Warm Up Wings & Tenders

The Super Bowl is coming up, and you know what that means – wings! I have a new sweet and spicy recipe that I want to try on game day, but I wanted to test it out first with a smaller audience. Of course, my dear wife had to whip out her Weight Watcher’s smart phone app and inform me that wings were 3 points a piece.

Ouch.

But tenders are only a point per ounce, so we made some compromises.

1 1/2 pounds chicken wings (about 6 wings)
1 pound chicken breast tenders
1 – 2 tablespoons of your favorite barbecue rub (Dizzy Pig Jamaican Firewalk, in this case)
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 cup honey
1/2 cup butter
1 cup Frank’s Original hot sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

I set the Big Green Egg up for an indirect cook at 400°F, using the inverted plate setter to diffuse the heat.

While the grill was heating up, I seasoned the wings and tenders with Jamaican Firewalk and a little fresh ground sea salt. Then I made the sauce by combining the pepper, honey, butter, Frank’s, Worcestershire, and garlic in a small saucepan over medium heat.

Knowing that the tenders would cook a lot faster than the wings, I arranged the wings in the middle of the grate and put the tenders around them. I closed the lid and let everything cook for ten minutes. Then I flipped the tenders and let them go for another 5 minutes.

At this point they were pretty much done, so I sauced both sides and let them go another 5 minutes. Then sauced them again, pulled them off the grill, and moved them to an oven set on Warm.

I flipped the wings and let them go 20 minutes. They were looking nice and crispy brown, so I sauced them on both sides, let them cook for another 10 minutes. Then sauced them again and moved them inside.

The Verdict: ★★★★½
For my first try, I am very happy with this sauce. The honey adds just enough sweetness to offset the heat and the vinegary tang. While the Frank’s gave off a nice warm background heat, the real spice came from the Firewalk. The end result was just hot enough to make me reach for an adult beverage, but not so hot as to haunt me later.

I really like the Firewalk rub, but lacking that you could add some cayenne to the sauce to boost the heat. Next time I might add a touch of brown sugar and vinegar to bump the sweet/tangy ratio up a bit.

The Nutrition: While they’re not fried, the wings are still 3 Weight Watcher’s points a piece. The tenders are 1 point per ounce. So 2 wings, 2 tenders, some veggies, and add another point for the sauce and the meal is still only 9 points. The sauce is 1 point per tablespoon, but using it instead of bleu cheese dressing for dipping saved some points too.

ONE YEAR AGO – Ze Boeuf

TWO YEARS AGO – Football Food – Chili & Wings

 

6 thoughts on “Warm Up Wings & Tenders”

  1. I think the combination of Franks, bbq sauce, honey and Worcestershire sauce sounds like a winner … especially if it had you grabbing for an adult beverage.

  2. Have you thought about trying to grill your wings direct? I have tried it twice, direct @ 325F for 35-40min (flipping halfway). They come out great. I guess you would need to be more careful about charring them over the direct flame.

    Another question. Since you cooked them indirectly do you really need to flip the wings?

    1. I’ve done them raised, direct at 350°F and been happy with the results as well. I had roasted a chicken with the indirect setup and just left it that way when I did the wings. Both ways work well, but I have the best luck if I can get the wings up a little higher in the dome as they turn out crispier.

      Even with the indirect setup, I flipped the wings just to even the cooking out a bit. I think if helps move the fat around and crisp the skin.

  3. I’ll have to try indirect, especially because of your crispy skin claim. That’s one area where my wings can use some work. Good thing I have a while week to prepare for the Super Bowl!

Comments are closed.

%d bloggers like this: