Honey Chipotle Chicken Wings

I've been making this recipe for a while now and it's never turned out bad, not once. It's sweet, spicy, and all kinds of messy. I've reduced the honey before and increased the chipotle and it still turned out great, so it's very easy to customize to your tastes. And the best part is it's a beautiful meal. I feel very impressive when I set these wings on the table and they are decorated with a beautiful dark sauce, sesame seeds, and some bright green spring onions. I wanted to post this ages ago but I wasn't sure if I should because the recipe was submitted in a competition and I didn't want to hurt any feelings out there. But I must say, I can definitely see why this was submitted in a competition. Delicious!!

In other news, my back is still killin' me folks. I have a feeling it will stay this way until baby Emmett arrives. But the weather here has been perfect so having an excuse to sit on the front porch doing absolutely nothing has been nice. Think positive!! :) We're also going to a pumpkin patch this weekend so I'm excited. I think Mimi will have a great time (there are pony rides!).

Spice rub and chipotle glaze

The wings

Honey Chipotle Chicken Wings
Serving Size = 8 - 10
Original Recipe: Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice

1 cup of honey
2 - 3 tablespoons pureed canned chipotle chiles in adobo or BBQ sauce (I used adobo and I highly recommend it)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons chili powder
Salt/Pepper to taste
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons smoked paprika (I use sweet paprika)
3 lbs chicken wings
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
3 green onions, thinly sliced

*I've followed the exact recipe before. I've also cut back on the honey before by almost half and increased the adobo by 1 tablespoon or so. It still turned out great. So you can adjust to taste.
*Also, I didn't use 3 lbs of chicken this time so the sauce was a tiny bit heavy. Still great, but if your wings look more dry... that's the reason. :)

Preheat over to 400F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, chipotle puree (I used 3 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and pureed them in my bullet type blender), 1 tablespoon of mustard, 1 tablespoon of chili powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons of oil.
In another small bowl, stir together the remaining 3 tablespoons of chili powder, coriander, cumin, and paprika.
Rinse the chicken wings under cold water and pat dry. Cut the tips off and discard (or freeze for chicken stock). Cut the wings into 2 pieces at the joint.
Place the chicken into a large bowl and add the spice rub mixture and the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Mix well to coat. Season with salt/pepper. Place the wings on the baking sheet and bake for 30 - 40 minutes, or until cooked through and golden brown (slightly charred is fine too).
Transfer the wings to a large bowl and pour the chipotle glaze over them. Toss well to coat. Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle on the sesame seeds and green onions.