Habanana Walnut Chicken Wings

Many years ago on this blog, I stumbled across the flavor combination of habanero and banana and latched onto it tightly. I made lots of habanana recipes on here and served many more to my friends. When I helped open a burrito shop, a habanana hot sauce was featured on the menu. After 2 years of making the hot sauce day in and day out at the burrito shop, I backed off the habanana train a bit, but it’s starting to come back around. I am serving the hot sauce at my lamb roast event at the Martha’s Vineyard Wine Fest this weekend. I also made the sauce on an upcoming TV appearance. I recently was craving wings and I made a modified version of the hot sauce to coat the wings with. It was super tasty, fiery hot, and wonderfully tropical tasting.

The titular ingredients.

Pop a stick blender in and go to work.

The wings are marinated in a yogurt sauce for a few hours and then grilled. When they come off the grill they go straight into the habanana sauce.

Top with walnuts and cilantro for some nutty crunch and a little freshness.

These wings are super tender and crispy and full of flavors. The sweetness of the honey and banana really bring out the tropical flavors of the habanero.

I’m glad to be back in love with this combination and am excited to see it popping up more often again!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Habanana Walnut Chicken Wings

Habanero and banana are blended together with lime and honey to form a fiery hot sauce for grilled wings. They are topped with toasted walnut for a crunch.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

marinade6 hours hrs

Total Time6 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: grilled, Spicy

Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

wings and marinade

• 2 pounds chicken wings
• 1 cup yogurt
• 2 tablespoons hot sauce
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• salt and pepper

sauce

• 1 banana
• 7 habaneros seeds removed and chopped
• 1/2 clove garlic
• 1 shallot
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro plus more for garnish

garnish

• 2 limes
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions

• Mix the yogurt with the spices and the chicken. Stir well to combine and marinate for 6 hours.
• Grill the wings on low heat for about 15 minutes per side until the skin is blackened and crispy and the meat is cooked through and tender.
• Meanwhile, put the salsa ingiredients (everything else except for the walnuts) and blend smooth. Place in a large bowl and set aside.
• Toast the walnuts in a dry frying pan for about 5 minutes being careful not to burn them.
• Take the wings off the grill and place directly into the habanana sauce. Toss to combine.
• put the wings onto the serving dish and sprinkle with the walnuts and cilantro. Serve with lots of napkins and water.