Who does not like BBQ? My husband! At least he was not a fan of BBQ until I served up a beautiful plate of Orange BBQ Chicken Wingettes. I received so many compliments from him about how great the chicken tasted I was wondering if I could get away with making this simple meal a couple of times each week.

Since deciding to share my recipes with the world I have been spending more time thinking of new and creative ways to tweak the same old meals. This one came to me while I was driving to the grocery store to pick up a few things for dinner. Usually we have chicken or fish a couple of times each week and it was a chicken day.

I have to admit I sometimes get tired of eating chicken but the idea of BBQ wingettes seemed a little more exciting than baked chicken. When I got to the grocery store there was a huge display of bright naval oranges. The smell of the oranges made me think what a wonderful combination it would be to pair the orange with a sweet and spicy BBQ sauce. I like Stubbs Sweet Heat BBQ sauce. The acid from the orange kept the spiciness in the sauce from overpowering the taste of the chicken and added a nice twang to the dish.

BBQ is not just for spring or summer. BBQ is nice to eat any time of the year and brings back sweet memories of messy fingers, cool breezes and the laughter of friends and family sharing a fantastic meal.

Spring

Cool and even, the wind blows
against green leaves and tall stems

Shadows form under the sun’s beam
moving slowly on graveled curbs

Stronger it grows creating miniature hurricanes
swirling brown dirt up to sting unsuspecting eyes

And tiny bugs tumble in somersault fashion
along the solid ground

While watermelon scents of fresh cut grass
twist ’round the nose as the breeze pushes by

D. Marie

Orange BBQ Chicken Wingettes

Ingredients:
2 lbs chicken wingettes rinsed
1 large naval orange
1 cup Stubbs sweet heat BBQ sauce
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp dried dill
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tbsp Adobo seasoning

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place chicken in a large bowl and squeeze the juice of the naval orange over the chicken. Include some of the flesh of the orange with the chicken. Sprinkle the seasonings on the chicken and mix. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Spray a long, lipped cookie sheet with cooking spray. Spread the chicken on the cookie sheet and pour the juices from the bowl over the chicken. Bake for approximately 45 minutes until chicken is done and golden brown.

Remove the chicken from the oven. Coat the bottom of a large casserole dish with BBQ sauce. Add the chicken to the casserole dish and then pour the remaining BBQ sauce over the chicken. Cover and bake an additional 15 minutes on 325 degrees to heat the BBQ sauce.

Serves 4 to 6.