Everybody loves a good chicken wing. At my restaurant, we marinate our wings in hot sauce and BBQ rub for hours, then season them again before putting on a smoker. After smoking, we flash fry them to order to get them uber crispy, then toss them in our guests selection of seasoning or sauce. Our most popular choice, by far, is our BBQ Dry Rub wings seasoned with my Classic Rub. Much like a dry or wet rib, their is a huge difference in flavor between a wing tossed in wet sauce and one tossed in dry rub. This take for Rotisserie Chicken Wings with Jalapeños is my home twist on our restaurant recipe.
Marinating the wings
I’m using my Bold Rub, my new Cajun Garlic sauce, and a commercial hot wing sauce to marinate the wings. Allow them to marinate at least 2 hours, but 6-8 hours will be even better. After marinating, shake off any excess liquid then lay on a sheet pan in a single layer. Season them again with BBQ rub, then place in a rotisserie basket. For this, I’m using a Primo XL with their rotisserie attachment and basket. I like to let the dome temp run up to 300 degrees, and I used some apple wood along with lump charcoal to add some smoky goodness.
Why cook wings in a rotisserie?
When the wings are in a rotisserie basket, they will get crispier and taste more like a fried wing, but with all that added smokiness and charcoal flavor. The tumbling effect keeps the wings consistently cooking throughout the process. I let them cook for about 30 minutes (lid closed) and check on them as you go. As always, I suggest a good instant read thermometer. With all chicken, you’ll want it to get above 165 degrees internal temperature before consuming. I personally prefer to let my wings get in to the 175-185 range to ensure doneness and a better texture.
Take your Wings to the Next Level
One of my favorite things about cooking Rotisserie Wings is the ability to roast peppers right along with the wings. After the wings look fairly cooked (i.e., the skin is no longer moist and is starting to crisp,) I like to add some fresh jalapeños to the basket. For reference, I wait until the internal temp of the wings is around 130 to 140 degrees. Add your peppers and let them roast along with the wings. The basket will help skin the peppers as they roast, much as you see people roasting chilis in New Mexico. If you have a real heat lover in the family, feel free to substitute serranos or habaneros instead. The flavor of the wings will gain some of that roasted pepper flavor and be soooo good.
As always, I hope you enjoy. Now get out there and grill!
Want some other chicken recipes? Try my Pink Butcher Paper Chicken and Smoked Chicken “Peruvian Style”
