Halloween Bat Wings Recipe

When Halloween creeps upon us, it comes with plenty of treats. It's hard to avoid grabbing handfuls of candy and enjoying a slew of ghoulish desserts. And don't forget a nice glass of witch's brew to top it all off! But at some point during the Halloween festivities, it's important to eat some "real food." And, especially if you're hosting a Halloween party, it's important to serve a savory option for your guests to enjoy as well.

But that certainly doesn't mean you can't still serve a dish that fits the theme. And that's exactly where this spooky recipe for Halloween bat wings comes in from recipe developer and food photographer Petar Marshall.

These wings are the perfect party snack. They call for simple ingredients and easy prep. Then, you can leave the rest of the work to your oven. And once done? They'll fly out of the oven as the perfect Halloween appetizer, dressed up as bats in a sweet and tangy sauce.

To get started on making your Halloween bat wings, grab your ingredients first. For this recipe, you'll need one and a half pounds of bone-in chicken wings, Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce, pineapple juice, ginger paste, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, and honey. Of course, you'll also need black food coloring.

"The Sweet Baby Ray's sauce adds a great tropical flavor to the finished sauce," says Marshall. "But you can swap out the barbecue sauce choice if desired."

Once your ingredients are gathered and set out, it's time to get started on making your spooky bat wings.

First up, start by preheating the oven to 400 F. This will give the oven plenty of time to come up to the proper temperature while you prep the wings and the sauce.

Remove the chicken wings from the packaging, and arrange them in a baking dish. Season the wings with salt and pepper, as desired.

Next up, prep the sauce for your wings. Grab a bowl and add the barbecue sauce, pineapple juice, and ginger paste. Add in half a cup of the apple cider vinegar and the olive oil. Mix the sauce together until all ingredients are fully incorporated. Then, stir in black food coloring to dye the sauce.

With the sauce ready to go, pour it over top of the prepared chicken wings, and place the dish in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. "This allows the wings to begin baking and infusing the flavor from the sauce," says Marshall.

While the wings are baking, prep the glaze. In a small bowl, add a quarter of a cup of apple cider vinegar and the honey. Mix the glaze until well combined, and then add in a few additional drops of black food coloring. "The glaze adds a shiny coating to the wings, with a punch of great flavor," says Marshall.

Once the wings have baked for 30 minutes, remove the dish from the oven. Brush the wings with the honey glaze, and put them back in the oven for another 10 minutes. Once the wings are fully baked, remove them from the oven and serve warm.