Pineapple Habanero Wings – Cooking With Fire
These pineapple habanero wings are patted dry chicken wings tossed with some olive oil and poultry seasoning. Grill them between 300 and 350°F until the skin is crisp and they read 185°F on the inside. Reduce pineapple, honey, lime, garlic and habanero in a pan for about 15 minutes and add a cornstarch slurry to thicken. Toss with the wings in a bowl. Sweet, followed by spicy. My Grilled Chicken Wings have no sauce to reduce and feature three flavors on one grill. These wings are one flavor and the sauce is what makes them.
Dark meat. Wings can go past 165°F and still be juicy. Bringing them up to 185°F helps render the fat and get a crispy skin on the grill. Not rubbery. I pull every wing I make at 185°F for that reason.
Game day, tailgate or Tuesday. Dip with ranch or blue cheese. Carrots and celery if you’re feeling fancy. A stack of napkins either way.
Quick Look: Pineapple Habanero Wings
- Method: Dry them off, oil, season, grill and toss with a pineapple habanero sauce
- Grill temp: 300 to 350°F
- Time on the grill: Approximately 35 to 50 minutes depending on the wings, flipping frequently
- Done when: Crispy skin and 185°F on the inside
- Sauce time: Reduce for about 15 minutes over medium heat, then a slurry to thicken
- Serves: 4 to 6
- The one thing that matters most: Make sure your wings are dry before adding oil. Wet skin steams, dry skin crisps
If you want your wings off the rotisserie instead of the grill, try my Rotisserie Hot Honey Lime Chicken Wings. Another option for sweet and hot wings.
Why This Recipe
- Crispy skin. Patting your wings dry and adding a thin layer of oil will allow you to grill your wings between 300 and 350°F. This temperature will allow the fat to render and the skin to get crispy, but not burn the outside of the wing before it reaches 185°F on the inside.
- 185°F, not 165°F. Chicken wings reach a safe temperature at 165°F. However, cooking them to 185°F will give you a crisper skin and the meat will fall off the bone.
- Sweet and spicy sauce. Pineapple juice and crushed pineapple for the sweetness. Habanero to bring the heat. Honey and sweet chili sauce for stickiness. Lime and soy sauce to balance it out. You’ll make the sauce in a pan while the wings are grilling.
- Slurry. Adding cornstarch and cold water to the sauce at the end will help it thicken faster, instead of waiting another 10 minutes for it to reduce. You want the sauce to stick to the wings when you toss.
- Add the sauce in a bowl. Since the sauce is so sweet it will burn on the grill. We want the wings to come off crispy and then toss them with the sauce, so the skin can stay crispy.
I like to make a lot of different chicken wings. Some with more savory seasonings and others that are just hot. This recipe is for those that like a little sweet with their spicy. The pineapple goes on first and the habanero shows up a few seconds later.
Key Ingredients
For the Wings
- Chicken wings. Approximately 3 lbs of wings. I like to use the flats and drumettes. If you buy whole wings, cut them at the joints and save the tips for stock.
- Olive oil. About 1 to 2 tbsp. Just enough for the seasoning to stick to. Too much and the skin fries instead of crisping.
- Poultry seasoning. Whatever your favorite is. About 2 tbsp. I keep it on the savory side since the sauce brings all the sweet.
For the Pineapple Habanero Sauce
- Pineapple juice. 1 cup. The body of the sauce and most of the sweet. The juice from the crushed pineapple can go toward this cup.
- Crushed pineapple. 1/2 cup, drained. Texture in the glaze.
- Honey. 1/3 cup. The sticky.
- Sweet chili sauce. 1/4 cup. Sweet with a little heat of its own, and it helps the glaze go glossy.
- Soy sauce. 2 tbsp. Salt and depth.
- Lime juice. 2 tbsp. Acid against the sugar.
- Garlic. 3 cloves, minced.
- Habanero. 1, seeded and minced. You can always add more if you want it hotter. One seeded habanero is your average level of spice. Wear gloves when you cut it and keep your hands away from your face until they come off.
- Butter. 1 tbsp, for the finish.
- Cornstarch. Mix 1 tbsp of cornstarch with 2 tbsp of cold water. This will be your slurry.
Similar to my Honey Chipotle Smoked Chicken Wings, just with pineapple and habanero in place of the chipotle. Same sticky build, different direction.
Substitutions or Additions
- Less spicy. Use half of a habanero or swap it out for a jalapeno. Make sure to seed them.
- More spicy. Use 2 habaneros with the seeds. Check out my Nashville Hot Wings if you want some serious heat.
- Use fresh pineapple. Substitute 1/2 cup of finely diced pineapple for the crushed pineapple. Cook for a couple more minutes.
- Use mango. Mango habanero is also good. Substitute mango puree for the pineapple juice and crushed pineapple.
- Hot sauce finish. A tablespoon of your favorite hot sauce stirred into the finished glaze sharpens it up. My Hot Sauce Glazed Chicken Wings are built on that idea.
- Smoke your wings. Same temperatures as above. Just use fruit woods. Cherry or apple go with the pineapple.
- Cook in the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the wings on a wire rack over a foil lined sheet pan. Cook for about 35 to 40 minutes until the wings reach 185°F. Flip once. You lose the char, so dry them extra well.
- Air fryer. Set your air fryer to 380°F. Air fry the wings for about 20 minutes, flipping halfway through, then toss in the sauce.
How to Make Pineapple Habanero Wings (Step by Step)
Dry off your chicken wings. Make sure to pat each wing dry with paper towels, both sides. This is the whole game for crispy skin.
Add oil and seasoning. Toss your wings with some olive oil and your preferred poultry seasoning. Coat each wing with the seasoning.
Place the wings on the grill. Grill between 300 and 350°F. Allow some space between the wings so the heat gets around each one. I run mine over direct heat with the lid down.
Flip frequently. Turn the wings every so often to make sure they’re cooking all the way around and coloring evenly.
Make the sauce. While your wings are cooking, add all the sauce ingredients to a pan on medium heat, on the grill next to the wings or on the stove. Stir occasionally and let it simmer for about 15 minutes until it starts reducing. Mix the cornstarch and cold water together, add it to the pan, and let it cook 1 to 2 minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened. Remove from the heat.
Pull the wings at 185°F. Once your wings reach 185°F and the skin is crispy and charred, remove them from the grill and put them in a large bowl.
Toss the wings with the sauce. Pour the sauce over the wings and toss until every wing is coated. I use about three quarters of the sauce and save the rest for the table.
Serve. Plate up your wings and serve with your favorite dipping sauce, carrots and celery.
The USDA recommends that chicken be cooked to at least 165°F. We are cooking our wings to 185°F for a crisper skin. Always use a meat thermometer to make sure your wings reach the proper temperature. Check out my Honey Lemon Pepper Wings if you want crispy skin with a lighter glaze.
Tips From Miguel
Always dry your wings off. Use paper towels to make sure all of your wings are dry before the oil and seasoning go on. This will allow the skin to get crispy. Wet skin steams and never crisps.
Grill your wings between 300 and 350°F. This temperature will give your wings crispy skin and a nice char all around. If you go any hotter they will burn on the outside before reaching 185°F on the inside.
Flip them frequently. Keep an eye on your wings and flip them as needed. This will ensure that your wings are cooked all the way around and finish at the same time. I move the ones over the hot spot to the edge every time I flip.
Start your sauce while the wings are grilling. It will take about 15 minutes for your sauce to reduce. By starting it when the wings go on it will be ready when the wings are done.
Don’t add the sauce on the grill. This sauce is very sweet and will burn on the grates. Grill your wings until they reach 185°F and have crispy skin, then add the sauce to the wings in a bowl.
Storage and Reheating
- Fridge: Wings with sauce will last 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Cover or place in an airtight container. The skin softens under the sauce.
- Freezer: You can freeze cooked wings without sauce for up to 3 months. Sauce them after reheating. Sauced wings do not freeze well.
- Reheat: Place in the oven or air fryer at 400°F. Heat until warm and crispy again, about 8 to 10 minutes. Heat up the sauce separately and add it to the wings.
- Make ahead: Dry and season your wings the night before and leave them uncovered in the fridge. This will help dry out the skin even more. You can make your sauce up to 3 days in advance.
If you are putting together a wing platter, my Honey Garlic Chicken Wings are the sweet and savory batch to set next to these.
More Chicken Recipes to Try
Pineapple Habanero Wings FAQs
How spicy are these pineapple habanero wings?
By seeding and using only one habanero, these will be a medium heat. The pineapple and honey round off the edge. If you add more habaneros it will increase the heat. Using a jalapeno or half a habanero will decrease the heat.
Why do you cook the wings to 185°F?
Wings are dark meat, so they can be cooked past 165°F and still be moist. By cooking them to 185°F you will get a crispy skin and the meat will fall off the bone. The USDA minimum for chicken is 165°F.
How do I get crispy skin on chicken wings?
Dry your wings off with paper towels. Add some oil to help the seasoning stick and grill between 300 and 350°F. Flip frequently and remove them once they reach 185°F on the inside. Add the sauce to the wings after they come off the grill, not on it.
Can I make the sauce ahead of time?
Yes. Make your sauce up to 3 days in advance. Store it in the refrigerator and heat it up in a pan before adding it to the wings. It will thicken as it cools, so loosen it with a splash of pineapple juice if you need to.
Pineapple Habanero Wings
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Pat the wings completely dry with paper towels. Toss with the olive oil, then with the poultry seasoning until every wing is coated.
- Preheat the grill to 300 to 350°F. Place the wings on the grates with space between them and grill, turning frequently, until the skin is crispy and charred and the wings read 185°F, about 35 to 50 minutes.
- While the wings cook, combine the pineapple juice, crushed pineapple, honey, sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, lime juice, garlic, habanero and butter in a saucepan over medium heat, on the grill or the stove. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes until combined and starting to reduce.
- Whisk the cornstarch and cold water together and stir the slurry into the sauce. Cook 1 to 2 minutes until slightly thickened and glossy. Remove from the heat.
- Transfer the wings to a large bowl, pour the sauce over and toss until coated.
- Serve with ranch or blue cheese dressing, carrots and celery.
