This cranberry habanero wings recipe adds some extra flavor and fire to cranberry chicken wings for the holiday season. The zesty cranberry wings are finger-lickin’ good!
The wings are brined overnight, then fried and tossed in the most amazing cranberry habanero wing sauce and served with a deliciously cool and creamy ginger cinnamon crema for one heck of a flavor explosion.
BRINING HOT WINGS
Divide the wings in half and place into two gallon-sized freezer bags. Into each bag, add a tablespoon of kosher salt and a liter of cranberry ginger ale. Seal the bags tightly, place in refrigerator and let wings brine overnight.
The wings will have a pinkish shade from the soda. Drain the wings and pat dry.
WING SAUCE INGREDIENTS
Scroll down to find printable recipe card with exact ingredient amounts and directions.
- fresh cranberries
- habaneros (adjust the amount to your spiciness comfort level, or leave out completely)
- pomegranate juice
- brown sugar
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- cold butter, cut into pats
In a food processor or heavy-duty blender, puree the cranberries, habaneros, pomegranate juice, brown sugar, kosher salt and black pepper until smooth.
Pour into a medium saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. Let sauce reduce to about half (about 20 minutes), then add pats of cold butter to the simmering sauce and whisk until fully incorporated. Set aside.
You can refrigerate and reheat later, if you’d like. Sauce will thicken up upon refrigeration but will thin back out a bit when reheated.
GINGER CINNAMON CHIPOTLE CREMA
- sour cream
- chipotles in adobo sauce
- fresh ginger
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- ground ginger
- orange zest
Place all ingredients in a food processor or heavy-duty blender and puree until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until the wings are ready to serve.
FRYING THE CRANBERRY CHICKEN WINGS
You’ll need to fry the wings in batches as it’s important not to overfill a fryer.
Preheat the oil to 350 degrees then fry the wings for 8-12 minutes. You may be tempted to pull the chicken out early because the cranberry pigmentation from brining will make them look darker and appear done, but let them cook until they’re golden and crisp to ensure the chicken is cooked through.
Remove the wings from the fryer, strain and place in a bowl. Repeat the frying process with the remaining wings.
They look delicious already and they don’t even have the sauce on them yet.
When all the wings have been cooked, place them in a bowl and toss with the prepared cranberry habanero wing sauce until fully coated.
Tip: I put the wings in a bowl with a lid, add the sauce and then shake, shake, shake to coat.
Put the prepared crema in small ramekins and serve with the hot wings. You won’t even believe your taste buds. This is a killer habanero wing sauce recipe and will be a huge hit!
RECIPE FAQ
Either a food processor or a heavy-duty juicer mixer grinder. I have this unit and it does a heck of a job!
The sauce can be made ahead, kept refrigerated and reheated. The crema can also be made ahead and refrigerated, but it may need a good stir before serving. You could prepare both of them the evening before when you’re prepping the wings for brining.
Use a neutral-flavored oil with a high smoke point, such as vegetable oil or canola oil.
Fill a deep pan halfway with oil and preheat to 350 degrees. Use a deep-fry thermometer to ensure your oil is at the right temperature and check again between batches. Gently place chicken wings in oil and turn after several minutes to ensure chicken is being cooked evenly on all sides. Cook until golden brown and crispy.
This really comes down to preference. I don’t care for the round Presto Daddy-type fryers. I’ve had one and wasn’t thrilled. For the last five year or so, I’ve been using a 3-liter stainless steel fryer in a rectangle shape. It’s not made anymore but this one is very similar.
Love wings? Try these other chicken wing recipes.
Asian wings
Ranch buffalo wings
Chicken buffalo bites
Cranberry Habanero Wings
Ingredients
WINGS
- 4-5 pounds chicken wings split and tips removed
- 2 liters cranberry ginger ale
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
CRANBERRY POMEGRANATE WING SAUCE
- ½ cup fresh cranberries
- 1 to 2 whole fresh habaneros use to your liking of spiciness, or omit completely if desired (I used 3)
- 1 cup pom pomegranate juice
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tbsp cold butter cut into 1 tbsp size tabs
GINGER CINNAMON CHIPOTLE CREMA
- 16 oz sour cream
- 1 whole canned chipotle plus 2 tbsp adobo sauce from can
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger peeled and grated finely or minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- zest of 1 orange
Instructions
- Divide wings evenly into two-gallon size freezer bags, add 1 tablespoon kosher salt and 1 liter of ginger ale to each bag, seal and refrigerate overnight to brine (12-24 hours).
- The next day: Drain and pat dry. Preheat fryer oil to 350 degrees. Once oil is to temperature, carefully begin deep frying your wings in batches sized appropriately to your fryer or pot until golden brown and crispy, 8-12 minutes. Remove from oil, strain to remove excess oil. Toss with wing sauce and serve with crema for dipping.
- CRANBERRY POMEGRANATE WING SAUCE
- Puree all ingredients except for butter in food processor or blender until smooth. Pour into a medium saucepot and bring to a gentle simmer. Continue cooking and stirring to let sauce reduce to about half. Add cold butter to sauce and whisk until fully incorporated.
GINGER CINNAMON CHIPOTLE CREMA
- Place all ingredients in a food processor and puree to smooth. Refrigerate until serving.
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