Raise your hand if you're still exhausted from the weekend and the craziness of last week. Raise your hand if you're as bewildered by the fact that Monday is here again as I am. Raise your hand if the thought of making dinner tonight leaves you weak and helpless. Hey wait, this isn't school--you don't have to do the whole hand-raising thing--all you have to do is keep reading and find out how to make one of the easiest most delicious dinners that will absolutely make this Monday less Monday-ish:  Sticky Sesame Chicken Wings. You can marinate them for as little as one hour and up to overnight, they cook in about 30 minutes and they're sweet, savory and fun. Hello? Who out there doesn't love chicken wings?!! My gang devoured these and I will definitely be adding them to my regular repertoire. By the way, these would also be great for Sunday game watching! Gotta love their versatility! So...take a deep breath, pick up a package of wings and all of sudden you'll find yourself saying, "Oh, is it Monday? I thought it was Thursday night." Ah, the power of positive thinking!

And now that I've finished my traditional Monday morning whine, I have to give a big shout out to my sisters on this, the day of their birth! Go twin power!!! Happy Birthday!!

Sticky Sesame Chicken Wings

Makes 4 servings--you can easily double this 

Prep Time:  5 minutes to whisk the marinade together, plus at least one hour of marinating and up to overnight; Cook Time:  About 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 pounds chicken drumettes or wings
• 1-2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted

The Recipe

1.  Place the syrup, soy sauce, garlic and pepper in a large bowl and whisk together. Add the chicken and toss to coat well. Cover the bowl and let the chicken marinate for at least one hour and up to overnight, tossing the chicken a few times during the process so that everything gets evenly marinated.

2.  Preheat oven to 375ºF and spray a large rimmed baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray, then line with aluminum foil and spray again. 

3.  Remove the chicken from the marinade and arrange on the prepared pan in a single layer. Pour the marinade into a small, heavy saucepan.

4.  Bake the chicken for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, bring the marinade to a boil over high heat until the liquid is thick and syrupy--about 8 minutes.

5.  Remove the chicken from the oven and brush the tops with the marinade using a pastry brush. Flip them over and brush the bottoms, then sprinkle with half of the seeds. Flip them again so they are right side up and sprinkle with the remaining sesame seeds. Bake for another 15-20 minutes or until fully cooked through (my gang likes very well done chicken). Remove from the pan and serve.

Enjoy!

Note:  Recipe adapted from Chicken Night by Kate McMillan. I left out the 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh peeled and grated ginger from the marinade and tinkered around with other measurements and cooking times.