Often when I’m cooking at home in Spain I’m trying to use new ingredients that I haven’t had much of before in the US, or food that I miss from home. Chicken wings are occasionally available in Spanish restaurants, but nowhere near as frequent as American restaurants. Side note – I’m pretty certain that not a single person in Spain eats buffalo wings!

I love my chicken wings – they’re super versatile, easy to prepare, very do-able within my limitations of the toaster oven AND they’re incredibly cheap in Spain. I think most of us experience chicken wings as a heavy snack, being battered or breaded and fried. These wings are nothing to fret over during your new year clean eating streak.

These are a super flavorful, yet light take on chicken wings. The major flavor components are mandarin orange, fresh basil, garlic and rich spiciness from the hot sauce.

In my never ending search for new, cleaner eating recipes, I was working with what I had when this came about. Bought the chicken wings without a game plan. In my flat in Spain, however, I almost always have mandarin oranges (a kilo for a euro, guys!) because they make the easiest, fastest snack, at home or on the go when I want something at work. It might sound like an odd choice over an orange, but I’m glad I went with it! Mandarins are a bit sweeter and less tart than naval oranges, which balances nicely with the salt and hot sauce in the marinade.

The fresh basil is my new favorite ingredient since I invested in a plant from one of Malaga’s central florist shops. They always have classic and new options of herb plants to choose from! I think basil tastes great in combination with orange, crreating a very fresh and earthy profile. I go a little heavy on the leaves to make sure the flavor can really come through with the hot sauce in addition.

The hot sauce – who am I kidding? I would include hot sauce in every recipe if it were suitable to others’ tastes. This is no exception. I’m listing Valentina hot sauce, which is thicker, full of flavor and lower on the spicy end of hot sauces. This makes it great for a marinade.

The garlic tastes great with the basil, offering a flavor of familiarity. Garlic is also one of the best ingredients, in my opinion, as it can make ANYTHING taste great without adding on a ton of extra calories. A little salt, pepper and olive oil to tie it altogether and the ingredients are good to go in the food processor. Ensuring all of the leaves, mandarin segments and peel are broken down means it’s good to go in a ziploc or tupperware with the wings.

The marinade looks a little less typical than your oil and vinegar marinades – it’s a little thick and almost creamy looking. Don’t worry, this cooks on the wings to create a light, caramelized coating. While I cook them in the oven, I would kill to grill them, so if it’s available, I’d recommend using the grill!

I didn’t think that a dip was totally necessary to go with these, but I did opt for my go-to mixture of garlic aoili and hot sauce for a drizzle when I was ready to eat them.

Spicy Citrus Basil Chicken Wings

Servings: 3-4

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 45-50 minutes

Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs chicken wings
• 1 tsp mandarin orange zest
• 5 mandarin orange segments
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1/4 cup basil leaves
• 3 tsp salt
• 2 tsp fresh cracked pepper
• 1 tbsp Valentina hot sauce
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

• Begin my rinsing your chicken wings and patting them dry with a paper towel.
• Combine mandarin orange zest, segments, garlic, basil, salt, pepper, hot sauce and olive oil in a food processor to make the marinade. Pulse until all ingredients are combined and the mixture is uniform.
• Combine marinade in a Ziploc bag or container for 4-6 hours at the least. If possible, marinate overnight.
• When ready to cook, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Remove the chicken wings from the marinade and place on a greased baking rack, placed on a foil-lined baking sheet. Be sure to use a baking sheet with a raised rim to prevent any dripping marinade from making a mess in your oven!
• Roast chicken wings at 400 degrees F for 45-50 minutes, turning over once, or until outside begins to appear crisped and browned. (If the marinade is not becoming crispy, place the wings on the top rack of your oven after 40 minutes under the broiler for about 4 minutes on each side.)