Try this tailgate snack: Sticky wings with honey and Sriracha

By Gretchen McKay / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

We’re more than a month into the regular NFL football season. By now you should be perfecting your skills for that great pregame eating experience known as tailgating.

Instead of the typical hot Buffalo flavor, why not shake up your tailgate Sunday with sticky, spicy Asian-style hot wings? These are baked, then sauced and served with a cool cucumber-lime dipping sauce that will remind you of the cold yogurt condiment raita, which is often used to cut the heat of spicy Indian food.

Sticky wings with honey and Sriracha

For the wings:

24 chicken wings, snipped in two at the joints and tips trimmed off

2 tablespoons canola oil

1½ teaspoons kosher salt

⅔ cup honey

½ cup Sriracha hot sauce

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

For the dipping sauce:

2 cups plain Greek yogurt

1 cup grated cucumber, squeezed dry

½ cup shopped cilantro

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 large clove garlic, grated

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon honey

For the wings: Position oven rack in middle of oven and preheat to 450 degrees. Line two baking sheets, including sides, with nonstick foil.

In large bowl, toss together wings, oil and salt. Space chicken evenly on sheets. Roast for 30 minutes, rotating pans 180 degrees once. Let wings cool slightly, then pour off fat from the baking dish.

Meanwhile, in small saucepan, blend honey, Sriracha, hoisin, lime juice and soy sauce. Pour half the mixture (about ½ cup) into a large bowl. Add wings and toss to coat.

Lower oven to 425 degrees and arrange wings on the same baking sheets. Roast for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, boil remaining honey mixture in saucepan over medium heat until a thick glaze forms, about 5 minutes. Remove wings from the oven; brush with glaze and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Continue to roast until wings are browned, about 7-10 minutes more. Cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes.

While wings cool, make the yogurt sauce.

For the dipping sauce: Stir all ingredients together in a serving bowl until blended.

Serve dipping sauce with wings and vegetable sticks, such as carrot, celery and jicama.

Makes 12 servings.

— Recipe reprinted with permission from “Pub Grub: 77 Apps & Entrees to Satisfy Everyone’s Cravings” (Hearst Books).