Mango Habanero Wings are crispy, fiery and full of flavor. They’re a little bit sweet and a little bit of heat rolled into one! Chicken wings are coated in a bold Jamaican Jerk Spice, baked and then tossed in a Mango Habanero Sauce.
If you like chicken wing recipes, check out our other flavors: Smoked Chicken Wings, Air Fryer Chicken Wings, Jamaican Jerk Chicken Wings, Spicy Orange Grilled Chicken Wings, and Sticky Asian Oven Baked Chicken Wings.
Mango Habanero Chicken Wings
This is the BEST Mango Habanero Chicken Wings recipe. With extra crispy skins, juicy meat and a bold mango habanero sauce for wings, these spicy mango wings rival restaurant quality.
We find it’s similar, but MUCH better than Buffalo Wild Wings Mango Habanero Wings and Wingstop Habanero Mango Wings.
Ingredients
Here’s a quick rundown of the major ingredients you’ll need to make this spicy chicken recipe. For the full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card below.
Jamaican Jerk Spice
The beauty of this habanero chicken recipe is the dual layers of flavor. Before you bake the wings, you toss them in flour and Jamaican Jerk seasoning. You can use your favorite store-bought brand jerk seasoning, for ease, or mix your own Jamaican Jerk spice. Up to you!
If you’re unfamiliar with jerk cooking and seasoning, Wikipedia has a nice write up on it.
Mango Habanero Sauce
The mango habanero wing sauce featured in this recipe is quick and easy to make. It’s comprised of only 7 ingredients. We detail the recipe in the recipe card, however we highly recommend you check out the original mango habanero sauce post for tips and information.
Fresh Chicken Wings
Try and snag a bag labeled “split wings” or “party wings”. This means the chicken wings arrive with the drummette and wing already detached. If you can’t find them, no worries. Just cut the chicken at the joint and remove the wing tip before tossing.
Butter
Why butter? This is what gives it the nice crispy skin you get when frying chicken wings. Feel free to omit, but you’re missing out on a key step to achieve crispy chicken skin.
Dipping Sauce
If you enjoy uber saucy wings, we gotcha. Just multiple the mango habanero hot sauce recipe by 1.5 to have some leftover to serve on the side. Just make sure the portion being utilized as a dipping sauce does not come in contact with any raw poultry.
Habanero Peppers
“Are these wings really spicy?”. Habanero peppers are spicy! The final spice level, however will depend on the spiciness of the jerk seasoning you utilize and how many habanero peppers you throw into the sauce.
If your tolerance for heat is under 6 on a scale of 1-10, you’ll find these baked wings spicy for sure.
Internal Temp of Chicken Wings
Chicken wings are safe to consume at 165°F, however the connective tissue in the dark meat doesn’t dissolver until it reaches 175°F. So if you can, wait until it hits this temperature.
Various recipes state to wait until it hits 190-195°F, but in testing we found chicken wings to be dry and chewy at this temperature. So stick with 175°F and you’ll be good.
How Long To Bake Chicken Wings
These chicken wings back for approximately 40 minutes total, 20 minutes on each side, until they reach an internal temperature of 175° F. (*Note 4).
How To Re-heat
To re-heat leftover chicken wings, pre-heat the oven to 350°F, and cook for 10-12 minutes, until heated throughout.
Variations
- Omit the Jamaican Jerk spice if you prefer just focusing on the habanero mango sauce.
- Don’t like chicken bones? Use boneless chicken wings, boneless chicken breasts or boneless chicken thighs instead. While the preparation would be the same, the cook time would depend on the cut you utilize. So adjust accordingly.
Expert Tips
- Make sure to read all the tips before making the sauce for the mango habanero sauce wings. This way you can adapt to your liking.
- You can make the mango habanero wing sauce recipe in advance, so it’s ready to go when the wings are finished, or can wait until the chicken is almost cooked, if easier. The timing works great for both.
- You can utilize frozen or fresh chicken wings. If utilizing frozen wings, just defrost overnight in the refrigerator.
- Always use a thermometer. Our go-to digital thermometer is the Thermaworks Dot.
- As with all chicken recipes, do not leave out at room temperature for more than two hours. If you have leftover store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Make sure to spray the baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray to ensure the chicken doesn’t stick.
- For ease, use store bought Jamaican Jerk seasoning. You’ll need approx. 4 tablespoons.
What To Serve With Spicy Chicken Wings
Here are some side dish ideas to pair with these bad boys:
Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
Plantains
White or Brown Rice
Drink Pairings
Serve up a Michelada, Mango Michelada or Margarita and you’ll be good to go! Mango recipes pair well with beer, so almost any beer will work – think IPA, Pale Ale or Lager.
Ingredients
- 1 lb Chicken Wings (*Note 1)
- 4 tbsp Unsalted Butter, Cubed
HOMEMADE JERK SEASONING (*NOTE 2)
- ⅓ cup All Purpose Flour
- ½ tbsp Onion Powder
- ½ tbsp Garlic Powder
- ½ tbsp Brown Sugar
- ½ tbsp Dried Parsley
- 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ tsp All Spice
- ½ tsp Dried Thyme
- ½ tsp Black Pepper
- ¼ tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- ¼ tsp Cumin
- ¼ tsp Nutmeg
- ¼ tsp Cinnamon
MANGO HABANERO SAUCE
- 4 Habanero Peppers, Seeded
- 10 oz Mango Pulp, Fresh or Frozen
- ¼ cup Rice Vinegar
- 1 medium Shallot
- 4 large Garlic Cloves, Peeled
- 1½ tbsp Fresh Lime Juice
- ½ tsp Granulated Sugar
Instructions
BAKING INSTRUCTIONS
- Pre-heat oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
MAKE THE HABANERO MANGO SAUCE (*NOTE 3)
- Slice the habanero peppers in half and remove the seeds. Make sure to wear latex gloves.
- Add all of the mango sauce ingredients to a food processor or blender and mix until smooth.
- Transfer the mango sauce to a medium size sauce pan. Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat and set aside.
MAKE THE DRY SEASONING
- Add all the dry seasoning ingredients to a medium size shallow bowl and mix to combine. Set aside.
PREP & BAKE THE CHICKEN
- Pat dry the chicken wings with a paper towel.
- Place a chicken wing in the dry seasoning mix and coat evenly on both sides. Place on the baking sheet. Repeat until all wings are on the baking sheet, ensuring even spacing.
- Place the cubes of butter on the baking sheet, as evenly spaced as possible.
- Bake wings for 20 minutes. Flip the chicken wings over and bake an additional 20 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 175° F. (*Note 4)
- Immediately transfer the wings to a large mixing bowl. Pour the habanero mango sauce over the wings and toss to combine. Enjoy immediately for best texture.
