Asian Chicken Wings

I made these on a lazy Saturday evening. It was one of those days when I forgot to take meat out of the freezer to thaw in time to make dinner. Dang! Plus I didn't really feel like cooking. But all the suggestions Tom made for take-out or delivery met with a blank, unenthusiastic stare and a barely audible "meh." Pizza? Meh. Chinese? Meh. Burgers? Meh.

I went out to the extra freezer we have in the garage to look for something quick and easy. We keep it stocked with a few frozen snacks for just these occasions. Taquitos? Meh. Egg Rolls? Meh. Tequila Lime Wings? Meh. I was sort of feeling like something Asian. Egg Rolls, maybe, but what else? Should I whip up some noodles and veggies, too? What to do, what to do. So, I just went back in to the kitchen, poured myself a glass of wine, took a sip and thought for a minute. Hmmmm.

Those frozen Tequila Lime Wings are pretty nondescript.


They're preseasoned, precooked, then frozen and ready to just pop in the oven for about 20 or 30 minutes. The flavor is a little on the peppery side with barely a hint of lime and without any discernible tequila flavor. They really require a flavorful dipping sauce to finish them off. But faux Mexican didn't sound appetizing. So I decided to transform them into Asian Chicken Wings.

I put together an Asian inspired glaze with hoisin, soy and Thai sweet chili sauces, ketchup, sugar, ginger, garlic and sherry. I doused the frozen chicken wings in the mixture and baked them for about 10 minutes longer than instructed. It worked! The glaze was sticky and on the sweet side. We couldn't tell the wings started out as Tequila Lime anything.


I didn't use all the glaze. I put a cup of it in a small pan and kept it warm while the wings baked. The first time we made these, I took the wings out of the oven and tossed them in a large bowl with the remaining sauce before serving. When we made them last night, I served the remaining sauce on the side for dipping. Either way, they are pretty darn good and incredibly easy. No marinating. No frying. Just douse, mix and bake. With an egg roll on the side, which baked in the oven with the wings on a separate baking sheet, it was plenty for a meal or awesome as an appetizer.


Asian Chicken Wings

• 25 to 30 Frozen, precooked Tyson Tequila Lime Wings (we buy the 64-ounce bag and use about half of it, but Tyson makes a 28-ounce bag, too)
• 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
• 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup Thai sweet chili sauce
• 1/4 cup dry sherry
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 rounded tablespoon fresh grated ginger
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• Sesame seeds and 2 or 3 green onions thinly sliced for garnish

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil and spray very generously with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium sized bowl, combine the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, ketchup, Thai sweet chili sauce, sherry, brown sugar, ginger and garlic and mix well. Remove about a cup of the sauce and set aside.

Place the frozen wings in a large bowl, pour the remaining sauce over the wings and mix well until all of the wings are evenly coated. Spread the wings on the baking sheet in a single layer. Place the wings in the preheated oven and bake 25 to 30 minutes until they appear to be nicely glazed.

While the wings are baking, transfer the reserved sauce to a small saucepan and keep warm over low heat until the wings are done.

Transfer the cooked wings to a serving platter and sprinkle lightly with sesame seeds and green onions and serve the remaining sauce on the side.

Jalapeño Popper Crescents

Super Bowl is coming February 3rd. It's time to start thinking about what yummy nibbles I can whip up quickly and pop into my mouth in between plays.

Okay, you caught me in a lie. I probably won't watch the Super Bowl. I'm just not a football fan. I know. I'm a bit of an outlier.

But that doesn't mean I can't help you figure out what to make. These little morsels could easily fit the bill. A buttery crescent roll slathered with creaminess from the cheeses, some heat from the jalapeño and a dash of sugar to balance it all out. Yes, I said sugar. Just a little though, and you won't be sorry.


There are tons of recipes for these out on the internet, but this is my version.

Jalapeño Popper Crescents

• 1 tube crescent rolls
• 1 - 4 ounce can of diced jalapeños
• 1 - 8 ounce package cream cheese, room temperature (I use "lite" but full fat works fine, too)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup finely grated cheddar cheese, sharp or mild

Preheat your oven to 375˚F.

In a medium sized bowl, mix together the cream cheese and sugar. Add the cheddar cheese and stir to completely combine. To add the jalapeños, start with half of the can. Stir to combine and taste for heat. If you like more heat, add more jalapeños. Set aside.

Open the tube of crescent rolls and gently unroll the contents into  4 rectangles. Place two rectangles end to end and gently pinch the perforated seams together. It should look like this...


With a rubber or silicone spatula, spread half of the cheese mixture evenly over the crescent roll rectangle, like this...


Starting with the long side, begin to gently roll the rectangle into a fairly tight log...


...until it looks like this...


Cut the log into 16 equal pieces, beginning by cutting the log in half, then cutting the two halves in half and so on. Place the pieces, cut side down, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and sprayed with cooking spray or a Silpat.


Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, or until golden brown.

While the first roll is baking, make the second roll. (Note: My baking sheets are industrial size, so they hold the pieces for more than one roll.)

When each batch is done, remove them immediately from the baking sheet and serve.