We had a chance to vet all the best game day munchies ahead of the Super Bowl this year. Living in northern California we of course had to watch the 49ers in the NFC championship game last Sunday, which meant dinner in front of the TV. And since we are aiming for an all around healthier lifestyle in 2022, I decided to steer clear of deep fried and overly processed snacks in favor of these delicious options. The only thing missing from our game day dinner was a win by the 49ers.
Is it just me or are chicken wings required when you’re watching football? Our son Clay is a wing connoisseur, and we have made homemade Buffalo Wings before. But these Asian Chicken Wings have always been our go-to for Super Bowl parties. The marinade is super flavorful, so while I do usually reduce it down to a dipping sauce while the wings roast you really don’t even need it.
Whisk all the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl, then add the wings and stir until they are well coated in the marinade. Refrigerate until ready to bake, ideally allowing about 5-6 hours for the wings to soak up all that flavor. Using a slotted spoon transfer the wings onto a sheet pan lined in parchment paper (which makes clean up a whole lot easier). Roast in a 400° oven until the wings are cooked through and tender. If the skin has not crisped up enough you can broil for a minute or two at the end.
While the wings are in the oven you can make the dipping sauce. I’d say this part is more critical if you don’t have much time to let the wings marinade, but it’s easy enough so I just do it and then those who want to dip their wings can. Transfer the remaining marinade to a small saucepan, bring to a boil over medium high heat, and let it reduce down to about one third of the original volume.
We served our wings alongside a very well stocked snack tray that included cheese, crackers, smoked salmon, hummus, pita, chips, and lots of veggies. I also made these amazing Amino Almonds that my Functional MD, Shiroko Sokitch, turned me on to. They are so easy! You soak raw almonds in Bragg’s Liquid Aminos for an hour or two and then roast in a 350° oven for about 20 minutes, stirring midway through. That’s it! The flavor is amazing, and they keep well in an airtight container. That is, if you can stop yourself from eating them, they’re kind of addicting.
I will say that the flavor is subtler than you think it will be when the almonds are soaking as Bragg’s has a pretty strong and distinct smell. I put mine in the bowl to soak and then headed out for an hour and a half, and if I had been home I might have pulled them out earlier. In the end I’m really glad I didn’t as I love that flavor and was very glad they had enough time to soak it up. You may also be surprised by the length of time I kept them in the oven, but keep in mind the almonds are wet so require a little more time than if you’re roasting almonds straight out of the bag. Keep a close eye on them after the 10 minute mark and pull them out when they’re done to your liking.
We rounded out our meal with Beef Satay with Peanut Sauce from The Complete America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook. I highly recommend this cookbook, it is very user friendly and will have a recipe for pretty much anything you want to make. I use mine all the time.
Asian Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 6 tbsp white vinegar
- 2 tbsp dry sherry
- 3 tbsp honey
- 3/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
- 2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 3 lbs chicken wing drumettes
Instructions
- Combine first 8 ingredients in large bowl, whisk to incorporate. Add chicken wings and stir with rubber spatula until all wings are coated in marinade.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator. Chill 2-6 hours, stirring midway through.
- Heat oven to 400°F and line sheet pan with parchment paper. Using slotted spoon transfer wings to sheet pan. Reserve marinade.
- Roast wings for 40-50 minutes flipping midway through. Wings should be tender and cooked through. Broil for 2-3 minutes at the end to crisp chicken if desired.
- While the wings are roasting transfer remaining marinade to small saucepan. Bring to boil over medium high heat and reduce liquid until approximately 1/3 original volume. Serve reduced marinade as dipping sauce alongside wings.
Shiroko’s Amino Almonds
Ingredients
- 1 lb raw almonds
- 1 1/2 cups Bragg's Liquid Aminos
Instructions
- Soak almonds in aminos. The longer you leave them in the liquid the stronger the flavor will be, I soaked mine for 2 hours and the flavor was great.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Using slotted spoon transfer almonds to sheet pan lined in parchment paper. Almonds should be in a single layer, do not overcrowd pan.
- Roast 10 minutes, remove from oven and stir with rubber spatula. Return to oven and roast an additional 5-10 minutes.
- Let cool completely before serving. Stores well in airtight container for 1-2 weeks.
2 thoughts on “Game Day Snacks”