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Say hello to your new favorite chicken wings recipe! These BBQ Chipotle Wings are coated in a simple chipotle dry rub, baked in the oven and then brushed with a delicious barbecue marinade.
'Tis the season for healthy appetizers, like these bbq chipotle wings!
New Year's Eve is right about the corner, and though this year is a bit different than most, I hope you're still planning on making something delicious at home.
I love prepping quick snack recipes, like this charred crab dip and these dairy-free loaded nachos. Both are perfect for small gatherings, and not surprisingly, they both pair well with chicken wings!
I should also mention that these chipotle wings would pair perfectly with my chipotle aioli, too.
Ingredient notes:
Chicken wings - No real notes here; 1.5 lb. should come out to around 18 wings.
Sugar - Optional. These wings are pretty savory + spicy, so the sugar helps to cut that down a bit and balance out the flavor.
Chipotle seasoning - No substitution; this makes the wings super flavorful + a little spicy; if you're sensitive to spiciness, cut down on the chipotle.
BBQ sauce - Any kind; I used Stubb's original bbq sauce and it was incredible.
Lime juice - Start with 2 tablespoon and add more as needed
Honey + butter - can omit either or both of these if you NEED to; again, I think they pair perfectly with the chipotle and bbq sauce, but they're not absolutely necessary
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Make the dry rub. Begin by stirring the chipotle seasoning, sugar, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper together in a bowl. Then, dip the chicken wings into the dry rub, using your hands to make sure they're completely coated.
Step 2: Bake the chicken wings. Place the wings onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake them for 30 minutes, making sure to flip them half way through.
Step 3: Add the bbq sauce. Last, stir the bbq sauce, lime juice, butter, honey, and chipotle seasoning together. Once the wings are done, brush them with the sauce, then place them back into the oven for 3-5 minutes.
Tips and FAQs
- These wings are already gluten free; if you want to keep them dairy-free as well, simply omit the butter in the bbq sauce and make sure the bbq sauce you're using is dairy-free.
- Always line your baking sheet with parchment paper; otherwise, the wings will stick.
They can be! Simply omit the sugar in the dry rub, and for the sauce, use grass-fed butter or ghee. Oh, and of course make sure the bbq sauce you're using paleo too.
After you're done baking them, place them under the broiler for 3-5 minutes -- that should do the trick! Besides that, spray the wings with a little olive oil spray/avocado oil spray before baking them will help them get nice and crispy too.
More tasty appetizers
If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
BBQ Chipotle Wings
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb. chicken wings
- 2 teaspoon chipotle seasoning
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- olive oil spray/avocado oil spray
for the sauce:
- ½ cup barbecue sauce
- 2 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon honey
- â…› teaspoon chipotle seasoning or more if you want it to be spicy
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Combine dry rub ingredients in a bowl. Dip each chicken wing into the bowl, making sure it's completely coated, then place it on a baking sheet. Repeat this process with all of the wings. Spray the wings with olive oil spray/avocado oil spray (this step is optional, but will help them crisp up even more in the oven).
- Bake chicken wings for 30 minutes, flipping half way through.
- While the wings are cooking, prepare the sauce. Whisk all of the bbq sauce ingredients together in a bowl then set aside. Do a taste test; if you want the sauce to be spicier, add more chipotle seasoning.
- Once wings are baked, brush them with sauce on both sides and place back in the oven for an additional 3-5 minutes.
- Remove from oven and enjoy with your favorite condiment(s)!
Notes
Nutrition
UPDATE NOTE: This post was originally published in January 2017. It was updated with new text and photos in December 2020.
Tim says
Woahoho ! It looks super tasty ! I absolutely need to try this next summer ! Thank you for the recipe 🙂
Maybe I will try this here in Argentina to see what the Argentinians think about it 😉
Jess @hellotofit says
Bahahahha I think you just made honey + wings a thing, my friend. Looks awesome!! The first time I ever tried to do wings at home I totally butchered it - like, BBQ first = soggy wings. EW. It's gotten better since then, fyi 😛
Erin says
HAHA soggy wings mmmmmmm.
Ellie | Hungry by Nature says
My husband has literally been BEGGING me to make wings for him all football season... we're Bears fans and since they are terrible, watching the game is really all about the food for us 😉 anyway, I've never made wings before and am kind of at a loss. These look insanely delicious and so easy and they are definitely making it on my Superbowl menu!
Erin says
Watching sports is ALWAYS about the food 😉 I bet he'd love these!
Marina @ A Dancer's Live-It says
Ummm, hello beautiful. ? I think wings are every man's favorite food haha!
Erin says
I agree!