Gathering friends and loved ones together to watch the Super Bowl is a time-honored tradition and, as with most celebrations, food plays a pivotal role in the experience. From nachos to pizza and everything in between, it’s easy to succumb to temptation and fall head-first off the clean-eating wagon. In this article, let’s learn about healthy Super Bowl chicken wings.
As with all social gatherings, trying to adhere to a healthy lifestyle while still participating in the festivities can become a struggle. The key, however, to maintaining any healthy eating routine is balance, and ensuring that you are still able to enjoy treats in moderation.
These sticky barbecue chicken wings are a clean-eating Super Bowl savior. Packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory ingredients, these delicious wings taste even better than store-bought with the bonus of being free from sugar, gluten, and other inflammatory nasties.
Simple to prepare, you can marinade the wings in advance either on the day or the night before. When you require them, bake them in the oven and indulge in the guilt-free pleasure of rich and sticky wings without a junk food binge. High on flavor but low on fuss, this is a fantastically healthy treat that the whole family can enjoy.
Also, this recipe utilizes skin on chicken wings. A fantastic source of protein and an inexpensive cut of meat, this indeed makes a great choice for feeding large groups of people. Opting for free-range chicken is a far superior choice than conventionally raised chicken when it comes to nutrition. Aside from a better taste, free-range chickens can also forage and eat a natural diet. Heavily processed feed, antibiotics, and unnatural living conditions heavily rely on conventionally raised chickens. The consumption of commercially raised meat directly affects our food, linking it to inflammation and hormone disruption.
Moreover, the classic smoky flavor of barbecue is brought to the dish by the addition of paprika. Not just an explosion of color and flavor, paprika is a potent anti-inflammatory spice. This powerful spice, documented to possess cancer-preventative and heart-protective properties, is rich in antioxidants.
A generous helping of freshly grated ginger brings additional warmth to the dish. From reducing nausea to soothing the intestines, ginger is used therapeutically for its medicinal qualities. What’s more, it is loaded with anti-inflammatory compounds and shown to be highly beneficial to the digestive system.
A flavor staple in any dish, garlic not only provides the base notes to the marinating chicken but also has a whole host of powerful health benefits. From protecting against cancer to fighting the flu, garlic is a potent tool in your nutritional fight against disease and inflammation.
Furthermore, cinnamon complements the other spices to bring an additional layer of warmth and sweetness to the dish. High in antioxidants, cinnamon also boasts an array of health-giving properties. Antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory, cinnamon is purported to support heart health as well as balance blood sugars.
No BBQ wings worth their salt would be without a sticky, caramelized glaze. This recipe calls for the use of honey to create that tantalizing sweet, gooey texture. Honey works incredibly well with cinnamon, not only in the flavor it brings to the dish but therapeutically as well. As well as protecting against allergies, the glycemic index of honey is shown to be lowered when used in conjunction with cinnamon. Honey also helps to ease throat infections and acid reflux. To get the best out of your honey, try buying organic and local where possible.
Healthy Super Bowl BBQ Chicken Wings Recipe
This recipe provides three to four servings as part of your Super Bowl feast or two as a main meal. A real crowd-pleasing dish, you can increase the quantities easily to cater to extra guests. In the unlikely event of leftovers, these wings also taste great reheated the next day.
A. Ingredients
- 8 free-range chicken wings, skin on
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced finely
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, grated
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
B. Directions
- Add chicken wings to a large bowl with 1 tablespoon of honey, 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika, and the garlic and ginger. Use your hands to massage the seasonings into chicken wings, ensuring they are coated in the marinade completely. Cover and place in the refrigerator to marinate for 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 360 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Remove marinated wings from the refrigerator and arrange in a large ovenproof dish. Place in the center of oven to cook for 30 minutes, turning halfway through.
- While the wings are baking, heat coconut oil in a medium pan over medium-low heat.
- Once the oil is melted, add the remaining honey and paprika plus chili powder, cumin, cinnamon and onion powder.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, stirring regularly.
- Simmer gently for around 5 minutes until liquid has reduced and a thick, sticky BBQ sauce forms.
- Remove wings from oven and pour BBQ sauce over them, ensuring they are coated evenly.
- Return wings to oven and bake for another 15 minutes, turning halfway through.
- Serve hot with green salad or guacamole.
C. Serves
- This recipe serves 3-4 servings.
D. Total Time
- 2 hours, 45 minutes
E. Prep Time
- 2 hours
F. Cook Time
- 45 minutes
G. Nutrition Information(two wings)
- Calories: 197
- Fat: 12g
- Carbs: 9g
- Protein: 21g
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