Balsamic Glazed Spice Rubbed Chicken Wings!

Being a girl can sometimes be extremely difficult, by no means am I a girlie girl (though I do have my moments from time to time) but man certain times out of nowhere (and sometime we know when), suddenly its like you have no control over anything! Emotional sparks everywhere! Its like a can of shaken up soda being popped open: mess everywhere!

Here I was happily running along on my treadmill at the gym and listening to music while semi watching whatever may be on the nearest TV which happens to be a show on animal rescue. Running, running, running... "aw they rescued a baby whale and nursed it back to health, that's so sweet" 

Running, running, running...then it happens:

The program caption displays (when they're about to release the baby whale back into the wild): "she (baby whale) has grown so much and now she's finally ready to go back into the wild. Here we have a harness with a quick release so she'll be able to just swim out after we release the sides" 

They push release...hook is stuck

Me: "oh no!" 
Program Caption: "there seems to be a mishap with the hook release but finally she is free and there she goes as she disappears back into the ocean, just the way we like to see her go"
Me: " that's so touching" 

and then I got teary eyed! What!?! What is this?? It was like I was emotionally attached to the baby whale and I was so sad and yet so happy to see her go.... what is happening here? I have known this baby whale for all of 10 minutes (from watching her on TV!) and I am getting teary eyed. I'm pretty sure the only logical explanation for this is I'm crazy. Of course, I also suspect its because I'm a girl and we are sometimes naturally crazy, this must be one of those moments. Never saw it coming. This might have been a "too much information" moment but I feel as though its an insightful moment as well, as stereotypes go, women are crazy however, I don't think anyone really knows the other part to the story: we can't control it! It just happens on its own sometimes! 

Nonetheless the baby whale is now happily swimming along and back in its elements. Now its time for me to get back to my elements, the kitchen!

Featured in this post is one of the goodies I got in my Hatchery Box, Ole Man's Spice Rub & Seasoning. The tasting guide it came with suggested a spice rubbed-chicken, so I scoped out the recipe and it sounded really delicious so I decided to give it a go. The recipe uses a whole chicken, that's a lot of chicken, so I opted for something smaller, chicken wings. Yum.

Upon opening the spice rub seasoning, there was a very distinct smell of cumin so I'm positive that is part of the blend. Probably some paprika and cayenne pepper as well. The package didn't list specific spices, so this is all guess work. As for spice rub seasoning is concerned, I'm sure you can apply any spice rub seasoning you want to this recipe and it'll work just fine. I suggest maybe marinating it longer (maybe overnight) because though it was good, I wish the flavors was more integrated into the meat. Overall, very tasty. The balsamic reduction is a definite winner, sweet and tangy but not over the top. I had a little of the reduction leftover and it makes a great dipping sauce! Put it on some bread or salad by thinning it a bit with some olive oil...yum!

Balsamic Glazed Spice Rubbed Chicken Wings
adapted from Hatchery: Spice Rubbed - Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 package of chicken wings (approx 14-18 wings)
• 1 tbsp olive oil (garlic infused)
• 2 tbsp spice rub (featuring Ole Man's Original Spice Rub & Seasoning)

 For balsamic reduction:

• 1/2 balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp spice rub
• 1 tbsp honey

Procedures:

1. In a large mixing bowl (or a large zip lock bag) toss chicken, olive oil, and spice rub seasoning together until chicken is coated and let it marinate for 30 minutes
2. For balsamic reduction: in a small sauce pan over medium-high heat, combine balsamin vinegar, spice rub, and honey. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 5 more minutes or until thick and syrupy. Set aside. (note: while warm its not very thick so make sure not to completely reduce it dry, it will become syrupy when cooled)
3. Bake wings at 375 F degrees for about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and brush with balsamic reduction and return to oven for an additional 8-10 minutes. Let it sit for 10 minutes before serving.