The Big Game: Beer and Wings
With Superbowl coming up on Sunday was there any confusion about what the theme for this week’s Happy Hour at Home column would cover? I didn’t think so!
So this is going to be an amazingly easy week for you. When we talk about football, and most American sporting events in general, the primary beverage that comes to mind is beer. Light or dark, macro or micro, imported or domestic, bottled or kegged - none of that matters, it just has to be beer. So you can swing by the store and pick up a 6-pack or more of your favorite brew. No mixing, no fussing. Or, if you’d like to try something new, check out some of our previous beer posts - maybe you’ll find a new favorite to add to your repertoire!
To accompany that beer we’re going to make a super easy version of Chicken Wings, Teriyaki Chicken Wings. Now these are not Buffalo Wings. I love those dearly but to do them right you need to deep fry them and that is too much work and mess to handle when all you want to do is get back to the TV to catch the next commercial, uhhh, I mean play. Instead, this recipe calls for marinating the wings, then baking them. Easy. And they are pretty salty so they are perfect with that beer you’ve picked up.
Teriyaki Chicken Wings
2 pounds of chicken wing pieces (no tips, just the drumette and middle sections)
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp garlic powder (you can use fresh garlic but the powder works best)
Mix soy sauce, sugar and garlic powder until sugar is dissolved. Put chicken wings in a large, sealable plastic bag then cover with the soy mixture. Marinate several hours or overnight, turning occasionally.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Place chicken in single layer in shallow pan. Add some of the marinade to the pan, so that it comes about half way up the chicken pieces.
Bake for 45 minutes, turning once half way through.
Mmmm. Wings and beer.
I’ve seen Euros make mixed drinks with beer, usually adding sweet things like soda or syrups. Beyond adding lemon to Hefe (which is wrong, wrong, wrong) or lime to a Corona (which would be tastless otherwise) we Americans just don’t do that. I wonder why.