Author Notes
I know we fortunate Texans keep bragging about it, but we really have had our first taste of spring this week. The return of green grass and sunshine had me hankering for chicken wings with a sweet and sticky glaze that coats your fingers. These wings are baked until crispy and glazed with a blood orange reduction. I served them with a perky little whipped feta dip flush with mint. Helen and I had ourselves a party! —arielleclementine
Test Kitchen Notes
I made this recipe twice. Not because it’s tricky, but because the first time I ate the whole plate of wings all by myself. The reduction strikes a balance of sweet to start and fiery to finish. The minted whipped feta cuts the heat and provides a salty complement to the glaze. Arielleclementine is spot on in her directions to cook the wings to a crispy state before glazing, and saves your pan with her advice to line it with both tin foil and parchment paper. My one critique is the whipped feta could be thinned -- maybe with goat’s milk -- for easier dipping. - cheese1227 —The Editors
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Ingredients
- For the Wings
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2 pounds
chicken wings
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kosher salt and black pepper
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3/4 cup
juice from 3 blood oranges
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1.5 tablespoons
honey
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1/2 tablespoon
blood orange zest
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1/4 teaspoon
crushed red pepper flakes
- For the Whipped Feta
-
3/4 pound
fresh feta, rinsed and crumbled
-
1/4 cup
extra virgin olive oil
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1 tablespoon
lemon juice
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black pepper
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1/4 cup
chopped fresh mint
Directions
- For the Wings
-
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
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Line a baking sheet with foil, then with parchment paper.
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Cut the chicken wings into thirds, and reserve the wing tips for stock. Pat dry thoroughly. Season with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper and arrange on the baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes, flipping the wings every 15 minutes.
-
While the wings are baking, make the glaze. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, mix the blood orange juice, zest, honey, and crushed red pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes, or until the glaze has reduced to about 1/4 of a cup. Remove from the heat and set aside.
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After the wings have baked for 45 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and brush the wings all over with the glaze. Return to the oven to bake for 5 more minutes. Serve warm with Minted Whipped Feta (recipe follows).
- For the Whipped Feta
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Put the crumbled feta, olive oil, lemon juice, and pepper in a food processor and process until smooth. It should look a bit like hummus. Add the chopped mint and pulse a few times to incorporate.
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Serve in a pretty bowl topped with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprig of mint.
I have always loved food. My favorite books as a kid always featured food (eg. The Berenstain Bears Get the Gimmies- so much candy!) and I loved cooking shows like Yan Can Cook and The Frugal Gourmet. I started cooking the Thanksgiving dinner for my family when I was 13 years old. I have food52 to thank for inspiring me to come up with my own recipes, as well as for introducing me to a community of fantastic cooks and their amazing recipes. I try my best to cook locally and seasonally, and I tend to prefer straightforward, simple recipes where the ingredients get to shine. I live in wonderful Austin, Texas with my husband, Andy (a video game programmer) and my son, Henry (an 8-month-old who loves to eat).
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