To me, the ultimate chicken wing sauce has three elements – sweet, spicy and sticky – and recently, I had a fabulous sauce at a major wing chain that had both “brown sugar” and “chipotle” in the name, so I made it my quest to recreate… and I did…
These brown sugar chipotle chicken wings are so good! With just enough sweetness, plenty of heat and a great sticky consistency, this will be my new go-to sauce for wings at home and I can’t wait for you to give it a try!
Let’s get started…
So, technically this sauce can be used on any wings. Fry them, air fry them, bake them or even order them somewhere! This is how I usually make wings at home.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees with your biggest cast iron skillet on the middle rack.
While the oven and skillet are preheating, divide your wings and discard anything that shouldn’t be there. Wash them thoroughly. Dry them with paper towels and add them into a large bowl.
Season the dried wings generously with your favorite seasoning. Today, I am using Lawry’s seasoned salt (because we love it!), but sometimes I just grab some garlic powder, onion powder and sazon. The flavor is mainly coming from the sauce here, but we are good chefs around here, so we season every element…
When the oven is preheated and your wings are ready to go, carefully transfer the hot skillet onto your stove top. Be sure to close the oven door quickly to trap as much heat inside as possible.
Add a drizzle of a neutral oil into the skillet (be careful, it may splatter a bit!) and swirl it all over the inside of the skillet. Arrange the seasoned wings in a single layer and quickly place them into the oven.
Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or until they are golden and cooked through with an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
While the wings are baking, combine 7.5 ounces of chipotles in adobo sauce, 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1/3 cup of brown sugar, 1/3 cup of honey, maple syrup or agave and 1/3 cup of soy sauce in a food processor and blend until smooth.
As soon as the wings are done, transfer the skillet onto your stove top and add the sauce. The skillet will still be really hot, but I like turning my stovetop to medium high to quickly warm the sauce and get things bubbling for a minute.
Toss the wings in the sauce and let them bubble until everything is nice and sticky.
These wings are so good! This sauce packs so much heat, sweet and overall flavor in without any cooking required… thats a win-win for any recipe!
All you need is some ranch or blue cheese and a comfy spot to eat and these wings will slide right into your favorites list.
If you are looking for more chicken wing recipes, check out some of my other favorites here…
Honey Hoisin Chicken Wings – Garlic Parmesan Wings – Curry Butter Wings – Boneless Honey Hoisin Wings
Brown Sugar Chipotle Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 2 pounds of chicken wings
- a neutral oil
- seasoned salt
Brown Sugar Chipotle Sauce
- 7.5 ounces of chipotles in adobo sauce
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup of brown sugar, packed
- 1/3 cup of honey, maple syrup or agave
- 1/3 cup of soy sauce
Instructions
- Place a large cast iron skillet on the middle rack in your oven and preheat to 400°
Prep and bake the wings…
- If using whole wings, separate into drumsticks and flats and clean thoroughly
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and transfer into a large bowl
- Season generously with your favorite seasoning blend
- Once the oven and skillet are preheated, carefully transfer the hot skillet onto your stovetop and close the oven door quickly to trap as much heat as possible
- Add a thin layer of a neutral oil into the skillet and use a brush to spread it over the entire interior
- Carefully arrange the wings in a single layer and bake at 400° for 45 minutes or until the chicken reaches at internal temperature of 165°
Make the sauce…
- While the wings are baking, use a food processor or small blender to combine 7.5 ounces of chipotles in adobo sauce, 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1/3 cup of brown sugar, 1/3 cup of honey, maple syrup or agave and 1/3 cup of soy sauce until fairly smooth
Sauce the wings…
- When the wings are fully baked, transfer the skillet onto your stovetop and pour the sauce over them
- Carefully toss the wings until the are all generously coated
- Serve hot with ranch of blue cheese
