Grilled Honey Lemon Wings with Whipped Feta
Honey, lemon, creamy feta, and floral fresh oregano are a fantastic combination of flavors for these grilled wings! It’s a simple grouping of classic flavors that just work perfectly together. The smoked kissed grilled wings are just the delivery vehicle for these amazing fresh flavors.
The inspiration for this recipe
I had some great grilled wings recently that made me want to make them again at home, but I didn’t know how I wanted to flavor them.ย Inย Nashville last week though (hence why there was no new recipes) I ate an amazing whipped feta on a taco at Etch. I thought it would be a great option to serve with wings as a substitute for blue cheese. I built the wing recipe backwards from the feta, using flavors that work with feta like lemon, honey, and oregano in the wing sauce. These wings were a great and easy grilled take this classic bar food.
Marinate the wings
Pop the wings in a bowl and stir in buttermilk and some spices.
Grill the honey lemon wings
Then just grill them up low and slow. As you can see in the photo I may have started with a slightly too high heat but it’s ok! The key to grilling wings is just to pay attention and make sure to cook them for a while until the insides are nice and juicy and tender.
Making the whipped feta
Mash up the feta first, then whisk it with cream and buttermilk. Don’t get some gross dry pre-crumbled feta though, make sure you use a nice creamy fresh block or it won’t work as well!
Serve the grilled honey lemon wings
Simmer the honey and lemon together in pan. When the wings come off the grill, toss them lightly in the lemon and honey mixture and then top with fresh oregano. ย The fresh oregano is important for the recipe, none of that dried stuff that’s been sitting in your cabinet for a year. (disclaimer: I loveย dried oregano, it’s just not what you want in this recipe) The oregano and chilis will stick to the honey on the wings.
Then pile them on top of the whipped feta! I will post the recipe for that tasty pasta salad in the top right corner later this week.
These grilled honey lemon wings though. Juicy, crispy, tangy, sweet. And that creamy feta. Amazing!ย I actually ate the leftover fetaย with a fork after I finished the wings. ย All the juicy chicken goodness had dripped down onto it and it was amazing.
Twists on grilled honey lemon wings
I really love the floral flavor the oregano brings but you could use another herb if you don’t like it. Basil would be great, or parsley for a more plain flavor. If you want to turn up the floral flavor on the other hand, maybe try some marjoram!
For more great wings, check out my mango lassi wings, negroni glazed wings, or these laab inspired wings.
Grilled Honey Lemon Wings with Whipped Feta
Ingredients
wings and marinade
- 6 full chicken wings wing, drum, and tip attached
- 1.5 cups buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoons tamari
- 1 pinch salt and pepper
wing sauce
- 4 lemons juice
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon chile flake
- 1 pinch salt
whipped feta
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
- 4 ounces fresh feta cheese don’t get pre-crumbled!
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon buttermilk
Instructions
- Mix the wings with the marinade ingredients. Combine and set aside in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.
- Grill the wings on medium low heat for a solid 35 minutes or so, turning them up at the end if they need more browning. The key is to tenderize the meat and render the fat so the wings are nice and tender, but also brown the skin so it is crisp.
- While the wings are cooking, put the lemon juice, honey, chile flake, and salt in a pan to form the wing sauce. Put it on the grill (or over medium heat on the stove) to simmer and thicken.
- Mix the feta with the milk and buttermilk. Mash up the feta with a fork. Whisk it all together to form the smooth and airy consistency.
- When the chicken is done, put it in the pan to toss and coat.
- Spread the feta onto a plate and top with the wings.
- Sprinkle the oregano on top and a little more chile flakes.
Okay, that was a good idea. Adapting to what I had on hand, I swapped in chicken thighs, heavy cream, ricotta and lost the spice (because he’s spice-averse). This got the two-thumbs up seal of approval and the leftovers are not being eaten tonight by force of will alone. Also full stomach.
This is just too good