There’s nothing screaming football season, primarily college bowl season, more than chicken wings. The only other food eaten more during this time of the year is guacamole. However, there’s a certain problem that arises with chicken wings: Everyone has their own secret sauce. So pardon the cliché, but below is the best wings you’ll ever eat.
But don’t let this wonderful wing recipe sit in your recipe basket until next bowl season. It’s easy to turn it into a family weekend staple.
The fact is one of the hardest points in your nutrition is ensuring you get enough protein in the day. It’s considered an essential element of your meals and the building blocks of muscle.
Now don’t scroll to the bottom thinking this is another blurp about why you need protein. This is much deeper than why you need protein.
For example, a question that comes up more than any other, especially in women, is how much protein do I need? There’s a loaded question.
The best rule of thumb goes like this: For every pound of body weight you carry, you should eat between .55 – .75 grams of protein a day.
To help you out, here’s a real life example.
If you weigh 180 pounds you should eat between 100-136 grams of protein a day. However, if you are active, then you should eat between .75 – 1.00 grams per pound of body weight (135-180 grams of protein a day).
You may be wondering, “How in the world do I eat that much?”
This leads us into our next section where I will give you some examples.
Most all lean meats (chicken, beef, pork, bison, turkey, etc.) have 7 grams of protein per one ounce serving. In regards to fish, you’ll need about 1.5 ounces to get those same 7 grams of protein. One large egg (with yolk) has 6 grams of protein. Another great protein source (if no dairy issues exist), ¼ cup of cottage cheese has about 13 grams of protein.
The typical person will eat about half of their protein requirements. If you workout and can’t seem to build muscle, your protein is too low. A protein deficiency will also create the inability to recover from injury quickly.
Do you have a nagging muscle injury? That shoulder bothering you? Chances are you are not allowing your body to repair itself by staying protein deficient.
So look at it this way. Proteins are made up of essential amino acids. And in order to be considered a food, it must have a complete amino acid profile. Any food not made up of a complete chain of amino acids is technically not a food. (Often on a label it will read “Food Product.”)
For example, some sliced cheeses will have “food product” on the packaging. When you look at the ingredients you see a list of unpronounceable chemicals and substances. No one wants to eat garbage.
But if you take the time to be intentional, your body will repay you will feeling great. And this wing recipe is one of the best ways to get intentional with your protein.
The Sauce:
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ cup vinegar, white or apple cider
- 2 tbsp. chili powder
- ½ tsp. cayenne pepper
Mix the sauce ingredients together in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil for five minutes.
The Wings:
- 5 pounds of chicken wings
- Salt and pepper
Heat your grill to 350 degrees. Snip the wing tips off and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook the wings covered 1 to 1 ½ hours, turning frequently. Once the wings seem a bit dry, take off the grill, dunk in the sauce and serve.
