Chicken Wings Sauce – Pepperoni
Servings: 8
Calories: 445kcal
Many unique flavors are available. Prepare one or all, for game day, An assortment will insure everybody gets something to their liking. The near endless possibilities of chicken wings, elevating game day snacks to gourmet experiences. Even providing a few “naked” aka unflavored wings will not go amiss.
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Ingredients
WINGS
- ⅔ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon quartered and seeded
- ¼ cup 2 ounces limoncello
- ¼ cup fresh thyme leaves plus more for garnish
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 ½ pounds chicken wings cut at joints, wing tips discarded (about 24 pieces)
SAUCE
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup chopped yellow onion
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
- 5 ounces pepperoni sliced (about 1 cup)
- ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 3 canned whole peeled plum tomatoes
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons chicken broth or vegetable broth divided
ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS
- Cooking spray
- Lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
- Make the wings
- Combine oil, lemon quarters, limoncello, thyme leaves, salt, and crushed red pepper in a blender; process until smooth, about 1 minute and 30 seconds. Place chicken wing pieces in a large bowl; add oil-limoncello mixture, and toss to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 8 hours or up to 12 hours.
- Make the sauce
- Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring often, until onion is translucent,about 4 minutes. Add pepperoni slices; cook, stirring often, until fat from pepperoni is released, about 5 minutes.
- Add fennel seeds and crushed red pepper; cook, stirring often, until mixture is fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Crush plum tomatoes by hand, and add crushed tomatoes and 1/2 cup broth to pan. Bring to a simmer over medium.
- Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until flavors have melded, about 30 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Transfer mixture to blender. Secure lid on blender, and remove center piece of blender lid to allow steam to escape. Place a clean towel over opening. Process until mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes, adding up to remaining 2 tablespoons broth as needed until pepperoni sauce is the texture of hummus. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 500°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, and place a wire rack over foil.
- Generously coat wire rack with cooking spray. Arrange wings in a single layer on prepared rack.
- Bake in preheated oven until wings are golden brown and a meat thermometer inserted in thickest portion of chicken registers 165°F, about 40 minutes, flipping once halfway through baking time. Spread a thin layer of pepperoni sauce on a platter; top with warm wings. (Reserve any remaining pepperoni sauce for another use.)
- Garnish with thyme, and serve with lemon wedges.
Notes
Make Ahead
Pepperoni sauce can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in refrigerator. Reheat before serving.
If cooking in an oven, suggest using a rack so the chicken cooks on all sides evenly.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Art of Cooking Recipes (Paulson Pursuits} is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Nutrition
Calories: 445kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 23g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 1211mg | Potassium: 218mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 220IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg
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