One evening I went to find the beloved recipe and found that it no longer existed (...insert the gasp that was heard around the world)! A moment of panic ensued as I tried to think through how to retrieve the desired recipe. Thankfully, the website was still active, so I sent an email to the author of the site and received a response the same day (...insert "Hallelujah Chorus") with the recipe. You can bet your buttons that I immediately saved it where it couldn't be lost.
Have I piqued your interest?
Well, here is the most mouth-watering baked chicken I think I've ever had:
For the sauce:
6 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoons sriracha sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1/2-1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup minced garlic
1/2 cup 100% apple juice
To make the sauce, combine all of the above ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally or until it is reduced. The mixture will still be fairly thin.
For the wings:
16 chicken drumsticks, skin on
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
salt & freshly ground black pepper
paper towels
sesame seeds and sliced green onions for garnish (optional)
To make the wings, preheat the oven to 475˚F. Line 2 cookie sheets with aluminum foil and spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Pat each chicken wing completely dry with a paper towel. Brush all over with vegetable oil. Place 8 drumsticks on each prepared cookie sheet leaving approximately 2 inches of space between each drumstick. Season both sides generously with salt and pepper. Using a pastry brush (mine is silicone because I'm paranoid about the germs from raw meat), apply a generous coating of sauce to top of each drumstick. Bake both cookie sheets for 15 minutes.
Remove baking sheets from oven and use tongs to turn the drumsticks over. Coat the "other" side of the drumsticks with sauce. Place pans back in oven, rotating the position of the pans (the pan that was on bottom for the first 15 minutes moves to the top and visa versa). Bake for 10 more minutes.
Remove from oven and reduce heat to 450˚F. Turn over drumsticks so that the first side is facing up. Brush with sauce. Rotate position of pans again. Bake 10 more minutes. I usually brush sauce on the drumsticks about 4 times (each side twice) or until internal temperature of chicken reaches 170˚F.
Remove from oven after the 4th time. Remove to a platter and let rest 5-10 minutes before serving warm. Garnish with sliced green onion and sesame seeds and serve with steamed rice.
Recipe Yield: 16 drumsticks