Restaurant Style Spicy Buffalo Wings With Blue Cheese Dip

If you follow my blog you know that I try to eat healthy as often as I can but every now and then I give into some impulses to treat myself and the family to foods that we all love but we also know are bad for us!  Spicy Buffalo Wings come pretty high on that list of yummy-but-awful-for-you American foods (Pork Ribs are in close competition here).  Hey, I do this only once in a while, so I guess it should be okay with my doctors: besides, if the doctors had only been able to taste these suckers, they would have forgiven me for this occasional indulgence!

Ingredients for the Chicken Wings:

1.    4 lbs of Chicken wings (skin on – which is why they are so bad for you but that is why they taste so good too)
2.    Two tablespoons of Onion powder
3.    1 tablespoons of Garlic powder
4.    2 teaspoons of Paprika
5.    1 tablespoons of Mesquite seasoning
6.    3 tablespoons of Sherry Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar
7.    1 teaspoon of ground mustard powder
8.    1 teaspoon of salt
9.    Two teaspoons of red pepper flakes

Ingredients for the BBQ Sauce

1.    1 tablespoon of Onion powder
2.    ½ tablespoon of Garlic powder
3.    One teaspoon of Paprika
4.    ½ tablespoon of Mesquite seasoning
5.    3 tablespoons of Maple syrup
6.    1/3 cup tomato ketchup
7.    2 tablespoons Sherry Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar
8.    One tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
9.    One tablespoon of Sriracha sauce
10.     ¼ cup water

Directions:

1.    Heat the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit

2.    Wash the chicken wings under cold water and pat them dry with paper towels.
3.    If the wings have their tips still attached to them, cut them off using a sharp pair of kitchen scissors.

4.    Prepare the dry rub by mixing in the following ingredients: 2 tablespoons of Onion powder, 1 tablespoon of Garlic powder, 2 teaspoons of paprika, 1 tablespoon of Mesquite seasoning, 1 teaspoon of mustard powder, 2 teaspoons of red pepper flakes and 1 teaspoon of salt.

5.    Place the dried out wings in a large baking dish (preferably a Pyrex type dish) and spread the dry rub all over the wings (spread it evenly).

6.    Evenly spread the two tablespoons of Sherry Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar over the wings to create a sort of paste with the dry rub.
7.    Place the wings in the oven for about 60 minutes.  Half-way through the baking process, turn them over, using a pair of tongs.

11.    While the wings are baking, prepare the BBQ sauce by mixing in the following ingredients:   1 tablespoon of Onion powder, ½ tablespoon of Garlic powder, one teaspoon of Paprika, ½ tablespoon of Mesquite seasoning, 3 tablespoons of Maple syrup, 1/3 cup tomato ketchup, 2 tablespoons Sherry Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar, 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, 1-2 tablespoon of Sriracha sauce (depending on how spicy you want to make the sauce)and ¼ cup water and heating this in a medium sized sauce pan on low heat for about 8-10 minutes.

12.    Take the chicken wings out of the oven after 60 minutes and spread the BBQ sauce evenly all over them.

13.    Place the wings back in the oven for an addition 15-20 minutes.

14.    Serve the wings while they are still piping hot, with a side of blue cheese dip (prepare it by mixing the following ingredients in an electric blender:  2 ounces of cave-aged blue cheese, 3 tablespoons of Labneh or Greek Yogurt, 2 tablespoons of sour cream, 2 tablespoons of milk and ½ teaspoon of salt) and some fresh celery sticks.