Taco Chicken Wings with Cilantro Ranch
This newest wing recipe creation is Taco Chicken Wings with Cilantro Ranch.
If I don’t make chicken wings at least once every two weeks my family may think there’s something wrong with me.
But hey, they are super easy to make, my whole family LOVES them.
And it’s fun coming up with new flavors.
Everyone loves taco night in my house just as much as wing night, so combining the two made perfect sense to me đŸ™‚
These wings do not have a sauce to finish them, but this marinade is super flavorful.
Plus there’s that cilantro ranch dipping sauce.
How to make Taco Chicken Wings with Cilantro Ranch
Whisk together olive oil, a packet and a half of taco seasoning (or your own if you don’t prefer the packets), honey, hot sauce (I used Cholula), garlic, and lime juice.
It will be thick, but will perfectly coat the wings.
Pat four pounds of split chicken wings dry with paper towels.
This is an important step so this marinade will stick to them.
Put them in a gallon size plastic bag with the marinade and massage until evenly mixed.
Marinate in the fridge preferably overnight.
Now let’s talk about this ranch dipping sauce!
My son and daughter both raved about how I need to make this more.
It’s so simple too…16 oz of sour cream, a cup of fresh cilantro, and a packet of dry ranch seasoning go into a food processor.
Blend for about 30 seconds and it’s ready đŸ™‚
I actually put this right back into the sour cream container and stored in the fridge until the wings were ready.
Alright, now we are ready to cook these wings!
You can bake them in the oven at 400 degrees for 45 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Or…you can smoke them which is my preferred method (I am in LOVE with my Traeger Grill and Smoker).
Into the smoker at 250 degrees for 2 1/2 hours, flipping halfway through.
Either way you choose, sprinkle the remaining half packet of taco seasoning over top before cooking.
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These wings are not meant to have a super crisp skin, if you would like to try a crispy skin my friend Nicole has an awesome recipe for Traeger chicken wings!
Her cook time and temperature are perfect for creating a crisp wing.
Since I was already smoking the wings, I thought why not also make some Smoked Sausage Beer Cheese Dip.
One of the benefits of having a Traeger is the size, it’s so big we can smoke everything at once!
Serve these fabulous Wings with the Cilantro Ranch for dipping and enjoy!
We also squeeze some lime wedges over top and you could certainly add more hot sauce too.
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More recipes to try like Taco Chicken Wings…
Smoked Korean Chicken Wings
Bang Bang Chicken Wings
Smoked Pickle Brined Chicken Wings
Smoked Cajun Chicken Thighs
Fritos Walking Taco Casserole
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And join my Grilling and Smoking Facebook Group!
Taco Chicken Wings with Cilantro Ranch
Taco Chicken Wings with Cilantro Ranch have an amazing taco flavor but on a chicken wing, served with a cilantro ranch for dipping!
Ingredients
- 4 pounds jumbo split chicken wings
- 2 1.25 oz packets taco seasoning
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsps hot sauce of choice (I used Cholula)
- 2 Tbsps honey
- 1 Tbsp lime juice
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 16 oz container sour cream
- 1 packet dry ranch seasoning
- 1 cup fresh cilantro
- Optional: lime wedges to squeeze over top and hot sauce
Instructions
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Pat the wings dry with paper towels and put them in a gallon size plastic bag.
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Put 1 1/2 taco seasoning packets, olive oil, hot sauce, honey, lime juice, and garlic in a small bowl and whisk until evenly combined. Pour into the bag over the chicken and massage the bag until the chicken is evenly coated. Marinate in the fridge at least one hour or overnight.
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Put the sour cream, dry ranch seasoning, and cilantro in a food processor or blender. Blend 30 seconds. Put in a container and store in the fridge until ready to serve.
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Cook the wings according to one of these methods:
Smoker: Set your smoker to 250 degrees and place the chicken wings on the smoker, sprinkle with remaining 1/2 packet taco seasoning. Cook for two and a half hours, flip them halfway through. Check the internal temp to make sure they are at 170 degrees before serving.
Oven: Place wings on a lined baking sheet, sprinkle with remaining 1/2 packet taco seasoning and put in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes, flip them halfway through.
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Serve with lime wedges to squeeze over top and/or hot sauce if desired and with the cilantro ranch for dipping.
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