Chipotle Lime Wings

Doing something a little different this winter and didn't head down to Florida, so now I'm taking my cooking indoors. First up, these Chipotle Lime Wings. If I'm not making smoked and seared wings on my Alchemy, I'm making them like this: baking them low in the oven at 275F for 40 minutes and then frying them up for a couple of minutes on the stove top. You get the juiciest, crispy wings every time. A big move, and important step, is to brine your wings before you cook them. I like to do a mix of pickle juice and soy sauce, so the meat itself is tasty and tender, plus the seasoning and sauce, it's just all a winning flavour combo. I made my chipotle-lime sauce with a can of chipotle peppers in adobo, fresh lime juice, mayo and Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Sauce - don't at me - it's the good stuff. I added from fresh chopped cilantro, diced tomato, white onion and some crispy garlic as garnish, to add some colour, coolness and crunch. If you want to make my Chipotle Lime Wings, keep reading or jump to the full recipe.

Brining the wings before you cook them is a can't - miss step, I used pickle juice and soy sauce for mine and let them marinate in the fridge for about an hour.

I usually make all my sauces from scratch, but I wanted to make this recipe delicious AND easy, so decided to incorporate some Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce into my chipotle lime sauce. That gets blended with a can of chipotle peppers in adobo, water, brown sugar, 1 tsp garlic and onion powder mix, mayo and juice from 1 lime.

I like to keep a jar of this spice mix, cayenne, cumin, chili powder, and paprika around for ease. I used this to season the wings before baking them, along with some salt and pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and a bit of cornstarch.

Place the wings in a single layer on an elevated rack on a parchment-lined baking tray, this ensures the wings are evenly cooked, stay juicy and crisp up nicely without sticking to the pan.

After the wings are baked at 275F for 40 minutes on an elevated rack on a baking sheet in the oven, they get fried on both sides to crisp up.

Once the wings come out of the oil, season with salt and pepper and toss with the chipotle lime sauce and an extra squeeze of lime juice. Garnish the wings with chopped cilantro, tomatoes, onion, crispy garlic, a wedge of lime and a sprinkle of tajin

And now for the full recipe...

Chipotle Lime Chicken Wings

Serves 1-2 people

Prep Time: 1hour

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 35 minutes 

Ingredients

2lbs chicken wings

1 oz pickle juice

2 oz soy sauce

Salt

Black pepper

½ tsp corn starch

Spice mix:

1 tsp cayenne combined

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp paprika

Onion/Garlic Mix:

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

Chipotle Lime Sauce:

1 can (185ml) chipotle peppers in adobo

¼ cup water

1 ½ tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce

1 tbsp mayo

2 limes

For garnish:

2 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped

2 tbsp tomato, finely chopped 

¼ white onion 

1 large clove garlic

Oil for frying

Tajin

 How to Make Chipotle Lime Wings

Add your wings to a large ziplock bag or bowl and add the pickle juice and soy sauce. Seal the bag and toss the wings until coated, or use a spoon and mix the wings in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap. Let the wings marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, up to X hours.

Blend together the can of chipotle peppers in adobo, water, brown sugar, 1 tsp of the garlic and onion powder mix, Sweet Babby Rays, mayo and juice from 1 lime. You can either use a bowl and a hand emersion blender or a regular blender. Blend until smooth. Set aside.

Remove the wings from the fridge and using tongs, transfer them to a clean bowl, discard the liquid. Season with salt and pepper, 1 tsp of the garlic and onion powder mix, and 1 tsp of the cayenne, cumin, chili powder, and paprika mix. Add the corn starch and mix to coat.

Transfer the wings to a parchment lined tray with an elevated rack. Bake in the oven at 275F for 40 minutes.

Finely chop the fresh cilantro. Remove the seeds of the tomato and finely dice. Using a mandolin or sharp knife, thinly slice the onion into rings. 

Using a mandolin or sharp knife, thin slice the clove of garlic. In a cast iron pan, add half an inch of oil and fry the garlic until crispy, flipping midway. Remove from the oil with a fork onto a paper towel-lined plate.

Remove the wings from the oven once done and fry on both sides 1- 2 minutes or until nicely crisped up. Remove the wings from the oil onto a paper towel-lined plate. Transfer them to a bowl, season with salt and pepper and add some of the sauce and toss to coat.

To plate, add the wings to a shallow bowl and squeeze some fresh lime juice on top. Garnish with the chopped cilantro, tomatoes, onion, crispy garlic, a wedge of lime and a sprinkle of tajin.

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