Jump to the Recipe
Did you know that over 1.3 billion chicken wing portions were consumed during Super Bowl weekend in 2016? Laid end to end, they would encircle the earth more than twice… now that’s a lot of wings!
Clearly, they’re a favorite for game day entertaining, or any time a group of family and friends gather.
And if you want to ensure the best crowd-pleasing chicken wings, this marinade is a great place to start. The simplest is often the best, and so it is with this flavorful technique.
Always a hit with party goers, there’s a few tips to follow that will create a mouth-wateringly delectable batch.
To make certain your wings take on the best flavor, marinate them for several hours in a tasty soak – like the one below.
A minimum of 30 minutes is required to get the benefits of soaking, but they’ll do much better if they bathe overnight, or up to 24 hours. And please remember they need to go in the fridge to soak, which will prevent the formation of surface bacteria.
Not only will a marinade add delicious taste, moisturize, and make the meat oh-so-tender, it also adds outstanding health benefits if you plan to cook them on the grill.
As we reported in our healthy grilling post, soaking proteins in a marinade will reduce the formation of cancer-causing HCAs (heterocyclic amines) by up to 96 percent – an astounding percentage for such a simple process.
Lower grilling temperatures are also important. The lower temps prevent flare-ups that char foods, and reduces the resulting smoke that deposits unhealthy PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) on food surfaces.
You can also choose to prepare these in the electric pressure cooker to completely eliminate any risk.
But by following methodical grilling practices, it will produce delicious wings, and will also keep them safe for consumption – now what’s not to love about that idea?
Grill on high, at about 400°F, for just a couple of minutes on each side. Then reduce the heat and finish over medium temperatures, 325-350°F, for another 15-20 minutes. Turn occasionally and baste with a bit of reserved marinade.
Reserve a small amount of the soak to use as a baste before the meat goes into it – you don’t want to be using any liquid that has any raw poultry residue mixed in.
Naturally, they can be baked in the oven as well, as described below. Just place them on a rack on a baking sheet and pop into a preheated 400°F oven for 20 minutes or so, with a minute or two under the broiler to crisp them when finished. Turn occasionally, and baste with a bit of reserved marinade.
Tasty and tangy, there are never any leftovers with this recipe, no matter how many wings go in the oven, or on the grill. Here’s what you’ll need:
The Recipe
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 4 Servings | 40 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 20 minutes |
|
|
|
|
Looking to master your wing technique? There's no better place to start than our recipe for a simple and spicy marinade. Get the recipe on Foodal now.
|
- 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup soy sauce or Bragg Liquid Aminos
- 4 cloves garlic smashed
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 chopped scallions, white and green parts kept separate
- 3 pounds chicken wings (or other choice of protein)
- Mix the Dijon mustard, soy sauce (or Bragg Liquid Aminos), smashed garlic, freshly grated ginger, and white parts of the chopped scallions.
- Reserve 1/4 cup of marinade and set aside.
- Soak chicken in the rest of the marinade in a large bowl for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.
- In the last 15 minutes of the soak, preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Place the marinated wings on a baking tray fitted with a metal rack.
- Bake wings for 20 minutes, with a minute or two under the broiler to crisp them when they are cooked through.
- Baste the finished wings with a bit of reserved marinade, garnish with the green parts of the scallions, and serve.
This recipe will provide enough marinade to prepare up to 3 pounds of meat.
Though baking these wings is a delicious option, we also love preparing them on the grill. Visit our main wings post for directions.
Nutritional Info*
Cooking by the Numbers…
Step 1 –Prepare Your Mise en Place
Get your ingredients ready.
Set the chicken wings aside. If you you need to break down whole wings, make sure you review our step-by-step tutorial!
Measure out and prep the Dijon mustard, soy sauce, smashed garlic, freshly grated ginger, and chopped scallions, keeping the white and green parts separate.
Step 2 – Make the Marinade
Combine the Dijon mustard, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and the white parts only of your chopped green onions in a large mixing bowl.
Set aside 1/4 cup of marinade and reserve for later.
Step 3 – Marinate
Use your hands to massage the chicken wings with the rest of the marinade until they are well coated.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the wings soak in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, and up to 24 hours.
Step 4 – Bake
In the last 15 minutes of the soak, preheat the oven to 400°F, and fit a baking tray with a metal rack.
Place the marinated wings on the prepared baking tray and bake for 20 minutes.
Once cooked, switch on the broiler for a minute or two to crisp the wings slightly.
When the wings are done, baste them with a bit of the reserved marinade and garnish them with the reserved green parts of your fresh chopped spring onions.
Spicy Wing Time!
Although this recipe isn’t super hot, these do have a bit of heat – which makes a pilsner a good beverage to pair with them.
Great for clearing the palate, a crisp and refreshing craft pilsner or an authentic Czech brew fits the bill nicely.
You can’t go wrong with this super-simple technique. Your chicken will be fabulous on its own, with a side of blue cheese dip, or even ranch dressing.
If you want a recipe that the kids will love and doesn’t have too much heat, consider also preparing some of our crispy baked chicken fingers to serve alongside the wings during game day!
What are your favorite sides to serve with this meaty appetizer? Are you a fan of an unconventional dip? Let us know in the comments below!
Get you some more wings! We have plenty of recipes with bold flavors:
Photos by Felicia Lim, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. With additional writing and editing by Felicia Lim and Kendall Vanderslice.
*Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.
About Lorna Kring
Recently retired as a costume specialist in the TV and film industry, Lorna now enjoys blogging on contemporary lifestyle themes. A bit daft about the garden, she’s particularly obsessed with organic tomatoes and herbs, and delights in breaking bread with family and friends.
