It’s Super Wild Card Weekend. No Niners till next weekend, but good games. Saturday…doubleheader, Sunday…tripleheader, Monday Night Football. Time to plan your game day menu. This is a smoker to fryer recipe. If you fry them only, fry in batches and increase the frying time to 10-12 minutes.
Bang Bang Chicken Wings
Bang Bang Sauce:
1 cup mayo
1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
2 tablespoons hot sauce
4 cloves garlic minced
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon honey
Smoked Chicken Wings:
3-4 lbs. chicken wings (drums and flats)
Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons chili powder
Mustard, as a binder
Fried Chicken Wings:
Canola oil for frying
Chopped chives for garnish
Lime wedges, for squeezing
Cilantro, for serving
Making The Bang Bang Sauce:
In a mixing bowl, combine mayo, sweet chili sauce, hot sauce, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, lemon juice, and honey.
Whisk the ingredients together until smooth and set aside.
Smoking the Chicken Wings:
Pat the chicken wings dry using paper towels.
Apply a thin layer of mustard over each wing to act as a binder.
In a separate bowl, mix together salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and chili powder.
Generously season the wings with the spice mixture.
Allow the wings to marinate for 15-20 minutes.
Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees.
Place the wings in the smoker and let them smoke for 60-90 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Once smoked, transfer the wings to a baking sheet.
Frying the Chicken Wings:
In a skillet, pour canola oil to a depth of at least 2 inches and heat it to 350 degrees.
Carefully add the smoked wings to the hot oil, frying them for 60-90 seconds on each side until golden brown. If frying only, fry in batches 10-12 minutes.
Remove the wings from the skillet and drain any excess oil on paper towels.
In a large mixing bowl or saucepan, add the wings.
Pour the prepared Bang Bang Sauce over the wings, tossing them gently to ensure they’re well-coated.
Transfer the sauced wings to a serving plate.
Garnish with fresh-chopped chives, cilantro and lime wedges.