Chinese Five Spice Wings

As much as my kid loves Asian cuisine I should just turn this blog into an Asian food blog.  She would be thrilled.  Her dad and I not so much.  We both like Asian food, just not twice a day every day.  But being the mom that I am I try to cook some kind of Asian meal at least once a week because I know how much she loves it.  (Usually on Thursday night's so the three of us can watch Big Bang Theory and Top Chef together...) So when I found the recipe for these Five Spice Wings I was excited.  My friend Michaela, over at An Affair From The Heart, had given me a set of Penzey's Spices a while back.  She's lucky enough to have a Penzey's store in Omaha, and she often treats me to unusual spices and seasonings.  One of them just happened to be Chinese Five Spice Powder.  If you aren't familiar with five spice powder, it's a mixture of five spices (duh!) used primarily in Chinese cooking, but sometimes in Asian and Arabic cuisines.  The five spice powder is a mixture of: cinnamon, star anise, anise seed, ginger and cloves.  So you can imagine what a great flavor these wings had.  I served them for dinner with some sesame noodles, but these would make a fantastic appetizer at your next get together.  So flavorful and juicy you don't even need a dipping sauce!

Chinese Five Spice Wings
So flavorful and juicy, you won't even need a dipping sauce!

Chinese Five Spice Wings
2/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons Chinese Five Spice powder
2 1/2 pounds chicken wings
chopped green onions for garnish (optional)

Combine soy sauce, honey, vegetable oil, garlic and Five Spice powder.  Pour over chicken wings.  Cover and marinate at least 4 hours.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick spray.  Remove the wings from the marinade and place on the baking sheet.  Bake for approximately 45 minutes turning the wings over half way through.  Sprinkle with chopped green onions if desired.

Prep Time:  Approximately 5 minutes plus marinating      Cook Time:  Approximately 45 minutes