Honey-Lime Baked Chicken Wings with Tequila Chipotle Glaze

This easy baked chicken wings recipe is sponsored by Altos Tequila. As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make this site (and my personal fiestas) possible!

I’m a firm believer that wing night is not something that needs to be confined to watching the big game with friends. In fact, I’ve found through recent personal experience that consuming a plate of these Honey-Lime Baked Chicken Wings all by yourself while watching a Rom Com marathon is an ideal Friday night. With those high high’s and low low’s, on and off screen, what could be better than eating your feelings and letting that pile of napkins serve double duty for your fingers and tear ducts?

I’ve been known to be what many call an “ugly crier.” And since it takes far less than a Ryan Gosling rain-soaked canoe ride to get the emotional roller coaster a-coasting (like, say, a really good retirement commercial), I like to save the heavy stuff for nights when I’m alone.

The same goes for chicken wings. I’m not sure if anyone could be classified as a graceful wing eater. But it’s definitely another activity that I’ve felt compelled to do on my own time.

When I was growing up, the only time my mom made chicken wings was when my dad was out of town. He wasn’t a fan of eating them at the dinner table because of the inherent barbarism. (He’s a pescatarian now, so that could have been some very early foreshadowing.)

As I’ve gotten more lady-like in my old age, my wing consumption has remained remarkably the same: aggressive, intimate and sloppy. Much like I’d hope a real life encounter with Ryan Gosling would be. To do the meat-to-bone ratio justice,there’s really no way around eating wings this way. And so like my mother and I used to do, I save these meals for special occasions. Which is very much what I classify a night alone on the couch to be.

As an only child, I’ve always been very passionate about “me time.” And since making the leap to cohabitating with my significant other last year, it’s become an even bigger necessity. I used to reserve my rare nights alone for the lazy lady’s essentials: Netflix and Pad Thai. That first part has remained the same. But ever since The Wellness Project curbed my take-out addiction, I try to do it up right. To treat (frost?) myself with something homemade that hits all those same healthy-hedonism notes.

As far as guilty pleasures go, these easy baked chicken wings could be much worse. I’ve taken care of the fat issue by rendering the skin in the oven until crispy. I advise pouring off some of the fat halfway through if you don’t have a wire rack, since that will detract from the crispy and health factors. See my recipe notes for how to do this safely.

The sauce is where a little more hedonism comes in. I try to live a sweet-free life these days, but nothing makes for a better wing than the right balance of sugar and spice. My glaze uses a little of the adobo sauce from a can of chipotles to achieve the latter, and a modest amount of honey. The secret ingredient, though, involves something even saucier: Altos Tequila, a tequila forged with similar Ryan Gosling-level passion. Together with a little lime juice, this gives the sauce an extra special savoriness.

If you’re not as passionate about “me time” as I am, these easy honey-lime baked chicken wings would of course make for an excellent tailgate or Sunday football treat. But enjoying them alone will allow even more wiggle room to lick the tequila-chipotle sauce from your fingers. And quite possibly the pan. After all, there’s a time to be ladylike, and fortunately, it’s not when there are a pile of wings in the room.

Other tasty gluten-free chicken recipe ideas:

• Gluten-Free Chicken Tenders
• Greek Lemon Chicken and Potatoes
• Crispy Gluten-Free Fried Chicken
• Kalamata Olive Chicken
• Gluten-Free Butter Chicken
• Baked Gluten-Free Chicken Meatballs
• Gluten-Free Sesame Chicken
• Sheet Pan Gluten-Free Chicken with Ginger

From one healthy, wing-loving hedonist, to another,

Phoebe

Honey-Lime Baked Chicken Wings with Tequila Chipotle Glaze

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Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Author Phoebe Lapine

Ingredients

• 2 pounds chicken wings (about a dozen)
• Sea salt & pepper
• 1/4 cup Altos Tequila Plata
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons adobo sauce, from 1 can chipotle in adobo (see note)
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced on the bias, for garnish

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange the wings in an even layer. Season generously with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes, or until the wings are crispy and golden. Remove the pan and carefully pour off any excess fat (see note). Flip the wings and return to the oven for another 15 minutes, or until browned on both sides.
• Meanwhile, make the glaze: in a small saucepan, combine the tequila, coconut oil, honey, lime juice, and adobo. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook over medium heat, swirling the pan occasionally, until a thick syrupy-like consistency that coats the sides of the pan, 3 minutes.
• Remove the wings from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes before transferring to a large bowl and tossing with the glaze.
• Garnish with scallions or cilantro and enjoy piping hot as an appetizer.

Notes

The wings will be their crispiest if they don’t pool in their own oil. If you have a wire rack that fits in your baking sheet – use it! Otherwise, when you remove the pan from the oven, carefully tilt it into the sink. A turkey baster works well for this. And you can always remove the wings to a bowl while you do this step to make it easier. If the wings haven’t rendered too much oil though, don’t worry about it.

If you make this, tag @phoebelapine and #feedmephoebe – I’d love to see it!

This easy baked chicken wings recipe is sponsored by Altos Tequila. As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make this site (and my personal fiestas) possible!

For more great recipes and tequila inspo, visit: Altos Tequila Field Notes Altos Tequila Twitter Altos Tequila Instagram