Barbecue Chicken Wings

I recently made this recipe when we had young children visiting for the day. I had barbecue sauce on hand and a package of chicken legs. They were a hit, with everyone eating two or three legs!

Many barbecue sauces you buy have a long list of additives with sugar or high fructose corn syrup near the top of the list. Reading labels makes you aware of the many ingredients in the product that can adversely affect your health. We have a delicious recipe for barbecue sauce in our book, Eating Pure in a Processed Foods World®. It is simple to make and nice to have in the refrigerator to add a little zing to your meat.

Barbecue Sauce Recipe

1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup honey
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3/4 teaspoon liquid smoke, optional

Place all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and low boil uncovered 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool and store in refrigerator.

Makes 2-1/2 cups

Barbecue Chicken Wings Recipe

12–15 chicken wings
1/2 cup barbecue sauce

Preheat oven to 350º F. Using a pastry brush, coat the underside of wings with barbecue sauce as you place them on a rimmed baking sheet. Brush barbecue sauce on the top of each wing. Bake 40 to 50 minutes. Finger licking good!

If time allows and you want to make them “fancy”, cut each wing apart (discarding tip portion) for bite-size appetizers. However, I’ve never had anyone turn them down when they’re made with the whole wing—just more barbecue sauce to lick!

Makes 4 to 6 servings