Get that grill fired up and your taste buds ready for some massive flavor. These Grilled Margarita Tequila Lime Chicken Wings are about the best thing you might make this month. These are a great appetizer and backyard party dish, so give this recipe a try. You might find that this becomes a part of your regular rotation!
Tequila Lime Chicken Wings Summary
We may be changing gears from the typical Margarita, but we are not leaving margarita flavors behind. In fact, the margarita flavors are what make this so delicious, it is just that we are going to be laying down some margarita flavors in wing form. This Grilled Margarita Tequila Lime Chicken Wings recipe is a special one for me, as I love wings. Being able to develop this recipe has been particularly fun. Join me as we fire up the grill and make some Grilled Margarita Tequila Lime Chicken Wings.
Grilling Wings - Getting That Crispy Skin
Wings in a deep fat fryer are simple and you can find my Sweet and Spicy Dry Rub Chicken Wings Recipe here if that is the kind of recipe you are looking for. With a deep-fried wing, you are almost guaranteed to get a nice crispy skin because you are cooking it in fat.
Even in the oven, I have learned to get some great crispiness using Alton Brown’s wing method that uses fat that already exists in the wing. Cooking great wings on the grill is just a bit tougher. The fundamental issue with grilling wings is getting that nice fried flavor on the skin while still cooking the wings all the way through.
There are a few tricks to help make this successful.
Don’t break down the wing
If I cook wings in a fryer or oven, I will separate the drumstick from the wing, and remove the tip. Leave it all intact when you grill. This will allow a greater chance of any fat from the wing to stay in the wing and cook the skin. We don’t want that fat dripping down into the grill.
Sear them Tequila Lime Chicken Wings
For these wings, I generated two cooking zones in my grill. One side of my grill is hot, but the other will only cook by indirect heat. So, I start on the hot side for 10 minutes and then move them to the indirect heat side of the grill. This allows us to establish a nice crunch on the skin and then heat the wings all the way through
Thermometer - Get One
Use a thermometer. If you don’t have one, get one [Affiliate Link]. We need our chicken at 165 Fahrenheit. Another nuance of this process is that if you just plunge your thermometer into the skin, you might release some precious juices. When temping these guys, try and avoid puncturing the skin and I tend to temp them in the fat part of the chicken drumstick.
Raw chicken wings that have been salted and peppered.
Just baking them tasty wings on the grill.
Margherita Sauce for Our Tequila Lime Chicken Wings
I was pretty excited to get this sauce developed. It took some time, but I think I found a wing sauce that accurately represents the flavors of a margarita and work great in this tequila lime chicken recipe. Besides the obvious additions of Tequila and Lime, we ended up adding some other ingredients that helped bring the flavors out of these Margarita Tequila Lime Chicken Wings.
Sambal Oelek
I am in love with Sambal Oelek. Imagine something that is sort of like Sriracha, but maybe a little less sweet and tastes more of the chili and vinegar. Oh, fear not, there is room for both in your fridge. I have found that I tend to use Sriracha more as a condiment (think eggs, ramen, etc), while I use Sambal Oelek more often when I cook. Both are awesome and the bold chili bite seemed more appropriate for these wings. If you don't have Sambal, you can use chili sauce or sriracha as a substitute.
There are really two parts to this recipe. The chicken is important, but then we are also tossing our grilled wings in a sauce. The chicken is the main character in the dish and the sauce is the supporting cast. The supporting cast is often times just as important as the main character in a movie. I think we found our Oscar in the Margarita Tequila Lime Chicken Wings.
Saucepan with melted butter and the ingredients for the sauce in the background.
Stirring the tequila lime chicken sauce on the stovetop after I have added the cornstarch thickening agent.
Thickened tequila lime chicken sauce before it has been tossed with the chicken wings.
Tips For Making Great Margarita Tequila Lime Chicken Wings
- If you don’t have a digital thermometer, get one. We need our chicken at 165 Fahrenheit to be safe.
- Either cook your sauce inside or if your grill has a side station, you can cook it there.
- If you don't have, or cannot find, Sambal Oelek, you could use Sriracha or any other chili sauce as a substitute.
- It only seems fitting that you serve it with a Perfect Margarita Cocktail or maybe a Frozen Strawberry Margarita.
- When temping your wings, doing so in the fat part of the drummie can help prevent fat from escaping.
Products I Used In This Recipe
Did You Try This Recipe?
Awesome! Let me know how it went in the comments section below. I really appreciate you giving these wings a try and when you leave comments it helps me improve, but also lets other people know what you think about this recipe. If you also shared this on Facebook or Pinterest, it would also help me out a bunch, as well. Once again thanks for giving it a try and you can get regular updates by subscribing to my email.
PrintGrilled Margarita Tequila Lime Chicken Wings
All of the Chicken Wings with a Margarita Kick. These Grilled Margarita Tequila Lime Chicken Wings are tasty and a great addition to your grilling arsenal.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 Wings 1x
- Category: Appetizers
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
For Margarita Tequila Lime Sauce Sauce:
- 4 Tablespoons Butter
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- ¼ cup water
- 2 Teaspoons Sambal Oelek
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- ½ cup tequila
For Wings:
- 8 Chicken Wings
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, To Taste
Instructions
- Turn medium saucepan to medium low and add butter
- Add cornstarch to small dish and add in water. Stir and set aside
- Once butter has melted, add Sambal Oelek, lime juice, and sugar to saucepan and stir together
- Add tequila
- Bring to a boil and allow to boil for approximately 5 minutes
- Re-stir cornstarch slurry and add to boiling sauce
- Continue stirring until sauce thickens
- Remove and set aside
- Preheat Grill to 425, but make sure there is a direct heat zone and an indirect heat zone
- Salt and pepper wings liberally
- Place wings, skin side down, onto the hot side of the grill and allow to cook for 5 minutes
- Turn and cook an additional 5 minutes
- Move to indirect heat and allow to cook for 10 minutes
- Take the temp. If it is less than 165, flip and wait 5 minutes.
- Repeat the last step until the chicken reaches an internal temp of 165.
- In a large bowl toss wings and sauce together until fully coated.
- Serve
Notes
- If you don’t have a digital thermometer, get one. We need our chicken at 165 Fahrenheit to be safe.
- Either cook your sauce inside or if your grill has a side station, you can cook it there.
- If you don't have, or cannot find, Sambal Oelek, you could use Sriracha or any other chili sauce as a substitute.
- It only seems fitting that you serve it with a Perfect Margarita Cocktail or maybe a Frozen Strawberry Margarita.
- When temping your wings, doing so in the fat part of the drummie can help prevent fat from escaping.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 Wings
- Calories: 378 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 630 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 23 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 14 g
- Cholesterol: 64 mg
Keywords: Tequila Lime Chicken
Jeff the Chef
I am also a Sambal Oelek fan! I have no doubt I'd also be a fan of these chicken wings! They sound delicious.