Angie’s Grilled Chicken Wings

Angie's Grilled Wings

The Deschutes sauce is so hot it stings the lips and clears your nasal passages! Definitely not for everyone, but we were hooked.

To our amazement, Ben and Joe, each at about age 9, discovered they “like it hot,” too. 🙂  It is a fun, happy family night when we are all together at one of Oregon’s many fun brew pubs sampling a plate full of wings.

But, what if you want to watch the big football game at home with some wings and a cold one from the fridge?

It took many attempts, but this grilled wing recipe is now a Windheim wing-fan favorite.  The flavor is sticky sweet with just a tiny kick. Hard to believe when you see the quantity of Tabasco used, but true. I may actually add a little ground cayenne pepper next time since my boys like to sweat a little when eating wings.

One warning: you cannot make enough of these wings. They will “fly” off the platter.  This recipe makes 30 wings and I’ve made 80 before with nothing to show for it but a pile of bones. Note that the Costco/Kirkland bag of frozen wings is a great value if you are serving a crowd.

Also included is a tasty Bleu Cheese dip recipe.  A fantastic, no-fuss substitute is Litehouse Big Blue dressing from the refrigerated section of your grocery store.

Ingredients List

• 30 frozen chicken wings, thawed

• 1 bottle of beer to marinade

• 1/4 cup Tabasco – buffalo style

• 1/4 cup honey

• 1/4 cup melted butter

• 4 tsp chili powder

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Method

Place the thawed chicken wings in a large roasting pan. Pour the beer over the chicken wings and marinade in the refrigerator for two hours or more.  The kind of beer is really up to the chef. I prefer a strong, hoppy IPA like Deschutes Brewery’s Inversion IPA.  However, I’ve tried them with stouts, lagers, etc.  All create a great base for the wing sauce.

Remove chicken wings from the marinade and put in a large bowl. Allow the wings to  approach room temperature as you prepare the sauce.

In a small bowl, whisk together Tabasco hot pepper sauce, honey, melted butter, chili powder, salt and garlic powder. Pour a little over 1/2 of the sauce into the bowl with the chicken wings and toss to coat.

Lightly oil grill by rubbing a stick of butter on the grates. Heat BBQ to medium-high heat (350 to 400 degrees). Place coated wings on the grill and close the lid. Grill for 8-10 minutes and then flip wings and baste with remaining sauce. A brush works best, but drizzling the sauce with a small spoon also works. Grill wings for another 8-10 minutes until thoroughly cooked and there is no pink.

Remove the chicken wings from grill and serve on a big platter. Let them sit 5 minutes to cool, put out some bowls of Bleu Cheese dressing for dipping and then eat. Yu-um. Don’t forget the napkins.

Bleu Cheese Dip

Ingredients List

• 1/2 cup Bleu Cheese crumbles

• 1/2 cup sour cream

• 1/2 cup cream cheese at room temperature

• 2 TBsp lemon juice

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• Salt & pepper to taste

• Splash of milk

Method

Combine Bleu Cheese crumbles, sour cream, cream cheese, lemon juice, garlic cloves and salt and pepper in a food processor. If dip is too thick, add a splash of milk and process again. Keep chilled until ready to serve.