Asian-Inspired Chicken Wings

No, this is not teriyaki.  This is something so much better!  The flavor combination was actually inspired by the traditional Chinese preparation of chicken or duck feet (yeah yeah, I know, but I’m not asking you to eat feet here and it really works with wings).  The flavor is distinctly Asian but at the same time works really well with typical Western side dishes.  We ate these wings with salad, steamed vegetables and watermelon on the side and they were delicious (they’d be great with some stir fried veggies on the side too!).  The longer you marinate these wings, the better.  You could get away with a few hours, but I far prefer overnight.  We barbecued these wings, which is definitely my recommendation, but they could be baked in the oven too.  Yields 4-5 servings.

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds Chicken Wings, separated
• 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
• 4 cloves Fresh Garlic , chopped
• 1 Tbsp chopped Fresh Ginger
• 1 tsp Anise Seed
• 1 tsp Fennel Seed
• ½ cup Coconut Aminos (or substitute Reduced Sodium Tamari Soy Sauce)
• 2 Tbsp Honey
• 2 Tbsp Coconut Vinegar (or substitute Apple Cider Vinegar)
• 1 Tbsp Fish Sauce
• 2 Tbsp Sesame Oil

1.    Place chicken wings in a large bowl (if overly wet, pat dry with paper towel).
2.    Heat coconut oil over medium-high heat in a small saucepan.  Add ginger, garlic, anise and fennel seed and cook, stirring so that it doesn’t burn, until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.
3.    Add coconut aminos, honey, vinegar, and fish sauce.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 minute.
4.    Remove from heat and add sesame oil.
5.    Pour over chicken wings, and stir to coat.  Once chicken wings have cooled enough to handle, cover and place in refrigerator to marinate overnight (up to 24 hours).  Stir the wings once or twice during marinating to make sure they are evenly treated.  (I really like to marinate my wings in a large re-sealable bag, because I can remove the air and lay all the wings flat so they are more evenly coated with marinade.  Instead of stirring, I just flip the bag over!)
6.    Drain excess marinade off wings.  Barbecue wings until cooked, turning once (something like 20 minutes total depending on how hot your grill is).  Alternatively, you could place the wings on a baking sheet lined with tinfoil (might want to grease first) and bake at 375F for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until fully cooked (internal temperature should reach 180F).
7.    Enjoy!