Baked Mango Habanero Wings
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These Mango Habanero Wings are baked in the oven until crispy and coated with a fiery mango habanero sauce! The sweet and spicy flavors are totally irresistible. The perfect appetizer for Game Day and other get-togethers!
Hot Mango Habanero Chicken Wings
You’ve probably had mango habanero wings at restaurants, and I’ve tried them at Buffalo Wild Wings, Domino’s and Wingstop to name a few. But nothing beats making your own crispy oven-baked chicken wings with homemade mango habanero sauce! They’re so much better than takeout, plus you can control the heat to your liking.
Serve them up for Game Day, a party or just a movie night and watch the rave reviews come in. Our friends who love spicy recipes go crazy for them!
Ingredients and Substitutes
So there are two parts to this recipe: the wings and the sauce. Here are the ingredients you’ll need:
- Chicken Wings: You can use any mix you like of drumettes, wingettes and tips. If they’re frozen, be sure to thaw completely first.
- Flour: All-purpose flour or cornstarch will work to coat the wings.
- Baking powder: The key to making the wings crispy. I recommend using aluminum-free brands if possible.
- Seasonings: Garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Mango: You can use fresh or frozen mango for this recipe. Follow these tips on how to tell if a mango is ripe.
- Habanero peppers: Available at many supermarkets, unripe habaneros are green with less heat while riper peppers are yellow/orange/red and hotter. Scotch bonnets are the closest substitute, but use jalapenos if you want less heat.
- Garlic: Use resh garlic to enhance the flavor.
- Lime juice: Fresh lime is best.
- Cider vinegar: Adds acidity to moderate the heat slightly.
- Honey: Adds some sweetness and helps to make the sauce sticky.
Spicy & Sweet Mango Habanero Wing Sauce
My philosophy is not complicated: bring out the taste of fresh mango and habanero peppers! Some recipes add in jalapeño (Sriracha), cayenne or paprika, but they just create flavor confusion in my opinion.
You’ll need mango, habanero peppers, garlic, lime juice, cider vinegar, and honey to make the sauce.
How to Make Mango Habanero Wings
1. Prepare chicken wings: Coat the wings in seasoned flour or cornstarch. We’ve included baking powder, which is a secret ingredient that helps them to really crackle and become crispy.
2. Bake the wings: Bake them for 30 minutes at 425 degrees F.
3. Bland mango and habanero: Blend the mango chunks, habanero peppers, garlic, vinegar and lime juice. It should become fairly uniform and smooth with a bright orange-y color.
4. Make mango habanero sauce: Add the mixture and honey to a saucepan. Boil it down for about 5 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly into a glaze to coat the chicken wings.
5. Brush the wings with the mango habanero sauce: Brush the sauce onto the wings.
6. Bake again: Bake for 10 more minutes to caramelize. Then they’re ready to eat!
Tips for the Best Mango Habanero Chicken Wings
- I recommend wearing latex gloves when handling the chilis. There’s nothing worse than rubbing your eyes or nose after handling these fiery peppers!
- If you need relief from the heat, chew on some bread or cooked rice. Dairy such as milk or yogurt will help as well, but avoid water which can add to the scorching sensation.
Scoville Scale for Mango Habanero Wings
Habanero peppers are very hot, registering 100,000 to 350,000 Scoville heat units. As for the mango habanero sauce, it comes in at 100,000 plus or minus depending on how ripe the peppers are and whether you include the seeds.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Mango Habanero Wings Spicy? Yes, they are fiery but the mango cuts through the heat somewhat and you can control the heat by using less ripe chilis and scraping out the seeds.
What do Mango Habanero Wings Taste Like? They are sweet and spicy with a fruity taste from the mango. The sauce is also thick and sticky.
Where to Buy Mango Habanero Sauce? Bottled varieties are widely available in stores like Walmart and online.
How to Serve Mango Habanero Chicken Wings? You can serve them just like any other wings with carrot and celery sticks and a dipping sauce such as ranch.
More Chicken Recipes You’ll Like
Mango Habanero Wings Recipe
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 2 pounds chicken wings, fresh or frozen
- 1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, optional
Mango Habanero Wing Sauce
- 1 ½ cups mango chunks, fresh or frozen (1 large ripe mango)
- 3-5 habanero peppers, stems removed and seeded if you want less heat* (see note)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, or similar vinegar
- 1 lime, juiced
- ¼ cup honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425ºF (218ºC), setting the rack in the middle position. Line a large baking sheet with parchment and then fit with a wire rack.
- In a medium bowl, mix the baking powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Pat dry the chicken wings with a double layer of paper towels. Then add the wings to the bowl and toss to coat evenly with the baking powder mixture. Then place on the prepared baking sheet rack.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes until somewhat crispy, flipping the wings halfway through using kitchen tongs.
- While the wings are baking, make the mango habanero sauce. Add the mango chunks, habaneros, garlic, vinegar and lime juice to a blender or food processor. Process until uniform and smooth with an orange color.
- Add the mango habanero sauce and honey to a small saucepan. Place onto medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring to help the honey dissolve. Let it bubble for 3-4 minutes and then remove from the heat.
- Remove the wings from the oven. One-by-one brush each wing with the mango habanero sauce to coat completely.
- Return to the oven to bake for 10 minutes more or until slightly caramelized** (see note). Remove from the oven and serve with vegetable sticks and/or your favorite dipping sauce.
Equipment
Notes
- *Habaneros: When shopping you can choose green unripe habaneros for less heat, or yellow/orange/red for more heat. If you’re going to cut them open and scrape out seeds for less heat, it’s a good idea to use gloves to avoid burns. If you can’t find any, use scotch bonnets or substitute a milder chili like jalapeños.
- **Final Baking: If the wings are not browning as much as you’d like, you can try turning on the broiler for 3-5 minutes. To verify doneness, you can always insert an instant-read thermometer into a larger wing and look for a reading of 165ºF.
- If you need relief from the spiciness, try consuming dairy products such as milk/yogurt or eating some bread. Do not drink water, which will intensify the heat.
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Super hot🥵🥵 can’t even taste the flavor through the heat!! I even put more mango then instructed and more honey and didn’t do much to mellow it
Can you use an air fryer to make the chicken wings?
Hi Kaitlyn, Yes you can use the air fryer. I just find it cannot do more than about a dozen wings at once, which is not much. A large baking sheet in the oven can do 30-40 wings. Hope that helps!
These really bring the heat with such a burst of flavor! My husband loved them and we’re going to make them again soon. Thanks
Hi Wilma, That’s amazing to hear and so glad you enjoyed! Thanks for your comment