An Inspired Cook

There are numerous recipes for wings that include different spices and flavor blends.  In the back of my mind I’ve always wanted to try a seasoning using green chile.  Could I come up with a recipe that would taste as good as it sounded in my head?    I’ve never seen Green Chile Wings on any restaurant menu but the thought has always crossed my mind, why not?   Red Hot Sauce is the base for Buffalo Wings so why not use Tabasco Green Pepper Sauce as a base for Verde Wings.  I’ve searched the web looking for a recipe but frankly there’s not much out there and what I did find wasn’t what I had in mind.   So once again, I turned to my spice blend guru, Chef Paul Prudhomme, for inspiration.  His Buffalo Wing seasoning is to die for so I used that as my guide and traded out the red spices for green chile powder.  This seasoning mix was instrumental in the dry rub for my wings, the verde wing sauce and also making a cilantro dipping sauce.  I made a small batch just to see how they would turn out just in case they were a bust.  I don’t always get the response I’m hoping for but these Verde Wings turned out way better than I could have hoped for.  I got some “Wow’s” but mostly the response was “Oh My Gosh”.  I shouldn’t have worried so much because the guys couldn’t stop raving about them until they were completely gone.  These would be the perfect finger food for your Super Bowl party! 

It all starts with the seasoning.  Green Chile Powder is hard to come by unless you live in New Mexico.  As you know, I have family connections that keep me in stock with all my green chile needs.  I did find that you can google it and order online and Penzey’s has dried jalapeno flakes that can be ground in a spice grinder that would work as well.  Mix together 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons green chile powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder and 3/4 teaspoon white pepper in a small bowl.  This will be the used to season the wings, wing sauce and dipping sauce.

I made the cilantro dipping sauce ahead of time so that the flavors could have time to blend.   Blend together greek yogurt, sour cream, mayo, cilantro, green onion and seasoning mix.

Combine the (7 oz) container of greek yogurt, 1/4 cup of sour cream and 1/4 cup of mayo together in a small bowl.

Roughly chop some cilantro and slice some green onions, about 2 tablespoons each.

Add 1 teaspoon of the seasoning mix plus the cilantro and green onion.

Gently mix it all together and set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Place aluminum foil on the bottom pan  of a broiler pan and coat with cooking spray.  Layer your wings over the top pan and generously sprinkle the seasoning mix over the wings.  Turn them over and season the other side.  Drizzle with olive oil and place in a 425 degree oven for 40 minutes, turning them over after 20 minutes so that they brown on both sides.

While the wings are in the oven, time to make the wing sauce.  I used Tabasco green pepper sauce, butter, agave nectar and the seasoning mix.

I melted the butter, added 1 teaspoon of the seasoning mix and 2/3 cup of the Tabasco green.  Now I’m adding 2 tablespoons of the agave nectar.  The Tabasco sauce is mild but a little vinegary, the seasoning gives it a kick of heat and the agave gives it just enough sweetness to balance everything.

Bring the sauce just to a boil, then simmer for a few minutes to thicken.

The wings are out of the oven, crisp and brown, ready to go into the sauce.

Place the wings in the pan with the sauce and gently stir them so that every wing is coated in sauce.

These would be great for entertaining.

You’ll be amazed at how they taste.

Verde Wings with Cilantro Dipping Sauce

24 Chicken Wing pieces
Olive Oil
Verde Seasoning Mix
Verde Sauce
Cilantro Dipping Sauce

Line the bottom layer of a broiling pan with aluminum foil.  Spray the top pan with cooking spray and line wings single file on top of the broiling pan.  Sprinkle wings generously with verde seasoning mix, turn over and sprinkle the other side.  Drizzle with olive oil and place in a 425 degree oven for 20 minutes.  Turn wings over to brown on other side an additional 20 minutes.

Place cooked wings in the pan with verde sauce and gently stir to coat.  Serve with cilantro dipping sauce.

Verde Seasoning Mix

1 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoons Green Chile Powder
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Onion Powder
3/4 teaspoon White Pepper

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.

Verde Wing Sauce

2 tablespoon Butter
1 teaspoon Verde Seasoning Mix
2/3 cup Tabasco Green Pepper Sauce
2 tablespoons Agave Nectar

Melt butter in a non-stick pan over medium heat.  Add the verde seasoning and Tabasco green pepper sauce, and agave nectar.  Stir until all ingredients are blended well and simmer for 3 – 4 minutes until slightly thickened.

Cilantro Dipping Sauce

1 (7 oz) container Greek Yogurt, plain
1/4 cup Mayo
1/4 cup Sour Cream
2 tablespoons Cilantro, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons Green Onion Tops, sliced
1 teaspoon Verde Seasoning

Combine all ingredients together.  Refrigerate until ready to use.