Oh, wings. You gotta love those flavorful little nonfunctioning chicken parts. When they’re good, they’re real good. And these little guys from Jimmy Buffett’s chain of island-themed restaurants rock my tiny inflatable boat. The preparation is no big secret: fry the wings, add the sauce. But it’s that habanero honey sauce recipe that makes these suckers so addicting. Add to that an easy-to-make mango ranch dipping sauce and you’re off on a nonstop cruise to chicken wing paradise. The restaurant serving size is for 10 wings, but these Top Secret sauces will be enough for 30 wings, and you’ll need it! If I have one word of caution it’s to be very careful mincing that habanero. You may even want to use rubber gloves to handle it. This is the hottest pepper in the world, folks, so if you touch the minced pieces with your bare fingers, and then proceed to touch a crucial and sensitive body part, you’ll discover one big “mistaica” real fast.
MAKES 10 WINGS (PLUS SAUCE FOR 20 MORE)
INGREDIENTS:
- 6 to 10 cups vegetable oil (as required by fryer)
- 10 chicken wings
- Salt
- Pepper
HABANERO HONEY SAUCE:
- 1 cup water
- I 6-ounce can tomato paste
- ½ cup Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup molasses
- 1 teaspoon minced habanero
- pepper (1 pepper)
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon dried minced onion
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon liquid hickory smoke
- ⅓ cup white vinegar
MANGO RANCH DIPPING SAUCE:
- 1 8-ounce bottle Hidden Valley
- Ranch dressing
- ¼ cup mango juice (Kern’s is good)
- ½ jolapeno, minced
ON THE SIDE:
- Cucumber sticks
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Prepare habanero honey sauce by combining all ingredients except the vinegar in a large saucepan. bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer sauce for 1 hour uncovered, or until sauce reduces to about half of its original volume and thickens. Remove sauce from heat, mix in ⅓ cup white vinegar and cover.
- Make the mango ranch dipping sauce by combining the ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and chill sauce until needed.
- In your deep fryer, bring 6 to 10 cups of vegetable oil (or whatever is required by your fryer) to 375 degrees.
- Drop in the wings and fry for 8 to 12 minutes or until the wings become golden brown. Drain wings for a few minutes on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Put wings in a large metal or glass bowl, add ½ cup of the habanero honey sauce and toss the wings until they are all coated. Serve with dipping sauce on the side and cucumber sticks, if desired.
