Sticky Golden Chicken Wings
I can’t take the credit for this recipe. My friend down the street makes this chicken every time he has people over and he was nice enough to share the recipe with me (of course I’ve altered a little). I’ve decided to share it with you in the form of wings, because… delicious. But you can also do bone in breasts, thighs or drums, just adjust the cooking time accordingly.
What I love the most about this recipe is that the bulk of the work can be done the day before and then finished quickly on the grill. That makes it so perfect for entertaining and also really easy to feed a lot of people.
This chicken is definitely a crowd pleaser with it’s sticky, sweet and salty golden skin and perfect fall-off-the-bone meat. I made this recipe for my family on my night to cook at our family week at the lake house in Maine and it was well received, as well as for my friend’s baby gender reveal party where they kept well in a crockpot set on low for a good amount of time.
The reason this recipe works so well is that the chicken cooks through slowly in a soy, pineapple, sugar liquid (even parts soy and sugar sounds crazy but it is necessary) and the chicken becomes really moist and tender. When it is finished on the grill (or in the broiler) the skin will crisp up nicely because it has absorbed lot of sugar which will make it want to caramelize.
Have fun!
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 2 cups low sodium soy sauce
- 2 cups white sugar
- 4 inches ginger, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled (not chopped)
- pinch red pepper flakes
- 2 lbs chicken wings
- green onions and sesame seeds to garnish
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In a large pot bring pineapple juice, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, garlic and pepper flakes to a boil stirring frequently. simmer for 15 minutes with the lid on.
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Add chicken to pot and let cook for 45 minutes to an hour gently turning wings to cook evenly, keeping the liquid at a simmer.
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Remove chicken and set aside until ready to grill off and serve. Cover and refrigerate if you'll be serving later that day, or the next day. Reserve liquid.
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When ready to finish and serve wings, preheat a gas grill over high heat (make sure it is really well seasoned so that it is nonstick). Heat the reserved liquid in a sauce pan over the stovetop or in the microwave.
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Place the wings on the grill and reduce heat to medium. Cook for about 2-3 minutes on one side and then brush with reserved liquid, turn and cook another 2-3 minutes. The wings should have some good grill marks on them by now and release easily, but if you find that the wings do not release from the grill give them a little more time cooking before you turn them. You don't want all that nice skin to come off. Continue to brush with liquid and turn wings until the skin has a little char and the wings are hot.
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Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions, and drizzle with some of the reserved sauce. Serve immediately.
