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Mad About Food: Try something bold with these Mandarin Orange Pepper Hot Honey Wings
This versatile sauce is perfect with your choice of protein
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We have finally made it to March. Spring is about to start. Easter is coming soon, and there is a lot to celebrate. And what better way to do that than with food?
Food prices continue to climb, but we still have to eat. So let’s make the most of our dollar and our time by making food that tastes good and is easy on the budget.
In this recipe, we will be using party wings, or you can use whole chicken wings as well. This marinade works well on multiple meats, so don’t be afraid to venture out and try it on turkey wings on the grill. You can also marinate fish and other parts of the chicken. You can even use it on vegetable dishes if you’re vegetarian or vegan —just play around and enjoy creating your own special dishes.
I’d never made Mandarin Orange Pepper Hot Honey Wings before, but I have made hot honey wings. I’ve also made lemon pepper wings, but when I saw this seasoning at Walmart, I knew I had to give it a try. I could’ve done fish or a different meat, but I thought this would go great with honey and chicken wings, so why not try it? I love trying new things, and I love playing with flavors. I also like to see how my ideas will turn out. I encourage you all to try new things, because you never know what you’re gonna get. It may be a winner, just like these delicious Mandarin Orange Pepper Hot Honey Wings!
Recipe
Mandarin Orange Pepper Hot Honey Wings
Ingredients
14-20 party wings, washed and pat dry
4 mandarin oranges
1/2 cup 100% raw honey
1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper (or to taste - consider this for all spices listed)
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon orange pepper
1 tablespoon lemon pepper
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups Dole orange mango peach juice
1/4 cup cornstarch (optional)
1 stick of butter
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4 pieces candied ginger
5-6 cloves
1 cup cooking oil
Directions
In a medium bowl, zest one mandarin orange and add the juice of 2 mandarin oranges, 1/4 cup of raw honey, 1/2 cup of orange mango peach juice, 1 1/2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar and olive oil; combine all ingredients.
Season your wings with all the spices/cornstarch and add to marinade; place in refrigerator.
In a medium sauce pan, add remaining Dole Orange Peach Mango juice. Zest one of the mandarin oranges and add juice of remaining mandarin oranges, remaining honey and red wine vinegar with the candied ginger and cloves. (You can also repeat the spices in the sauce to add more flavor).
Bring all of the ingredients in the pan to a boil on medium high heat until reduced to half the liquid. Let liquid cool, then strain with a sieve. The liquid should stick to the spoon when drizzled. Taste for desired heat and flavor.
Fry your wings in a medium skillet with a cup of oil, or you can air fry them until cooked through and crispy. Toss wings with half of the sauce, then drizzle with more honey and sprinkle with more mandarin orange pepper.
Place on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes and toss the wings in remaining sauce. Enjoy!
Source: Michelle Madden
The sauce is the star of the show, but I also used it as the marinade to level up the flavors. Again, I’ve never used the seasoning before, so it was interesting to see how different the wings tasted and smelled while using the orange pepper seasoning.
To my surprise, it wasn’t as spicy as I had hoped for, so I had to add cayenne pepper to give it that little punch I was looking for. The natural juices and zest from real mandarin oranges also added a great level of flavor. I only use 100 percent real raw honey in my dishes because the artificial honey just does not stick well, and it does not give that awesome shine that I’m always looking for, especially on honey wings.
Now that I’ve worked up an appetite, I hope you have too, so let’s roll up our sleeves, wash our hands and get started creating our own version of Mandarin Orange Pepper Hot Honey Wings!
Reach Michelle Madden at Da Munchie Plug LLC on Facebook.
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