Recipe: Bourbon and Coke Wings

Nothing says informal get-together like chicken wings doused with some kind of flavorful and probably spicy sauce.

A chicken wing recipe is like a chili recipe: Everyone needs to have one and boast that it’s the best. What I like about the following recipe by best-selling cookbook author Francine Bryson is that the wings aren’t breaded. Neither are they fried, a cooking technique that adds a lot of calories and causes a mess to clean up.

In the time the drumettes bake in the oven, a few simple ingredients stirred together in a pot on the stove become the tasty coating. What an easy appetizer to serve to company or to bring along to someone else’s party. They’re easy to transport and will disappear in no time.

This is such a simple recipe. You can also use the sauce next time you bake a whole or cut-up chicken.

From “Country Cooking From a Redneck Kitchen,” by Francine Bryson with Ann Volkwein (Clarkson Potter, 2016, $22)

• 3 pounds chicken wing drumettes
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 cup cola
• 1/4 cup bourbon
• 3 tablespoons hot sauce (such as Texas Pete)
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons butter

Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.

Arrange chicken on baking sheet. Drizzle with oil, turning to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Bake 20 minutes.

Carefully pour out any liquid that has accumulated and return chicken to the oven. Bake until the chicken is a deep, golden brown and super crisp, about 5 minutes longer.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine cola, bourbon, hot sauce, honey and butter. Bring mixture to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until sauce reduces to a thick glaze, about 30 minutes.

Remove wings from oven and brush generously with glaze, then return wings to the oven and bake until sticky, about 5 minutes longer.

Nutritional information unavailable.