January means the conclusion of the official football ‘season’ and the beginning of snowy, rainy, and cold post-season games. This all leads up to the final clash of titans known as the Superbowl, where the two top teams show each other whose boss, and one team emerges victorious.
You probably know all this.
But, we’re willing to bet you don’t know about our championship hot wings. We call them ‘champions’ because they are, hands down, our all time favorite. They have a hot and spicy north African spin that’s sweetened a bit with coconut sugar and cut with the vibrancy of red wine vinegar. We made these on a snowy Sunday afternoon in January during the game of our hometown’s beloved team the Seattle Seahawks (Michelle’s first love is still the San Francisco Niners though…).
On this particular afternoon, it was too cold for our liking, so we made these championship wings indoors in our oven. We prefer using our outdoor grill, but we just couldn’t bring ourselves to step outside to tend to the wings (so cold!). No matter. The wings were still amazing. And maybe, just maybe, we’ll be able to chargrill these outdoors during the Superbowl. Go HAWKS! And GO MEDITERRANEAN CHAMPIONSHIP WINGS!
Serves 4 to 6
Gluten Free, Soy Free
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup harissa chile paste (sriracha could work here too, but try to use the harissa!)
2 lbs chicken wings (wings split, tips trimmed)
Vegetable oil or cooking spray
In a small saucepan whisk sugar, vinegar and harissa over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves and the glaze has slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool glaze completely.
With the chicken wings in a plastic zip top plastic bag, add 3/4 of the glaze (set aside the remaining glaze). Seal the bag and turn the bag upside down several times to coat chicken wings completely. Marinate the wings in the refrigerator for 2 to 4 hours.
Preheat oven to 425F. Spray a small amount of cooking spray or spread vegetable oil on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour contents of bag, wings and sauce, on sheet spreading wings out so they don’t touch one another. Bake for approximately 20 – 25 minutes, turning the wings half way through, until they are browned and cooked through. Remove wings from the oven and immediately brush with the remaining glaze.
Preheat broiler to high and put the baking sheet with wings under the broiler for about 3 minutes or until the skin is crispy and sticky. Serve warm and enjoy the game!
