Baked Sweet & Spicy Buffalo Wings

I've finally found some more time to start updating this blog. Because, frankly, I have no choice nowadays but to work on the computer. You see, I've been put on a 2-week bed rest, which started yesterday. Doctor's orders. If I want me and this baby to be healthy, I have to follow those orders. So in preparation for these next 2 weeks, I was working my butt off in the kitchen, despite it being difficult, to prepare some more make-ahead meals to feed us while I'm incapacitated. I've already made a few dishes from old recipes on this blog, and found a couple of new recipes that I will feature here in the next couple of weeks. I figured blogging would help with the boredom of being on bed rest.

Anyway, before I blog about the make-ahead meals, I had a strange craving from some sweet and spicy buffalo wings in honor of Super Bowl Sunday the other day. Now, everyone knows I'm not much of a sports person. I'll occasionally follow basketball, sometimes baseball (if one of my nephews are playing). Not so much football. But I love the celebration of food that comes with the Super Bowl.

I was watching a show called Homemade in America with Sunny Anderson on the Food Network about a month ago. They were featuring buffalo wings by "Dirty Steve." He made his original wing sauce and also his Carolina Gold Wing sauce, which I gathered was a little more sweet. I like my buffalo wings to be more on the sweet side, rather than the spicy side. So this recipe caught my attention and figured now would be a perfect time to make some wings. The original recipe makes a huge batch of wing sauce, so I've somewhat cut the recipe to a quarter and modified it to what I had on hand and the result were these yummy, sweet and slightly spicy wings that were so finger-lickin' good. The best part of these wings is that they're baked rather than fried. So its a little lighter than your average buffalo wings. I will definitely be making these again.

24 pieces of chicken wings and drummettes 

salt & pepper to taste

garlic powder

onion powder

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Carolina-style BBQ sauce, or any favorite sweet BBQ sauce

1 stick butter, melted

1/4 cup hot sauce, such as Frank's

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

1) Preheat oven to 400 deg F.

2) Season chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Dredge in the flour. Place chicken pieces in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes.

3) While chicken is baking, combine BBQ sauce, butter, hot sauce, brown sugar and black pepper in a large bowl. Set aside.

4) Once chicken is done baking, place in the bowl of sauce and toss to coat. Serve immediately with blue cheese dressing.