Sweet and Tart Lime-Glazed Chicken Wings
We are sadly sans BBQ grill right now (well, not exactly sans, but there are so many rules about using the 2 grills in the complex we are renting in right now, that it’s just not even worth it) so I was overjoyed to find this super-duper and easy recipe for Lime-Glazed Chicken Wings that works perfectly in the oven and still gives you that outdoor-grill feel!
Do you know about Rose’s Lime Juice? That’s the base for the sweet and tart glaze the wings get tossed into. It’s a concentrated fruit juice generally added to alcoholic drinks (think: vodka gimlet) but it has kind of an interesting history. Remember learning in school about sailors getting scurvy on long voyages because they didn’t get enough Vitamin C? Well, to counter that, in 1867, a Scottish ship chandler named Lauchlan Rose patented a way to preserve lime juice without alcohol, thus ensuring that sailors could easily get their daily dose. Cool, huh? Bet Lauchlan didn’t think his lime juice would still be going strong 150 years later!!
Anyhoo, enough history. Now back to these wings which really are easy to whip up—totally doable on a weeknight and so, so delicious! Basically, you coat the wings in oil, salt and pepper and roast them on high heat so that they get really crispy and tender (you can also do this on a grill if you like and are lucky enough to have access to one, I’m jealous!) and while the wings are cooking, you make the lime glaze, which is a little bit sweet, a little bit tart and a whole lot of finger-lickin’ sticky goodness!!
When the wings are ready, you just toss them in that sticky lime goodness and serve!
So much fun and so irresistible too!
150 years + and still going strong! Thanks Lauchlan!!
Sweet and Tart Lime-Glazed Chicken Wings
Makes at least 6 servings
You will need a blender or food processor for this.
Prep Time for glaze: 25 minutes; Prep Time for Wings: About 1 hour
Ingredients
For the glaze
1 bottle Rose’s lime juice or 1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice mixed with ½ cup honey
1 ½ cups water
3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 jalapeño pepper, seeds and ribs removed, cut into chunks
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
For the Wings
4 ½ pounds (or about) chicken wings (I used the party kind that are already separated)
⅓ cup canola oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Chopped scallions to garnish (optional)
The Recipe
1. To make the glaze: Place all of the glaze ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the mixture reduces to a thick syrup, stirring often, about 20-25 minutes. Pour into a blender and blend until smooth. Leave the mixture in the blender because you might want to whizz it again in case it separates before you’re ready to use it.
2. To make the wings: I cooked these in the oven because we are grill-less right now, but they would be great on that too—If you’re going that route, heat your grill on high. If using the oven, preheat to 450ºF.
3. Place the wings in a large bowl and toss well to coat with the oil and salt. If cooking in the oven, spray a large rimmed baking sheet (or two) with nonstick cooking spray and arrange the wings in a single layer. Roast for 30 minutes, then turn and cook on the other side for another 20-30 minutes, until entirely cooked through and golden brown. If cooking on the grill, it’ll go faster and you can let them get charred a bit.
4. Toss the cooked wings in a large mixing bowl with the lime glaze and serve.
Enjoy!
Note: Recipe adapted from Food 52 Dynamite Chicken by Tyler Kord. I tinkered a lot with this, cut it down from a head of garlic to 3 cloves, cut the nutmeg and cilantro and used a jalapeño pepper instead of Fresno chiles. I also sprayed the pan with nonstick spray rather than lining it with foil—the first time I made this the wings stuck and it was next to impossible to get them.
