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Chipotle Chicken Wings with Lime Crema Dipping Sauce

Photo: Christina Holmes

BY Mark Bittman

PUBLISHED April 5, 2024

The secret to grilling saucy bone-in chicken without burning it is to keep it over the cooler part of an indirect fire until it’s cooked through. Then toss the pieces with sauce and put directly over the heat for a final crisping.

 

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Some of the sauces in the variations contain more sugar than others, so be vigilant to avoid scorching; you may have to move the wings to the edges of the fire. Look for crema in the refrigerated section with other Hispanic dairy products. And if you want to save some time, buy “party wings”—already separated into drumettes and wingettes—instead of whole chicken wings.

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Chipotle Chicken Wings with Lime Crema Dipping Sauce

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Makes 6 to 8 servings 1x

Time 45 to 55 minutes

Units Scale

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds chicken wings
  • 3/4 cup Mexican crema, yogurt, or sour cream
  • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1/3 cup chipotle hot sauce
  • 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted
  • 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

Instructions

  1. Start the coals or heat a gas grill for hot indirect cooking. Make sure the grates are clean. If using charcoal, put a drip pan under the indirect side of the grill; for gas, empty and clean the fat trap.
  2. With a chef ’s knife, cut the wings at each joint into 3 sections; save the wing tips for stock if you like.
  3. Whisk the crema, lime juice, and cilantro together in a small serving bowl with some salt; taste and adjust the seasoning. (You can make the sauce ahead, cover it, and refrigerate for up to a day.)
  4. Put the wings on the indirect side of the grill as close to the fire as possible without any danger of fat dripping onto the flames, or the pilot lights of the unlit burners on a gas grill. Close the lid and cook until most of the fat has been rendered from the skin and the wings are cooked through, 25 to 35 minutes. After 10 to 15 minutes, turn the pieces over and rotate 180 degrees for even browning.
  5. While the wings cook, whisk the chipotle sauce, butter, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl. When the wings are cooked, add them to the sauce and toss to coat evenly. Put the wings on the grill directly over the fire and cook, turning once, until they’re browned and the sauce caramelizes,
    2 to 5 minutes per side, depending on how hot the fire is. If you are cooking with a gas grill, turn the heat down to medium or low as needed to keep the sauce from burning. Transfer to a platter and serve with the crema dipping sauce.
— Recipe from How to Grill Everything

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