Hatch Chile Lime Wings

Hatch Chili Lime Wings

Since the season for Hatch Chilies is so short, I thought I’d take advantage of it and see how many ways I could use them. If you’ve been following this blog or know me, then you probably figured I’d find a way to incorporate them into wings. What can I say? They are my 5th food group as Mrs. G jokingly refers to them.

Roasting some peppers on the Mini Big Green Egg

Still being a newbie to Hatch Chilies, I thought I’d start off doing a search on the internet for wing recipes. I was kind of shocked that I was not able to find one, maybe you are a better searcher than me, but darned if I wasn’t able to stumble along anything. I did find a recipe that used green chilies, so I thought I would use that as a base and develop my own.

Ingredients

• 5 Hatch Chilies (I suppose you could use Anaheim if Hatch isn’t available)
• 2 jalapenos
• 3/4 cup of freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 2 Tbsp paprika
• 1 Tbsp McCormick’s Grill Mates Lemon Pepper with Herbs
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1Tbsp salt
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2.5 lbs chicken wings

Grill the wings at 400F using a raised direct method if using a Kamado style grill

Directions

1. Preheat your grill (or broiler) to 500F
2. Roast Hatch chilies and jalapeno peppers until blackened on all sides (10-15 minutes)
3. Remove peppers from the grill and place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to cool. This process with help steam the peppers and make peeling the skins off easier.
4. While waiting for the peppers to cool, add the rest of the ingredients (minus the chicken) to a food processor or blender.
5. Once the peppers have cooled enough to handle, remove the skins and cut off the stems. Slice open the peppers, lay flat and using a knife scrape out the seeds and veins and discard (you can reserve some of the seeds if you prefer hotter wings).
6. Add the peppers to the food processor and puree. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
7. Place the chicken wings in a gallon zip lock bag and add the marinade. I like to put the bag in a bowl or casserole dish in case there are any leaks. Put the chicken in the refrigerator and allow to marinate for 2-8 hours.
8. Preheat your grill to 400F. If using a Kamado style grill (like the BGE) set it up for a raised direct cook. For other grills, set up a two zone fire, one hot and one warm.
9. Remove the wings from the marinade reserving the marinade. Bring the marinade to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for at least 10 minutes.
10. Grill the wings for about 30 minutes, flipping and basting with the marinade every five minutes. If using a grill other than a Kamado style grill, you may need to shuffle the wings around to avoid flare ups or burning. Chicken is done when it reaches 165F, but I generally take mine to about 175. It allows more of the fat to melt off.

Time to eat

I was quite surprised by these wings. At first, you get a strong taste of lime, followed by an earthy flavor from the peppers along with a touch of smoke from cooking over lump charcoal. Finally, a slight burn on the lips begins to develop after eating two or three. Not too much, just enough to remind you of the Hatch Chilies and jalapeno peppers that were in the marinade. I never did get much of a mouth burn, however, which sort of surprised me. I thought the addition of the jalapeno peppers would have made it hotter.

I would have to say that these are probably some of the most unique wings I’ve ever had due to the addition of the fresh squeezed lime juice. Heat and citrus, who would’ve thunk it? Definitely a top five for me in the wing category. Once Hatch Chile season is gone, I’ll have to try them with Anaheim peppers and see if they work. I really hope I don’t have to wait until next year when Hatch Chiles come back.

Since Mrs. G was out of town, this was a sit in front of the TV kinda meal. Poor Olie didn’t get any.