Sticky Sweet Garlic Wings (top), Spicy Ranch Wings (middle) and Traditional Buffalo Wings (bottom) with Loaded Baked Potato Salad

As we near the end of the month I am trying to use up some of the leftovers in the freezer.  I found a 5 lb. bag of chicken wings and thought “Eureka!”  I felt like I won the lottery.   We love chicken wings but I wanted to change things up a bit by trying new sauces for them.

I also paired the wings with a Loaded Baked Potato Salad.  The recipe reminded me of the potato skins we use to order with our wings when we watched the football games at Jeremiah’s or Mc Gregor’s back home.   Go Bills!

Verdict:

Everyone loved the meal.  They were split on which sauces they liked best.  Two of us preferred the Sticky Sweet Garlic Sauce and two preferred the Spicy Ranch Sauce.

Everyone’s third choice was the new Buffalo Sauce I tried.  This is not my usual Buffalo sauce but rather a recipe I found on Pinterest from All Recipes.com for Buffalo Chicken Wing Sauce.  It was supposed to be the “authentic” Anchor Bar recipe.  Maybe it is but it was not our favorite.

The Loaded Baked Potato Salad was AMAZING!  Everyone had a generous portion and we still had plenty for lunch the next day.  Honestly it was even better the second day because all the flavors had time to really meld together.

Ingredients:

• 5 lbs. chicken wings, partially baked according to package directions

Sticky Sweet Garlic Sauce:

• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 2 tsp garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 TBSP soy sauce
• 1/2 – 1 tsp powdered ginger (to taste)
• 1/2 – 1 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
• 1 TBSP Cornstarch
• 1 TBSP cold water

Directions:

1. Mix olive oil, garlic, honey, soy sauce, ginger and cayenne pepper in a bowl.  Set aside until chicken wings have been baked for 30 minutes according to directions.
2. Remove 1/3 of wings from baking pan and move them to another baking dish.
3. Mix cornstarch and water in a small dish until cornstarch has dissolved.  Add cornstarch mixture to garlic sauce.  Stir well.
4. Pour sauce over wings and return to oven to bake for 20-25 minutes until wings have finished cooking.

Spicy Ranch Sauce:

• 3/4 cup hot pepper sauce
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 3 TBSP apple cider vinegar
• 1 (1 ounce) envelope ranch dressing mix
• 1/2 tsp paprika

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl.  Set sauce aside until chicken wings have baked for 30 minutes according to directions:
2. Remove 1/3 of wings from baking pan and move them to another baking dish.
3. Pour sauce over wings and stir to coat completely.
4. Bake for another 20-25 minutes until wings have finished baking.

Anchor Bar Buffalo Wing Sauce:

• 2/3 cup hot sauce
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 1/2 TBSP white vinegar
• 1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl.  Set sauce aside until chicken wings have baked for 30 minutes according to directions:
2. Remove 1/3 of wings from baking pan and move them to another baking dish.
3. Pour sauce over wings and stir to coat completely.
4. Bake for another 20-25 minutes until wings have finished baking.

Loaded Baked Potato Salad:

• 2 1/2 lbs red potatoes, cleaned and cut into 1/2″ cubes
• 8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
• 12 oz. bacon, cooked to crispy and crumbled
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup mayo
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Boil potatoes in a large pan of water until fork tender.  Depending on size of chunks from 20-30 minutes.  Do NOT OVER COOK them.  They will be too mushy.
2. Once potatoes are cooked, drained and have cooled place them in a large bowl.   Add ingredients to the potatoes and stir well.  Taste for balance of sour cream/mayo and add additional if needed.
3. Refrigerate at least two hours or overnight for the best flavor.