Sweet Honey BBQ Wings (Better Than Takeout)

Honey BBQ Wings – A Super Bowl Staple at Mona’s

If there’s one thing besides my taco dip that disappears fastest during game day, it’s a tray of sticky, caramelized Honey BBQ Wings. They’re sweet, smoky, finger-licking delicious, and disappear faster than the first kickoff call.

At Mona’s, the secret is a buttermilk bath. The wings get an overnight soak in buttermilk seasoned with salt, pepper, seasoned salt, paprika, garlic powder and just a pinch of cayenne pepper. This gives you tender, juicy wings every time –  the meat is flavored just as well as the breading.

What you will need:

• Chiken wings! Drumettes (or drums) and flats (or wingettes)
• Your favorite BBQ sauce
• Honey
• Mustard (Dijon or regular – whatever you have)
• Garlic powder
• All-purpose flour, cornstarch & spices (see below)
• Buttermilk
• Vegetable oil
• Cooking oil thermometer
• Dutch oven or whatever you use to fry
• Large mixing bowls
• Strainer spoon
• 2 wire cooling racks (one for raw chicken and one for cooked chicken)
  

Spices

• Kosher Salt
• Fresh black pepper
• Seasoned salt
• Garlic powder
• Paprika
• Cayenne (optional)

Let’s get started!

First, I like to rinse each chicken wing under cold water, pat them dry, and place them in a large mixing bowl. Season the wings evenly and generously with the listed spices. Next, I add buttermilk and season again with the same spices, giving everything a good, even stir. I then cover the bowl and refrigerate it overnight or for a few hours before cooking. 

Now prep the flour in a separate bowl, big enough to hold and fully cover all of your wings. When you’re ready to start frying the wings, add the same spices used in the buttermilk to the flour, along with a bit of cornstarch for extra crispiness. Whisk everything together to ensure that the seasoning is evenly distributed throughout the flour. Take each wing out of the buttermilk bath, (let the excess drip off, no rinsing!) and dredge in the flour mixture – generously and evenly coating each wing. Shake off any loose flour and place on a wire rack to rest, about 10 min, until ready to fry — this helps the coating stick once it hits the oil.

In a dutch oven, or whatever you prefer to fry in, turn heat on at medium high and let oil come to 350°F checking with a cooking oil thermometer. Carefully add one wing at a time in batches depending on how much room you have in your fryer. I am able to fit 8-10 in here. You will know they’re ready and cooked through when they float to the top and are a golden brown, about 12-15 minutes. Remove with a strainer spoon to a wire rack (not on the same wire rack as the uncooked chicken) to slightly cool while you prepare the honey BBQ sauce.

Honey BBQ Sauce

This is very simple. In a sauce pan add your BBQ sauce, honey, mustard and garlic powder and stir all together on medium low heat. Cook until the edges start to slightly bubble and turn off heat.

In batches in a separate mixing bowl, spoon in some of the honey BBQ sauce, add the wings and toss until fully coated.

Plate on a serving tray with Ranch or blue cheese (Choose your house divide. This I cannot help you with as I am not one for confrontation) and serve hot! Enjoy!