. Americans consume over 1.3 billion wings on Super Bowl Sunday alone! Chicken wings are great on their own, or you can add a nice side dish or two and you have a full meal. You just can’t beat the flavor. They are juicy, tasty little morsels of goodness that can be enhanced with just about any seasoning to make them your own.
I used to pay way too much for wings from restaurants. Then one day, I found out that you can easily make them in the oven at home for so much less. These oven baked chicken wings are much healthier than deep-fried wings, but I assure you they are just as good, if not better because you still have all the flavor without the oil. I usually pick up a package or two of party wings (a mix of small wings and drumsticks) from my local grocery store or, if I’m having a party, I go to Costco, buy a bag or two of wings, and can feed everyone at the party on a budget.
The prep on this dish can’t get any easier. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the wings on a baking sheet (you can line the baking sheet with parchment paper to make cleanup a breeze). Season the wings with your favorite seasoning and put them in the pre-heated oven. I personally prefer to use Sylva’s Kitchen Lemon Pepper Perfection to season wings–the burst of lemon is sure to rock your tastebuds. Bake for 25 minutes, turn them over, sprinkle with a bit more seasoning, and bake for 20 minutes more to finish them off. There’s no oil spattering all over you and your kitchen from deep-frying, and the result is so much healthier than fried wings. This is one of the easiest, best tasting, and affordable dishes to make. After baking, you can also toss them with your favorite sauce, be it a Korean barbecue sauce, buffalo sauce, a sweet and tangy barbecue sauce, or whatever you like. One of the things that I love about this recipe is the simplicity. It requires minimal prep, it’s faster and cheaper than ordering take-out (pick up or delivery), not to mention they fill your house with the most amazing smell while cooking. So next time you are craving chicken wings, please give this recipe a try. Enjoy!
