Apple Bourbon BBQ Grilled Chicken Wings
Apple Bourbon BBQ Sauce is one delicious flavor for grilled chicken wings!
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One of my favorite things about birthdays is chicken wings. Yes, chicken wings. And for the record, I’m not talking about just my birthday. Laura’s birthday. My birthday. Our friends’ birthdays. They all count!
What am I talking about? Well, there’s a neighborhood bar around the corner from us that gives you free wings on your birthday. And get this…you get your age in free chicken wings. Turning 21? That’s 21 wings. 38? That’s 38 wings. You get the picture. If we’re strategic, we can usually find a friend with a birthday and manage to get birthday wings at least once a month.
So this past February, my parents-in-law came up to visit Robbie for a week or so. Coincidentally, my mother-in-law’s birthday was on the day they arrived. And guess what we did? That’s right! We hopped in the car and went and got free wings. 61 of them to be exact. (Although truthfully, we only got 60 wings. We counted.) Anyone at your table can help eat the wings, but you can’t take any home with you. So that left 60 wings and 4 people. And I’m proud to say that we made it! We were beyond full after that, but we made it!
I haven’t always been a fan of wings. I thought it was a lot of work for a little reward. But when we moved up to New York several years back, we discovered a restaurant within walking distance of our apartment that had amazing wings. One bite, and I was hooked. And I haven’t looked back. While we usually go out for wings, I’ve been wanting to try my hand at making grilled chicken wings here at home.
I was wandering through the grocery store the other day, and I stumbled on a new product from KC Masterpiece®. BBQ Sauce Mix & Dry Rub. It’s essentially a packet of seasonings to make your own BBQ sauce or rub…but the fun part is you can adapt the recipe to fit your own tastes. For a sauce, just mix the packet with 3/4 of a cup of liquid. Water, bourbon, soda, juice. It all works! For a marinade, just up the liquid to 1 cup instead. And of course, you can just use the seasoning mix by itself as a rub. Super versatile. Think of all the ideas here! What if you use a splash of orange juice in there? Or perhaps soy sauce?
For my first foray into grilled chicken wings, I decided to use KC Masterpiece BBQ Sauce Mix & Dry Rub Original in sauce form. I mixed up a combination of apple juice, bourbon, cider vinegar and hot sauce. Once the wings were grilled, I generously basted those bad boys with the Apple Bourbon BBQ sauce, and we were good to go. Since wings are normally served fried, we were wondering if we’d still like a grilled version. One bite, and we knew the answer. Bring on the grilled chicken wings! The tasty Apple Bourbon BBQ Sauce combined with the charcoal grill flavor was amazing.
The KC Masterpiece BBQ Sauce Mix & Dry Rub comes in three flavors. I used Original for this recipe, but it also comes in Sweet Honey and Spicy Habanero, too. Oh! That gives me an idea. What if I made a sauce using each of the three varieties? We could invite friends over and have a grilled chicken wings sampler. Yes, this needs to happen. Like this weekend!
Robbie’s first birthday will be coming up in November. You better believe that we’ll be heading up to get him his birthday wing! (Just kidding. Robbie isn’t old enough for wings yet. Guess Dad will just have to help out…)
What is your favorite chicken wing flavor?
Have you ever grilled chicken wings?
Apple Bourbon BBQ Grilled Chicken Wings
Ingredients
For the Marinade
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
For the Apple Bourbon BBQ Sauce
- 1 packet KC Masterpiece BBQ Sauce Mix & Dry Rub Original
- ¼ cup bourbon
- ¼ cup apple juice
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp hot sauce
For the Wings
- vegetable oil for grill
- 3 pounds chicken wings separated into drumsticks and flats, wing tips discarded
Instructions
For the Marinade
- In a large bowl, whisk together all Marinade ingredients (soy sauce, Dijon mustard, garlic, salt and pepper). Add wings and toss until evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
For the Apple Bourbon BBQ Sauce
- In a small bowl, whisk together all Sauce ingredients (KC Masterpiece Dry Rub, bourbon, apple juice and cider vinegar); whisk until smooth. Let sauce rest for 15 minutes to thicken.
For the Wings
- Prepare grill to medium-high heat (~375°-400°F).
- Once hot, dip several paper towels (or use grill basting brush) in vegetable oil. Using grill tongs, rub the grill grates with the oiled towels. (Tip: This will prevent the wings from sticking to grill grates.)
- Place wings on grill over direct heat. Grill, covered and turning occasionally, until wings are browned, crispy and fully cooked (~18-23 minutes).
- Once wings are fully cooked, brush generously with Apple Bourbon BBQ Sauce. (Tip: Turn wings as you coat them to ensure evenly coated with sauce.) Continue grilling wings for 1-2 more minutes.
- Serve hot.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of KC Masterpiece. The opinions and text are all mine.
Looking for more fun grilling recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
Grilled Caprese Crostini
Grilled Pork Tenderloin
Grilled Stuffed Flank Steak
