Asian Sesame Sticky Wings: Your New Obsession

I don't know about my readers, but I am absolutely crazy about chicken wings! I am a total wing snob and I find it hard to find ones that truly blow my mind. I will probably be creating several posts about chicken wings, so all of you aficionados out there, rejoice! Today, I'm going to share my recipe for some asian sesame sticky wings that will not disappoint. They are the perfect balance of sweet and heat! I love love love spicy, but these can be adjusted if you aren't so crazy about the heat factor. And if you haven't had Hoisin sauce before, try this out, because it will be your new go-to ingredient in asian cooking.

Hoisin Sauce is essentially a chinese barbeque sauce that is sweety, slightly tangy and loaded with awesome herbs and spices. The balance between the honey, soy sauce, pepper, hoisin sauce and sesame oil creates this awesome balance of flavors that bounce around on your tongue. I promise you, you will be making these all the time and if you entertain with these, they will be your guests new favorite chicken wing!

Cheers!

Ingredients
3 pounds of wings and drumettes
4 cloves of garlic
4 tbsp of hoisin sauce
4 tbsp of soy sauce
4 tbsp of honey
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp vegetable oil
3 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 carrots
1 medium onion
1 large red bell pepper
4 scallions
1/2 tsp of kosher salt
1/2 tsp of cracked black pepper

The Marinade
1. First combine the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, honey and sesame oil in a large bowl and whisk together.
2. Finely mince the garlic and add with the red pepper flakes into the marinade.
3. Place the wings in the marinade and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

It's Cooking Time!
1. Preheat an oven to 425 degrees.
2. On a flat baking sheet, place the wings and all of the marinade in a single layer and bake for 35-45 minutes.
3. When the wings have finished their cook time, toss with the sesame seeds and get ready to assemble with the veggies.

The Veggies
1. Cut the bell pepper and carrots into sticks and slice the onions thinly.
2. In a large sautee pan, add the vegetable oil over medium heat.
3. When the oil is heated at the veggies and season with the salt and pepper.
4. Cook for about 7 minutes until tender but still crisp.

The Garnish
The garnish here is simple but sophisticated. Cut the scallions at an angle into 1.5 inch long pieces. You can use both the whites and the green parts of the scallions for this.

The Assembly
Place the veggies in a mound in the center of a large serving dish.
Top the veggies with the wings.
Sprinkle the scallions on top.
Enjoy!

Cheers!