I made wings! While I was making the wings, I thought of an old high school friend who would crack me up with his saying, “Ain’t no thing but a chicken wing!” The phrase would send me in to fits of laughter every time. It wasn’t just the phrase itself that was so hilarious, but the way he would say it. Now, every time I make or eat wings, I think of him. So, naturally, I had to name this post after the very memorable and funny phrase.

These wings are baked, not fried. Don’t worry, they’re just as delicious and crispy as their fried counterparts. I made a sweet heat chipotle barbecue sauce for these wings. It’s spicy, sweet, smokey, and delicious. It’s the perfect balance of sweet and spicy. And, it’s super easy to make and way better than the bottled stuff you buy at the store.

See that mason jar in the background? It’s homemade buttermilk blue cheese dressing. It’s the perfect match for wings. They belong together.

Mmm, crispy baked wings. I baked them at 400 degrees on a baking sheet with a rack. The rack prevents the wings from sitting in their grease. They come out crispy, juicy, and succulent.

Don’t forget the celery. It helps to cool things down a little. I love to dip it in the blue cheese dressing.

Print Recipe

Sweet Heat BBQ Wings

Yield: 25 wings

Total Time: 30 minutes

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 tbs. canola oil

1/2 cup onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/4 tsp. red chili flakes

Sauce:

2 cups ketchup

3/4 cups balsamic vinegar

3 tbs chipotle in adobo

1 1/2 tbs.worchestire sauce

1 tsp. ground mustard

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tbs. brown sugar

salt and pepper to taste

25 wings

 

Directions:

Wings:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (it makes for easy clean up) and place a grated rack on the baking sheet.

Line the rack with your wings. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. I drizzled the wings with a small amount of olive oil to help with the crisping process. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the juices run clear. If you like your wings extra crispy (like me), you can place them under the broiler for a few minutes after they’re done baking.

Sauce:

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, add canola oil, chopped onions, chopped garlic, and red chili flakes. Cook until onion and garlic are tender, about 3 minutes.

Turn down the heat and add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 2o minutes, stirring occasionally.

After the sauce has simmered, use an immersion blender to smooth out the sauce a bit. If you don’t have an immersion blender, use a food processor or blender to smooth out the sauce. Feel free to leave the sauce chunky if that’s the way you prefer it.

Place the hot wings in a bowl and top them with some of the bbq sauce. Stir to coat the wings. Enjoy with celery and homemade buttermilk blue cheese dressing.

 

Note: Place 2 cans of chipotle peppers in adobo in a food processor or blender. Pulse until the peppers are broken down and sauce is thick. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 month. This way, all you have to do is take the container out of the fridge and scoop out what you need. No more chopping every time you need chipotle peppers. It has saved me a lot of time and mess.

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