Grilled Honey Habanero Chicken Wings
Grilled Honey Habanero Chicken Wings are a little spicy, a little sweet, and wholly delicious. Chicken wings are juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside and smothered in a sticky honey habanero sauce that’ll gave you licking your fingers!
Grilled Honey Habanero Chicken Wings
It’s that time of year, friends… Grilling season is officially here! The sun is shining and the weather is finally warming up. The pollen is also killing me, which really means spring has sprung! I won’t let my itchy eyes keep me from my grill, though. I’ve been waiting far too long to make these wings again, and I’m not letting my allergies stand in my way! Let’s get fired up! (Get it?)
Speaking of turning up the heat, these habanero wings really spice things up in an exciting way. If you’re afraid of cooking with habanero peppers, fear not – this recipe tames the heat to a tolerable level. Instead of needing to numb your mouth with milk while eating these wings, the spice level in them is more of a subtle, lingering heat that balances with the sweet honey perfectly.
Make these grilled chicken wings for your next pool party, game day, or any other occasion when you need to serve a platter full of addictive wings! Just don’t be too surprised when everyone is licking their fingers and asking you for the recipe. They’re sweet, spicy, and the skin crisps up perfectly on the grill. Really, they check every box that a chicken wing should!
How to Make Them
Once your grill is nice and hot, here’s what you’ll need to do to whip up some of the best wings ever!
Tame the peppers. Place the lime juice, vinegar, whole peppers, and salt in a blender and puree until smooth. Carefully pour the mixture through a wire mesh sieve into a small bowl and set aside. Discard the solids.
Make the sauce. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and cook until the butter has browned and smells nutty. Add the habanero vinegar to the butter and stir to combine. Be careful, the mixture may bubble a lot. Stir in the honey and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally.
Season and grill the wings. Toss the wings in a large bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Place the wings on the grill and cook until golden and crispy, approximately 7 minutes depending on the temperature of your grill. Turn the wings over and continue to cook until done.
Toss the wings, and enjoy! Transfer the wings to a large bowl and pour the honey mixture over top. Toss to combine. Serve immediately.
Tips for the Best Grilled Honey Habanero Chicken Wings
- While the habanero peppers used in this recipe are tamed to be enjoyable rather than hellish, the wings are still pretty hot. I don’t recommend serving these wings to your kids, unless you’ve got a rare one that really likes spicy food!
- Use fresh lime juice, not the stuff that comes in a bottle. Trust me, you can taste the difference! Plus, why would you want a juice that’s loaded with artificial flavors and preservatives when freshly squeezed juice only takes about three seconds to yield – and it’s less expensive!
- You don’t need to wait until the wings are cooled to toss them in the sauce. Go ahead and toss them when they’re nice and hot, fresh off the grill. Then dig in!
- I don’t recommend making these wings ahead of time. As with most of my favorite grilled recipes, these sweet and spicy wings are best enjoyed immediately.
Why go to your local wing joint when my homemade recipes are even better?!
- Baked Garlic Parmesan Wings
- Grilled Old Bay Chicken Wings
- Air Fryer Honey Soy Chicken Wings
- The Best Buffalo Baked Wings
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Get the Recipe: Grilled Honey-Habanero Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
- 1/4 cup champagne vinegar
- 4 habanero peppers
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 3 pounds chicken wings
Instructions
- Preheat grill.
- Place the lime juice, vinegar, whole peppers and salt in a blender and puree until smooth.
- Carefully pour the mixture through a wire mesh sieve into a small bowl and set aside. Discard the solids.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and cook until the butter has browned and smells nutty. Add the habanero vinegar to the butter and stir to combine. (Be careful, the mixture may bubble violently.) Stir in the honey and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally.
- Toss the wings in a large bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Place the wings on the grill and cook until golden and crispy, approximately 7 minutes depending on the temperature of your grill. Turn the wings over and continue to cook until done.
- Transfer the wings to a large bowl and pour the honey mixture over top. Toss to combine.
- Serve immediately.