Mexican-Inspired Crispy Chicken Wings

Crispy Chicken Wings, inspired by Mexican flavours, oven baked to perfection, are tossed in lime juice, topped with crumbled cotija cheese, and a bright crema drizzle.

When it comes to chicken wings you can never have enough, and whether you’re feeding two or a game day crowd, ordering in or making them yourself, chicken wings are always a favourite.

In our house, Philip and I have different tastes when it comes to wings. I love crispy chicken wings, oven baked and no sauce, and Philip loves saucy chicken wings, covered in sauce, and did I mention, he likes sauce. 

While two sets of chicken wing flavours isn’t a bad news story, every once in a while we put a Chef Sous Chef spin on two dishes, and combine them into a masterpiece. Enter: Crispy Chicken Wings inspired by Mexican Street Corn. 

Mexican Street Corn is made by grilling corn on the cob, coating it in crema, chili powder and lime, and rolling it in cotija cheese, and our chicken wing version involves a very similar process. 

Start with dry wings, and by dry we mean either leaving them in the fridge or patting them with a paper towel before baking them – this will result in crispy chicken wings, the kind I love. But mixing in Philip’s love of sauce, is where the Mexican flavours come in. Drizzle crema, chili and lime over the crispy chicken wings, and top with crumbled cotija cheese and cilantro.

A chicken wing combo both Philip and I can agree on, the crispness of the skin beats any deep fried wing, with tangy, bright and spicy flavour from the sauce, and the crumble of the cotija cheese.

How to Make Crispy Chicken Wings, Oven Baked:

Dry the Wings

Time permitting, place the chicken wings on a wire cooling rack and place in the fridge, uncovered for at least one hour. This will dry any moisture from the wings, resulting in a crispy skin. If you are in a rush, then you can pat the wings dry with paper towel.

Toss in Olive Oil and Bake

Once the skin of the chicken wings are dry, toss them in a bowl with one teaspoon of chipotle powder and one tablespoon of cooking oil (we prefer extra virgin olive oil, or grapeseed oil). Rearrange the chicken wings back on the wire rack, place on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven for 40 minutes.

Make the Sauce and Toppings

While the wings are baking, make the sauce by placing the crema fresca, mayo, lime zest, lime juice, garlc, chipotle powder, parika, cotija cheese, cilantro, salt and pepper in a blender. Blend on high speed until it forms a smooth and creamy sauce. Transfer sauce to a squeeze bottle, if you have one. If not, just place in a bowl until the wings are cooked.

Dress the Wings and Eat

Once wings are baked, place in bowl and toss with lime juice, salt and pepper. Arrange the baked chicken wings on your serving platter and liberally drizzle with about half the sauce, a handful of cheese, and a sprinkling of cilantro. Serve with carrots, celery and the remaining sauce for dipping.

Mexican-Inspired Crispy Chicken Wings

★★★★★

5 from 6 reviews

Mexican-inspired Crispy Chicken Wings, oven baked to perfection, are tossed in lime juice, topped with crumbled cotija, and a bright and spicy drizzle. They are simple to make and can go from fridge to table in a less than an hour.

• Author: Chef Sous Chef
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 4 servings
• Category: food and drink, appetizer, main, snack
• Method: oven
• Cuisine: North American, Mexican, Fusion

Ingredients

Wings

• 900g chicken wings
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 tsp chipotle powder
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Sauce

• 1/2 cup crema fresca
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp lime zest
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp cotija cheese, crumbled
• 1 tbsp cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 tsp chipotle powder
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Toppings

• 1/4  cup cotija cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Instructions

No. 1 | Arrange the chicken wings in a single layer on a wire cooling rack. Place the rack on a baking sheet and allow the wings to dry in the fridge. Time permitting, allow the wings to dry out for 2-3 hours but if you are making the wings right away, let them dry while preheating the oven.

No. 2 | Preheat oven to 425°. Pat any moisture from the wings using a paper towel. Place the wings in a bowl and drizzle with cooking oil and one teaspoon of chipotle powder. Rearrange the wings on the wire rack and place in the oven to bake for 40 minutes, turning after 25 minutes, then turning again after 35 minutes.

No. 3 | While the chicken wings are baking, make the sauce by adding crema fresca, mayonnaise, zest and juice of one lime, garlic, a tablespoon each of cotija cheese and cilantro, half teaspoon of chipotle powder, paprika, salt and pepper in a blender. Blend on high speed for 30 seconds. Transfer to a squeeze bottle.

No. 4 | Once the wings are baked, toss them in a bowl with the juice of half a lime and a sprinkling of salt and pepper.

No. 5 | To serve, arrange the chicken wings on a plate or platter. Squeeze a little more than half the sauce all over the wings, then sprinkle with a handful of cotija cheese. Top with cilantro. Serve with celery, carrots, and the remaining sauce for dipping.

Notes

• If you do not have a wire cooling rack, then dry the chicken wings out on parchment paper. You can also bake the chicken wings on parchment, but reduce cooking time by 5 minutes.
• Cotija cheese can be substituted with feta cheese, and crema fresca can be substituted with sour cream.

Keywords: super bowl food, Mexican chicken wings, chicken wing recipes, snack ideas, game day food