Chipotle Cherry Chicken Wings

Buffalo style wings are made by deep frying chicken wings, then coating them with a sauce made of butter and Tabasco. My take on this all-time favorite packs heat, smokey spice and tangy cherry flavors without any fat from butter, deep frying or even chicken skin!

2 pounds chicken wing drummettes, save the flat part and wing tips for stock

juice of one lemon

1 tablespoon salt

1/2 tablespoon pepper

1 bottle (32 oz) cherry juice, preferably with no sugar and definitely no other sweetener added

salt and pepper to taste

0.5 - 1 oz dried chipotle peppers

1/2 cup boiling water

Prepare chipotle sauce: Place the chipotle peppers in a glass bowl. You may break them apart and remove some seeds to make it milder. Remember the heat is in the seeds and ribs. You can control this by leaving as much seeds and ribs out as you like. At this point, you may also remove the stems. Cover with boiling water and allow to soften for half an hour or longer. Then puree the mixture in a blender or food processor. You can keep this sauce in a jar in the fridge for a few months and use it in many other dishes, like barbecue sauce, chili, etc..

Prepare cherry and chipotle mixture: Place cherry juice in a 5-qt non-reactive casserole, bring to a boil over medium heat and simmer until reduced to more or less 1 cup (8 oz). It takes a relatively long time for the syrup to thicken, but once it does, and gets big frequent bubbles, it can burn very quickly. Please keep an eye on this pot! When thick enough to coat a spoon, remove from heat and pour into a large bowl (large enough to toss the wings in it). Add a spoonful of the chipotle sauce, mix well and taste. Adjust seasoning by adding salt and pepper, and adjust heat by adding chipotle sauce a little bit at a time to your liking.

Prepare the wings: Using paper towels, pull the skin off the chicken wing drummettes. Place in a bowl and toss with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F while the drummettes marinate at room temperature for 20-30 minutes. Then spread the wings in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, until internal temperature is greater than 165 degrees and the wings look crispy. Remove from the oven and put wings in the bowl of chipotle-cherry sauce. Toss well to coat all the wings. Serve immediately.