Firehouse Chicken Wings Recipe

If you're a poultry eater, chances are chicken wings spring to the top of your list of favorite ways to enjoy the protein. Finger food doused in copious amounts of sauce you'll inevitably end up licking off your fingers scores big points for a lot of people. If you're looking for a new way to spice up your chicken wing routine, Mashed recipe developer Catherine Brookes has the perfect solution. 

She describes her firehouse chicken wings as "so moreish," and shares, "I love the combination of the delicious sweet, savory, and sticky marinade with the tender chicken." She adds, "The term 'firehouse' comes from the idea that the chicken is so good it would be on the list of things you'd save if your house was on fire!" Well, there's no need to reach that extreme — you can whip up this recipe any day of the week. For optimal flavor and texture, you'll want to let the wings marinate for a few hours. Simplify the process and prep half the recipe the night before, so all you have to do is cook the chicken when it's time to feast.

For this recipe, you'll need chicken wings, of course, which Brookes instructs to halve at the joint and remove the tips. Next, the marinade consists of tomato ketchup, light brown sugar, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, crushed garlic cloves, and olive oil.

In a bowl, add the ketchup, brown sugar, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, crushed garlic, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Whisk the contents until the marinade is uniform. 

Dump the chicken wings into a large bowl or a big resealable plastic bag. Then, pour half of the marinade over the chicken and mix thoroughly to coat. Reserve the rest of the sauce for the cooking process. Let the chicken marinate for a minimum of 2 hours or ideally overnight.

If you want to get a head start on dinner or an event a couple of days from now, Brookes notes, "You can prep the chicken and marinade for up to 48 hours before cooking if preferred."

Place a large frying pan on the burner on high heat and pour in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the chicken wings, making sure to drain off the extra marinade. Sear the wings for 4 minutes per side until they start to blacken.

Next, set your oven to preheat at 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread out the chicken wings. Grab the marinade you set aside and spoon half of it over the chicken. Once the oven is at temperature, bake the wings for 10 minutes.

Take the tray out of the oven and spoon the rest of the sauce over the wings. "Basting the chicken in the marinade again during cooking helps to make it extra flavorful and sticky," Brookes explains. Bake the wings for another 10 minutes.

Serve these firehouse chicken wings with sliced lemon, freshly chopped parsley, and your preferred dipping sauce. Brookes shares, "I like to dip them in BBQ sauce, ketchup, or sriracha."

We're all about digging into a pile of chicken wings as an appetizer, but if you want to serve this as a main, Brookes recommends accompanying them "with some rice or fries and veggies or salad.‌" Cooked leftovers will last for up to three days stored in a sealed container in the fridge ... though we doubt it will come to that.