How to Make Zesty Chipotle BBQ Hot Wings

These smoky, spicy hot wings are guaranteed crowd-pleasers for your Memorial Day cookout or any other time you fire up the grill and are craving chicken wings.

Using a WingRack chicken wing holder for the grill makes any recipe for BBQ wings a breeze--and it also prevents flare-ups, ensures even cooking and takes all the work out of cleanup, too. Once you try making hot wings on the grill with this nifty barbecue tool, you'll never go back to frying your wings or baking them off the rack (it's oven-safe).

For this recipe, you'll need 18 to 24 chicken wings, or a dozen drumsticks or 8 thighs, if you prefer. If the weather is too nasty to cook outdoors or if you prefer to use your oven instead of your barbecue grill, you can use the grilled chicken wing holder in your oven, too.

Below are the ingredients for the Chipotle marinade, and instructions for the recipe.

Ingredients
1 small can (7 to 8 oz) OR 1 cup chipotles in adobo sauce, undrained
2 or 3 spring onions (with some of the green part), chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Juice of 1 lime, OR 1 Tbs orange juice AND 1 Tbs lemon juice
1 bunch fresh cilantro OR 1 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/4 tsp Kosher salt
1 1/2 cup mayonnaise (NOT reduced-fat or nonfat)
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (you can use fat-free)

Strip cilantro or parsley leaves from stems--I freeze the stems in a plastic bag for adding to soups, stews & other recipes. Combine the chipotles and sauce, onions, garlic, citrus juice and herbs in blender and process until smooth. Transfer to a large non-metal bowl (glass is ideal). Stir in salt, then add the mayonnaise and yogurt. Stir well until thoroughly combined. Taste for balance: If it's too hot, add a little more mayo or yogurt until you reach your desired level of heat. If too mild, add a few splashes of a good-quality chipotle hot sauce (I recommend Blair Q Heat Chipotle Slam or El Yucateco Chipotle Hot Sauce) until you reach your desired level of heat.

Add chicken to the marinade and stir until all the chicken pieces are evenly coated with the chipotle BBQ marinade. Cover and marinate in refrigerator for at least 2 hours, turning chicken occasionally. When ready to grill, place the chicken wings or legs or thighs in the WingRack slots (you may need to cook them in two batches). Baste with a little more marinade before placing on the grill and discard any leftover marinade. Place the chicken wing rack on your grill over indirect medium-hot coals. Cover grill and let cook until internal temperature reaches 180°F, or, if you don't have a meat thermometer, cook until juices run clear and meat is no longer pink. When done, remove the chicken wing griller from your grill and let sit for 5 minutes or so, then remove chicken from the rack and serve.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

PS: If you don't want to make your own sauce or prefer traditional Buffalo wing flavor, you can marinate the chicken in any of our wing sauces and then grill or bake them using the WingRack.