Bourbon Barbecue Wings

Bourbon Barbecue Wings are marinated and then baked until crispy before they’re smothered with spicy, sweet, sticky Bourbon BBQ Sauce and baked a little longer to achieve caramelized perfection.

Let’s get this out in the open first thing – yes, I’m sharing a meat recipe. I haven’t changed my mostly-vegetarian (or rather pescetarian) ways, but this one is for those meat-lovers in my life.

Specifically, the meat and bourbon lovers -I know those of you are out there. Raise your hands now, and get ready to get them full of sticky, sweet, spicy bourbon barbecue sauce.

Side note: I do have a vegetarian-friendly version of this in the works, but the chicken wings were ready to be shared, and with Memorial Day quickly approaching, I thought you might have a use or two for these sooner rather than later. So stay tuned veg friends – you’re gonna like what I have in store for you.

But my meat loving friends…

Let’s start with the sauce. If you haven’t already checked out the brief post showcasing this sauce, let me give you the synopsis:

It’s finger-lickin’ good.

What would a cookout be without sticky, sweet, spicy sauce coated over juicy, crispy-skinned, cooked to perfection wings? And the kicker is the bourbon – it adds a rich, smoky flavor to the sauce, which is complemented with sweet brown sugar and honey.

So how do you go about making these must-have-right-now wings? Start by marinating them. I’d recommend not skimping on this step, because it’s going to give you juicy, tender, fall off the bone meat.

Then you’ll bake on an oven-safe wire rack (if you have one – if not, I’d highly recommend investing in one! << they’re cheap, see here).

KEY TIP >>> put foil on that baking sheet. If you don’t, you could end up with a ruined pan, not that I know this from experience or anything. Although if you do have caramelized/burnt to a crisp barbecue sauce on your pan because you may or may not have forgotten to put foil on, use some lemon essential oil to get it off. That stuff is magic.

Back to baking on a foiled baking sheet… Take the wings out once they’re nice and crispy, and toss in the straight-up bourbon barbecue sauce. Back on the rack they go, and back in the oven, where the sauce thickens, caramelizes, and becomes this ooey-gooey-goodness smothered all over your tender chicken wings.

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What else is on your Memorial Day weekend menu?  Send me some snaps (@ forkinkitchen), or #forkinthekitchen and show me what you’re making!  I’d love to see!

Bourbon Barbecue Wings

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• Author: Becca | Fork in the Kitchen
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 44 mins
• Total Time: 1 hour 14 minutes
• Yield: 20 wings 1x

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Description

Bourbon Barbecue Wings are marinated and then baked until crispy before they’re smothered with spicy, sweet, sticky Bourbon BBQ Sauce and baked a little longer to achieve caramelized perfection.

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Ingredients

DOUBLE BOURBON BBQ SAUCE RECIPE:

• 1/2 cup Bourbon
• 1 cup ketchup
• 4 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2/3 cup honey
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 4 teaspoons hot sauce
• 4 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• Salt to taste

WINGS:

• 20 chicken wings
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• Salt and Pepper

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Instructions

1. Begin making the sauce: whisk together bourbon, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, honey, brown sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and salt over medium heat. Bring to a simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat.
2. Pat and dry chicken wings. Salt and pepper dried wings. Add to large bowl and coat with 1/2 cup vegetable oil and 1/4 cup of the prepared bourbon barbecue sauce. Set rest of sauce aside. Marinate wings for at least 30 minutes at room temperature, or in the fridge if marinating longer. Remove from fridge at least 15-20 minutes before preparing to cook.
3. Pre-heat oven to 425°F. Cover large baking sheet with foil and place an oven-safe wire rack on top. Place wings on rack, skin side up, and bake for 30-35 minutes until crispy, flipping halfway through. Remove from oven and add wings to clean bowl, coat with a healthy pour of Bourbon Barbecue Sauce (approximately 1 to 1-1/2 cups of sauce – you want plenty of sauce to cover them). Stir to ensure all wings are coated. Return to the wire rack and continue cooking for 8-10 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
4. Serve with additional sauce on side and plenty of wet wipes!

Notes

*You can prepare the sauce ahead of time.

• Category: Appetizer
• Cuisine: Barbecue

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This recipe is part of our State Fair Foods to Make at Home roundup. Check it out!