It’s a proven fact that sports, whether watching in front of the boob tube or tailgating at your favorite team’s stadium, must be enjoyed while grubbing on some great food.  Every sports party I’ve been to has the usual store-bought suspects: tortilla chips, mushy guacamole, watery salsa, and God-forsaken nachos with the cheese that clumps rather than melts.  It’s time we did right by our sports snacks, and I have just the right recipe that will leave your hands reaching for more.  These Finger-Lickin’ Slap-your-Mama Wings are not only super-easy for you (or your significant other) to make, but are also a tasty, home-made, quasi-gourmet food that will keep you and your friends satisfied and wanting more as you cheer on your teams.  

Jenn’s Finger-Lickin’ Slap-your-Mama Wings

(Balsamic and Soy Glazed Chicken Wings – for the literate!)

15 Chicken wings or 10-12 Drumlettes

½ cup balsamic vinegar

¼ cup soy sauce

2 tbsp honey

1 tbsp orange juice

1½ tbsp light brown sugar

1tsp black pepper

4 cloves grated or crushed garlic

½ cup sliced almonds

In a large Ziploc bag, mix together the vinegar, soy sauce, honey, orange juice, brown sugar, pepper and garlic.  Place chicken in the bag and rub marinade into the chicken.  Place the chicken in the refrigerator for a minimum of two hours to marinate.  Preheat oven to 375F.  Toast almonds lightly, about 7 minutes.  Replace almonds with chicken.  Bake for 30-35 minutes or until chicken juice runs clear.  Take left over marinade out of the Ziploc bag and boil on the stove for 5 minutes, then let simmer and thicken for 10 minutes.  After the chicken has finished cooking, take a pastry brush and baste the chicken with the marinade.  Take almonds and crumble on top of the finished chicken.

So eat up all you sports fans, just make sure that next time you sit down to a game, you eat something you’re proud of!

*****************************************************************************************

Jenn Harris is a former Anteater (that is, University of California, Irvine) and graduated with a degree in Literary Journalism.  Currently, she is a grad student at the University of Southern California pursuing a Masters in Print Journalism.  Jenn loves to cook and will one day sign a massive contract with the Food Network; but until then she is teaching us little folks at The Sports Union how to cook like a pro for our next tailgate.

No related posts.