My 11 year old son has an obsession with chicken wings.  He prefers spicy wings like Reginas’ Crispy Oven Baked Hot Wings or Crunchy Buffalo Hot wings, but my daughter generally prefers the sweet and savory type like Asian Sesame Wings. A few weeks ago my son requested wings for dinner.  I really didn’t want to make two types of wings, so I decided to make another sweet and savory wing with a bit of a kick.

These mesquite wings are smokey, savory,  and sweet with a little heat all in one bite.  The best thing? Both of the kids loved them so my goal was accomplished!

Ingredients

• 3lbs of chicken wings
• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup mesquite seasoning you can either buy a pre-packaged seasoning or make your own (recipe below) 
• 3/4 cup real maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice

To make the mesquite seasoning combine the following ingredients in a bowl and mix well: 

• 2 Tbsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. cumin powder
• 1  tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. ground chipotle powder
• 1 tsp. dried, crushed rosemary leaves
• 1 tsp. dried marjoram leaves
• 1 tsp. dried sage leaves
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. ground mustard

Directions:

• Toss wings in a large bowl with oil.
• Sprinkle a tablespoon of the mesquite seasoning and toss to coat evenly.
• In a separate bowl mix the maple syrup, lemon juice and remaining mesquite seasoning to create a glaze.
• Pour half of the mixture into a separate bowl to use later as a dipping sauce.
• Grill wings 15 to 18 minutes until cooked through – make sure you turn them often.
• When wings are almost done (12 to 15 minutes) brush wings with 1/2 of the sauce.