Who doesn't like diving into hot, saucy, bone-in wings mid-game or hungover on a Saturday? No one I know or respect. This recipe takes it up a notch by adding in one of my favourite drinks, whiskey. Right off the bat let me advise you not to use your 60-year-old Macallan in this sauce, rather dive into your well and grab a Jack or even Canadian Club. As you end up cooking the whiskey in the sauce, some of the flavor will melt into the other ingredients, leaving a wonderful layer of deliciousness - but not enough so that you can tell what brand of whiskey you used. You could also swap for bourbon or scotch, they will all act the same.
My main tip for this recipe is the leave your wings overnight UNCOVERED on a wire rack in your fridge. Most people freak out when they hear this, as the chicken will turn slightly darker and the exposed skin will take on a bit of a rubbery feel. THIS IS OKAY. What happens when you leave the chicken uncovered is that the outer layer of the skin dries out much more than if you were to merely pat it down with a paper towel. You want this! This dry skin will become beautifully crispy in the oven with no impact on the moistness of the meat inside. Just try it once - I promise you will never go back.
As with any wing recipe, they are best served with ranch or blue cheese dressing and a good hit of carrot and celery sticks. I love to pair with a hearty IPA or Pale Ale, but really any beer will do.
Red Hot Whiskey Wings
Ingredients
- WING RUB
- 24 wings, split
- 1 tbs pepper
- 1/2 tbs garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- --
- SAUCE
- 4 tbs butter
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 cup hot sauce (I used Frank's Red Hot)
- 3/8 cup (6 tbs) whiskey (I used Jack Daniel's)
- 1 tbl apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp corn starch (make into a slurry with water)
Directions
- Step 1 Pat dry your wings with a paper towel, set aside.
- Step 2 Combine your dry rub ingredients and coat your wings. Set them on a rack in a baking pan and place in the oven overnight, uncovered. This is a key step! By leaving them uncovered overnight the skins will dry out leading to crispy wings.
- Step 3 Preheat oven to 400 F. Once temperature is reached, put your wings in and bake for 50 minutes, flipping your wings halfway through.
- Step 4 While your wings are baking, melt butter in a saucepan and add minced garlic - saute for 2-3 minutes.
- Step 5 Add in the rest of the sauce ingredients to the melted butter/garlic base (hot sauce, whiskey, vinegar, pepper & corn starch slurry) and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until thickened slightly. Remember, mix your cornstarch with a splash of cold water first before adding to the sauce!
- Step 6 Once your wings are out of the oven and sauce is cooked you are almost there! Place your wings in a large bowl and pour sauce over. Toss wings until covered.
- Step 7 Serve with ranch or blue cheese, some carrots and celery (and a beer!)
