Good Wednesday morning to you all?  Ever just crave a chicken wing that is not greasy but it is still crispy on the outside?  Now don’t get me wrong – I do love a nice deep fried chicken wing when done right but at home I always go for a baked chicken wing in the oven and then finish it off with the glaze.  The process is really simple and you can use what ever you like as the glaze.  For this batch, I went with a spicy glaze cause I was craving something hot.

These were not burn your lips hot but they had a nice balance of sweet and heat.  Take the time to season the wings prior to baking them with both salt and pepper.  You will be much happier as you sit down on the couch for the big game on Sunday with a large batch of these on your lap.

Ingredients

• Chicken Wings ( tips removed )
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1/4 Cup Hoisin Sauce
• 1/4 Cup Ketchup
• 3 Tbsp.  Brown Sugar
• Splash of Vinegar
• 1/2 Cup Sweet Chili sauce
• 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 Tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/2 Cup Water

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Season chicken wings with salt and pepper.  Place them in the oven and cook for 40-50 minutes.
2. In a separate sauce pan, place on medium heat and add remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer.  One everything is combined thoroughly bring to a boil.
3. Remove wings from the oven and place in a large bowl.
4. Add the sauce over the wings and toss to coat.
5. Serve with some fresh veggies and your favorite drink.
6. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: When making the sauce, if you find it is a little too thin, bring it to a boil and add a slurry of 1 teaspoon of cornstarch and 2 Tbsp. of water together to thicken the sauce.  You want the sauce to be thick enough to both coat the wings and stick to your ribs.

Alright, you need to try these!  I am not kidding you.  You will find yourself quickly eating 12-16 chicken wings and going through 4-5 paper towels ( thank god for the Select – A – Size) but you will be very happy.  These are nice washed down with a cold beer or you can always go with a nice glass of water.  Oh did I mention a side order of homemade onion rings would never be a bad idea.  Have a super Wednesday and I will be back for one more Superbowl idea on Friday.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

Good Monday morning to you all?  Ever just crave a chicken wing that is not greasy but it is still crispy on the outside?  Now don’t get me wrong – I do love a nice deep fried chicken wing when done right but at home I always go for a baked chicken wing in the oven and then finish it off with the glaze.  The process is really simple and you can use what ever you like as the glaze.  For this batch, I went with a spicy glaze cause I was craving something hot.

These were not burn your lips hot but they had a nice balance of sweet and heat.  Take the time to season the wings prior to baking them with both salt and pepper.  You will be much happier as you sit down on the couch for the big game, an episode of the Big Bang Theory, maybe some Desperate Housewives or even House Hunters.

Ingredients

• Chicken Wings ( tips removed )
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1/4 Cup Hoisin Sauce
• 1/4 Cup Ketchup
• 3 Tbsp.  Brown Sugar
• Splash of Vinegar
• 1/2 Cup Sweet Chili sauce
• 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 Tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/2 Cup Water

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Season chicken wings with salt and pepper.  Place them in the oven and cook for 40-50 minutes.
2. In a separate sauce pan, place on medium heat and add remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer.  One everything is combined thoroughly bring to a boil.
3. Remove wings from the oven and place in a large bowl.
4. Add the sauce over the wings and toss to coat.
5. Serve with some fresh veggies and your favorite drink.
6. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: When making the sauce, if you find it is a little too thin, bring it to a boil and add a slurry of 1 teaspoon of cornstarch and 2 Tbsp. of water together to thicken the sauce.  You want the sauce to be thick enough to both coat the wings and stick to your ribs.

Alright, you need to try these!  I am not kidding you.  You will find yourself quickly eating 12-16 chicken wings and going through 4-5 paper towels ( thank god for the Select – A – Size) but you will be very happy.  These are nice washed down with a cold beer or you can always go with a nice glass of water.  Oh did I mention a side order of homemade onion rings would never be a bad idea.  Have a super kick off to your week and I will talk to you on Wednesday.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

What screams summer?  Fresh tomatoes, the smell of basil and a little bit of fresh crunchy bread!  Well heck, maybe not the crunchy bread but let’s pretend it does.  Anyone like Bruschetta?  I happen to over indulge when I see it in front of me, on a restaurant menu or pretty much anywhere I can get my hands on it.  As you may have figured out, the combination of basil and tomatoes has me slightly addicted and cannot get enough.

This recipe although super simple is very tasty and seems to always please the crowd.  Now you can spend a little bit more effort on this recipe and parboil the tomatoes and take the skin off as well as seed them but for today I decided not too for time’s sake.

Ingredients

• 6 ripe plum tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Handful fresh basil leaves, chopped.
• 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tsp. balsamic vinegar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 baguette French bread or similar Italian bread
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Method

1. Prepare the tomatoes first. Slice, seed and chop the tomatoes in a large bowl.  Add in the garlic, vinegar, basil and oil and set aside.
2. Make sure there is a top rack in place in your oven. Turn on the oven to 450°F to preheat.
3. While the oven is heating, chop up the tomatoes finely. Put tomatoes, garlic, 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, vinegar in a bowl and mix. Add the chopped basil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Slice the baguette on a diagonal about 1/2 inch thick slices. Coat one side of each slice with olive oil using a pastry brush. Place on a cooking sheet, olive oil side down. Toast them in the top rack of your oven for 5-6 minutes, until the bread just begins to turn golden brown.
5. Place the bread olive oil side up and start scooping the tomato mixture on top.  Do this step right before serving or the bread may get soggy.
6. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Alternatively, you can toast the bread without coating it in olive oil first. You can just toast it for one minute or so and then rub some garlic in the slices and drizzle half a teaspoon of olive oil on each slice.

So as some of you know, my birthday is tomorrow and as I was writing this post my 2 year old daughter comes down the stairs with a big smile on her face and says “Guess what Dad”.  I respond with “what dear”.  She says, “Well dad, I bought you a present…… for the kitchen!  all the while Mrs. Zesty tries to get her to stop and remind her that it is a surprise – I burst out laughing and just had to share it with you.

Alright, enjoy the bruschetta, have a great weekend and I will of course will be back with you on Monday.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty