Spicy Lime & Honey Wings

If there's an appetizer my husband loves, it's wings! He's always up for chicken wings but rather than making the same old recipe, I like trying different flavors. Besides, why limit it to the usual buffalo sauce or BBQ sauce? With a Cinco de Mayo theme to work with for my birthday fiesta, I prepared these Spicy Lime & Honey Wings for my menu and they sure didn't last long...

I came across this recipe from Food Network. These wings have that great sweet and spicy flavor from the honey and adobo sauce used in the marinade. The original recipe called for tequila and agave nectar. Instead, I omitted the tequila and doubled the lime juice and used honey in place of the agave nectar. Also, I added some freshly minced garlic to the chicken for more flavor. I thought the baking time for the chicken was a bit long so I decreased it by 15 minutes since the chicken would be cooked a second time on the grill. Despite all the changes I made to the original recipe, the chicken came out really well and was one of the first things eaten up off our menu!

Spicy Lime & Honey Wings
recipe adapted from Guy Fieri

Chicken:
3 pounds chicken wings/chicken drummettes
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper3 cloves minced garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil

Sauce:
1 teaspoon grated lime zest
1 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon adobo sauce (from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce - optional)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)

To prepare the wings in the oven: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Toss the wings in a bowl with salt, pepper, minced garlic and olive oil. Arrange on a baking sheet in a single layer. Cook until just cooked through, about 30 minutes.

To prepare the wings on the grill: Preheat a grill to high. Grill the wings until marked, 10 to 15 minutes, turning as needed. Transfer the marinade to a saucepan and cook until slightly thick, about 8 minutes (you can do this on the grill as well). Drizzle the wings with the sauce and top with cilantro, if desired.

If you don't have a grill, you can use a grill pan indoors, bake them in the oven or saute in a little butter in a skillet until warmed through.

Make the sauce: Combine the lime zest and juice, honey, cumin, adobo sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 tablespoon pepper in a bowl. Pour over the warm wings and let marinate at least 30 minutes.

* To make ahead/freezer meal - Place raw uncooked chicken wings and sauce in a gallon sized freezer bag, freeze. When ready to prepare, defrost and bake or grill as outlined above.