Super Bowl Chicken Wings - GO PACK GO!

As seems to be the trend with my posts this year, I'm once again a few recipes behind. I made these wings for our Super Bowl party last Sunday (SO excited that the Packers won!), because what else are you supposed to eat watching Aaron Rodgers decimate Ben Roesthlisberger? There were three versions, as you'll see - Medium (sweet 'n spicy), Hot (buffalo style), and "Fun" (Joef). Fun, as you can probably guess from Joef's particular sense of taste, is in this case relative - his wings, as you'll see, contain three tablespoons - yes, tablespoons, of Naga Jolokia powder. I have to commend both him and our guests - those babies got eaten up just about as quickly as the other, milder versions.

Plus, two of these recipes don't even require deep-frying - they're oven-baked! Mmm, healthy!

MEDIUM - Sweet 'n Spicy
from saveur.com
4 lbs chicken wings, kept whole or divided
Dry Rub

-2 tbsp Smoked Paprika

-4 tsp onion powder

-4 tsp coriander

-1 tsp garlic powder

-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

-1 tsp crushed red pepper

-2 tsp brown sugar
-Salt
-Fresh-ground black pepper

Sauce

-1 cup Frank's RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce

-1 cup good quality barbecue sauce (I used Jack Daniels Hickory Maple or something like that)

Combine the dry rub spices in a large bowl, adding salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste. Toss the wings in the spice mixture (we used gallon ziploc bags), and let wings sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Arrange wings on wire racks set over sheet trays. Place the wings in a cold oven and set for 275. Cook for 30 minutes.

Raise oven temperature to 475. Continue to cook wings until golden brown and crispy, about 30-45 minutes more, rotating the trays and flipping the wings halfway through the cooking. If the wings are not crispy after 45 minutes, run them under the broiler until crispiness is achieved. (Ours were crispy by that time.) After the wings are crispy, let them cool slightly.

Mix hot sauce and barbecue sauce together. Add the wings and toss to coat.

HOT - Buffalo (aka omg, I can't believe all this butter)
from saveur.com
Canola oil, for frying
4 lbs. chicken wings, separated into 2 pieces
16 tbsp. unsalted butter (2 sticks)
2 12-oz. bottle Frank's RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce
Heat oven to 200. Pour oil into a 6-qt. Dutch oven to a depth of 2" and heat over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 400. Working in two batches, add chicken wings to oil and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and crisp, 10–12 minutes. Stand back! It will get crispy - just wait for it. Using a slotted spoon, transfer wings to a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet and transfer to oven.

Meanwhile, melt the butter and stir into the hot sauce. Pour over chicken wings and combine.

"FUN" - Joef
4 lbs chicken wings, kept whole or divided
Dry Rub

-2 tbsp Naga Jolokia pepper

-4 tsp onion powder

-4 tsp coriander

-1 tsp garlic powder

-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

-1 tsp crushed red pepper

-2 tsp brown sugar
-Salt
-Fresh-ground black pepper

Sauce

-1 cup Frank's RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce

-1 cup good quality barbecue sauce (I used Jack Daniels Hickory Maple or something like that)

-2 tbsp habanero flakes
-1 tbsp Naga Jolokia

Combine the dry rub spices in a large bowl, adding salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste. Toss the wings in the spice mixture (we used gallon ziploc bags), and let wings sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Arrange wings on wire racks set over sheet trays. Place the wings in a cold oven and set for 275. Cook for 30 minutes.

Raise oven temperature to 475. Continue to cook wings until golden brown and crispy, about 30-45 minutes more, rotating the trays and flipping the wings halfway through the cooking. If the wings are not crispy after 45 minutes, run them under the broiler until crispiness is achieved. (Ours were crispy by that time.) After the wings are crispy, let them cool slightly.

Mix hot sauce, barbecue sauce, and spices together. Add the wings and toss to coat.