The Superbowl is coming up this week, and there’s no better excuse to prepare a big batch of delicious, crispy, chicken wings to snack on while watching the big game.  While many folks will buy frozen, pre-made wings to heat up at home or put in a call for take-out ones from their favorite restaurant, good chicken wings are not hard to do on your own.  Added bonus?  They’re much cheaper than buying them out and can be tailored to many different flavor profiles.  Here are some tips to make great wings this coming weekend (or anytime) in your own kitchen.

First off, buy whole wings.  Sure, you can buy wings already sliced and sectioned, but it really doesn’t take that long to break down a chicken wing – and again, it’s cheaper to do it yourself.  A full wing will “unfold” into three sections – the tip (the pointy end section), the “flat” (the piece with two bones running through it), and the drummette.  With a sharp knife, simply cut off the tip at the joint (and either discard it or save it for use later in a homemade soup stock), and then separate the joint between the drummettte and the flat, creating two distinct wing pieces.  Viola!  You have now created your own raw chicken wings.  Simply “rinse and repeat” for the remainder of the full wings you purchased.

Now – how should you cook them?  Deep-frying wings is messy and takes time, so my recommendation is to either grill them or bake them.  Trust me, they’ll be just as crispy and delicious as deep frying.  First, sprinkle some salt and pepper on your wings to prep them for cooking.  If you’ve got a grill handy, heat it up to medium, then slap those bad boys on there, turning frequently anywhere between 45 minutes to one hour (until they are golden brown and crispy).  If you’re inclined to stay inside, heat up your oven to 400 degrees and place your wings on a wire rack that’s placed on top of a foil-lined cookie sheet (for easy clean-up).  Bake your wings for about an hour.  They’ll crisp up nicely inside your oven, just like they would on the grill (and there’s no need to turn them).  I’d also advise turning on the vent hood fan over the stove if you’re doing them inside (unless you want your entire house to smell like the interior of a “Buffalo Wild Wings” – then by all means, leave it off).

Now comes the fun part.  The toppings.  You can go either wet or dry here – and as hot, mild, or wacky as you want.  Experiment with what flavors you like.  For dry “rubs”, use your favorite grill seasonings, like lemon pepper or any barbeque seasoning mix.  My favorite?  I love to toss them in a little Old Bay or Louisiana Cajun seasoning.  For wet sauces, along with the “traditional” wing sauce – how about a teriyaki sauce, jerk chicken, or honey-lime marinade?  Get a big bowl and add some sauce or rub to the bottom (just enough sauce to cover – even less for dry rubs– remember you can always add more later).  Add in your wings and toss vigorously, completely coating them with your topping.  The secret here is to toss the wings in your topping while they are hot, either right off of the grill or straight out of the oven.  The rubs will stick better to a hot wing and your sauces will be absorbed into all of that crispy skin if tossed immediately after they are cooked.

Serve these up with a side of cut celery and either ranch or blue cheese dressing and you’re ready for the big game (or the big commercials).

Once you see how easy these are to make yourself, you may never go out for wings again!