Chicken Wings Two Ways

I felt a little silly making these as a freezer meal.  Both of these sauces are very easy to make, so tossing them with some wings and baking makes a pretty easy meal.  Why bother to freeze something that is so simple in the first place?  There are two reasons I decided to make this a freezer meal.  The first was to take advantage of sales my grocery store has on chicken wings.  I figured I could buy a bunch when they're on sale, prepare and freeze them and then have chicken wings regularly for less than the normal cost.  The second reason is that I figured no matter how simple these are to throw together it's easier still to simply empty a bag onto a pan and throw it in the oven.

I am so glad I decided to freeze these.  Yes, they are very simple, but that means a large batch is easy to make.  I underestimated how nice it would be to just put these in the oven for dinner with no gathering of ingredients or measuring anything.  I didn't have to wash anything except the pan that I cooked them in.  It turns out that something super simple still makes a great freezer meal.  It's easy to prep, which is nice when I have other more time consuming dishes to make and freeze, and it's easy, breezy for a delicious weeknight meal.  I highly recommend these.




Difficulty:  Super Easy
Category: Simple Side


Sesame Wings:

Adapted from: Smitten Kitchen
Recipe Column: BH

3 lbs chicken wings, cut apart at the joint, tips discarded
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp hoison sauce
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp sesame oil
a dash of sriracha sauce

1. Mix all of the sauce ingredients together.  Toss with the wings to coat.

Spicy Sweet Wings

Adapted from: Tasty Kitchen

Recipe Column: BI

3 lbs chicken wings, cut apart at the joint, tips discarded
1 1/2 cups apricot preserves
3/4 cups ketchup
6 tbsp soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tsp tobasco sauce

1. Place everything except the wings in a small sauce pan.  Heat them together, stirring, over medium heat until the preserves are melted and everything is combined.  Set aside and let cool.
2. Toss the sauce with the chicken wings to coat.

To freeze:

Divide the wings into bags or containers.  If any sauce is left after the wings have been divided, divide it between the bags or containers as well.  

To serve:

Thaw the wings in the fridge overnight.  Make sure they are completely thawed.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Pour the wings and any sauce in the container onto a cookie sheet lined with foil.  Spoon excess sauce over the wings.  Spread the wings out so none of them are touching.  Bake until the wings are dark brown on the outside and cooked all the way through.  Serve with a green salad.