Spicy Orange Chicken Wings

Spicy Orange Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs. chicken wings

• Salt and pepper to taste

For the Marinade:

• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce

• 2 tbsp light soy sauce

• 3 tbsp orange juice

• 1 tbsp apple juice

• 3 tbsp dark brown sugar

• 1 1/2 tbsp grated ginger

• 4 to 6 garlic cloves, grated

• 1 wiri-wiri pepper or any type of hot pepper, finely chopped

• 1/2 tsp 5-spice powder

• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

• 1 tsp grated orange zest

For Garnish:

• 1/2 cup diced cucumber

• 2 tbsp chopped cashews

• 1 tsp sesame oil

• 2 oranges, sliced

1. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, orange juice, apple juice, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, chopped wiri-wiri pepper, 5-spice powder, cayenne and orange zest.

2. Wash and pat chicken dry. Season with salt. Place chicken in a resealable Ziploc bag or a container with a cover. Pour marinade over chicken, shake or stir to coat wings. Place in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight.

3. Remove chicken from refrigerator one hour before cooking. Drain marinade and reserve as you will using this to baste the chicken wings.

4. Heat oven to 375°F. Oil two sheet pans and place chicken on pan. Leave room for the heat to circulate around the wings - don't crown them.

5. Cook wings for about 30 to 40 minutes depending on size of wings. Baste wings with marinade every 10 minutes.

6. In a small bowl, combine cucumber, cashews and sesame oil.

7. Layer sliced oranges around a platter. Place cooked wings in the center of the platter and scatter the garnish over the wings.

8. Serve warm.

Notes&Tips:

• Chicken wings seems to be most people's favorite as an appetizer, no wonder there are tons of chicken wings recipes out there.

• This recipe uses a lot of Chinese ingredients and packs some heat. There are many flavors that come through when eating these wings. There's tangy, sweet, and spicy to name a few. No matter which taste you experience, though, they come together as one to make these Spicy Orange Chicken Wings very delicious.

• Initially, I was afraid that my children would complain about the spiciness of these wings, but surprisingly they loved it.