Chicken Wings with Chipotle Pineapple Sauce

chicken wings with chipotle pineapple sauce

Super Bowl Sunday is coming up fast and all I know is that my favorite team isn’t playing. Cry me a river as the Chicago Bears  just didn’t make the cut, or should I say kick. My entire family loves watching football and cheering on the Bears. Me, not quite as much, but I do love when everyone gathers at our house to watch the game. One thing we do all share is a passion for great food and trying new recipes.

This year I will be serving brined chicken wings with chipotle pineapple sauce.

Star Chef Steve McHugh created the recipe I’m sharing. I found this recipe in People Magazine last year around this time. I knew the minute I saw the words flavorful and garlic-lime mixture, that my family would like it. We have some hearty eaters as well as a few beer drinkers and this recipe for wings will work as a substantial appetizer.

Ingredients

• 8 limes
• 1 bunch of cilantro (leaves and stems separated)
• 3 cloves of garlic (smashed)
• 6 1/4 cups of water divided
• one Jalapeno chili sliced
• 5 TBS. plus one tsp. of kosher salt divided
• 5lbs of chicken wings
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• ¾ cup of diced pineapple
• 3 TBS. chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
• 2 tsp. light brown sugar

Directions 

Squeeze the lime juice from 6 limes to equal ½ cup. Reserve 3 TBS. of lime juice for the dipping sauce. Quarter the remaining two limes and reserve for serving.

Combine the cilantro stems, Jalapeno, garlic, 6 cups of water, 5 TBS. of kosher salt, remaining ½ cup of limes juice in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat while stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool completely.

Once it has cooled, place the wings in a large bowl and cover with the brine. Chill around 3 hours. Drain and discard the brine. Rinse the chicken lightly and pat dry.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Set a wire rack inside a large rimmed baking sheet and arrange wings evenly on baking sheet. Sprinkle with a little black pepper. And bake until golden brown and cooked thoroughly, this will take about 35 to 45 minutes.

Combine pineapple, chipotle chilies in adobo, brown sugar, the reserved 3 TBS. of lime juice, the remaining ¼ cup of water in a blender and process until smooth. This takes about 1 minute.

Place the wings on a serving platter and garnish with the cilantro leaves and lime wedges. Serve with the chipotle dipping sauce on the side.

Serves about six people

I’m looking forward to this Sunday and being with my family and friends. Football Sundays will forever bring people together and that certainly is something to cheer about.

Enjoy!