These smoked mango habanero wings are sweet, smokey, and have just enough spice to take the flavor profile to the next level. I've got to be honest, these are some of my favorite smoked chicken wings that I've made so far.
Smoked Mango Habanero Wings Ingredients
These smoked wings only require a handful of ingredients.
- 2 pounds chicken wings. I love the Bell & Evans brand, they come pre-cut and are always top-notch.
- 2 tbsp cornstarch. To help the wings get crispy on the pellet grill.
- 1 tbsp hot sauce. To help the cornstarch and BBQ rub adhere to the wings. I used a habanero hot sauce from Yellow Bird.
- 2 tbsp chicken rub. Use your favorite wing rub here. I used Texas Sugar by Meat Church.
- 1/4 cup mango habanero sauce. We used our homemade mango habanero sauce.
Smoked Mango Habanero Wings Recipe Instructions
1. Season your wings
In a large bowl, combine your wings, cornstarch, hot sauce, and wing rub. Mix well so the rub adheres well to the wings.
2. Smoke your wings
Preheat your smoker to 250F. For this cook, I used a mix of cherry and apple pellets. Add your wings, and cook for one hour, or until the wings hit an internal temperature of 165F.
3. Make the sauce
While the wings are smoking, make your mango habanero sauce and set aside. The sauce uses only a handful of ingredients and comes together in 15-20 minutes.
4. Increase smoker temperature
Increase the temperature of your smoker to 400F. This is to crisp up the wings. Smoke for 5-10 minutes, or until the skin is to your liking.
5. Sauce the wings
Add the wings to a bowl, and pour the sauce over them until they're well-coated.
6. Return the wings to the smoker
Finally, return the wings to the smoker for 5 more minutes. This will allow the sauce to adhere to the wings and caramelize nicely.
7. Serve & enjoy
Remove the wings from the smoker, and serve with our homemade blue cheese dressing or homemade ranch. YUM.
Smoked Mango Habanero Wings Tips & Tricks
If this is your first time smoking chicken wings, here are a few pointers:
- Smoke until 190F. When you're making other chicken dishes—like smoked chicken breasts or smoked whole chicken—you want to hit an internal temperature of 165F. But wings are different. The meat will still be nice and juicy, while the skin will be nice and crispy.
- Use a sear gun for crispy skin. If you hadn't noticed yet, "crispy skin" is the name of the game when it comes to wings. Nobody wants to eat gummy wings. If you really want to get super crispy skin, I recommend investing in a sear gun, and torching the wings for 30 seconds after you pull them off the smoker. I didn't do it for this particular recipe, but check our another one of my smoked wings recipe to see how it works.
Smoked Mango Habanero Wings
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken wings
- 2 tbsp corn starch
- 1 tbsp hot sauce
- 2 tbsp BBQ rub
- 1/4 cup mango habanero BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Season the wings with the corn starch, hot sauce, and BBQ rub.
- Smoke the wings at 250F for 1 hour
- Prepare the sauce
- Increase the smoker temperature to 400F, and cook the wings for 5-10 minutes
- Add the wings and sauce to a bowl, and combine
- Smoke the wings for 5 more minutes
- Serve with blue cheese and enjoy
