Crock Pot Hot Wings

We're not big sports fans, but this is a nice time of year to have a recipe for hot wings in pocket. These are also wonderful for potlucks and baby showers. Wait... did I just say baby showers? Yes, I took these chicken wings to a baby shower once. My excuse was that pregnant mothers need protein, but really it was because I didn't have much else in the house and the week was way too busy to plan anything more complicated. I was slightly embarrassed by bringing hot wings to a baby shower instead of a Super Bowl party, but I did it anyway. And the ladies LOVED them! They were completely cleaned out and I had several ladies asking me for the recipe! HA!

Anyway, these are so simple to make, and they are really delicious without being overly hot. Serve with ranch or blue cheese dressing and celery sticks.

• 4 lbs. chicken wings**
• 1 c. Frank's Red Hot sauce***
• 1 c. butter
• 1 1/3 c. water
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
  

**I sometimes see those large bags of chicken wings on sale and I always pick up a bag or two to make these for gatherings. Updated to add: a commenter says she has made these with drumsticks for half the cost and you get more meat. I'm going to have to try it!
***This is a great time of year to find Frank's on sale for $.50 a bottle or even FREE with a coupon!

1. Place the first 4 ingredients in a crock pot on low heat for about 8 hours. (Or on high for 3-4.) I just dump them in still frozen. Don't overcook them or your wings will be falling apart!
   
2. Gently remove wings from crock pot with a pair of tongs and place on a cookie sheet.
   
3. Pour sauce into a saucepan and reduce by half. (This will take a little while. Whisk frequently.)
   
4. Add minced garlic.
5. Spoon sauce over wings and broil for 3 minutes.

A note on food allergies: More and more people are having issues with food allergies. Our family being one. We have a dairy allergy in our family and it seems like cheese is the very thing that adds that special spark to everyone's favorite potluck dish. It is really hard going to a potluck with a food allergy. It is depressing seeing tables full of delicious food that you just can't eat. It is embarrassing to sit down to eat the three items on your plate, all of which were brought by you. It just makes an extra challenge. On my part, I try to bring a full meal to gatherings and be pleasantly surprised if someone else brings food that I can eat. We also have a couple of people with celiacs disease in our circle of friends, so when I possibly can, I try to make food that is both dairy free AND gluten free, taking extra care to avoid possible contamination. Anyway, this recipe for hot wings is both dairy and gluten free, which is another reason why it is one of my favorites.

This post is a part of the Four Moms linkup on Snacks and Appetizers for a Crowd.
My sincere apologies to Kim from Raising Olives for doing a very similar recipe! I already had my post ready when I saw that she also wrote up a post on hot wings. I think our recipes differ enough that you can benefit from both though. Her recipe includes tips for preparing them ahead of time and freezing.

Blessings to all!

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