Michelada Buffalo Wings

These Michelada Buffalo Wings are a bright, tangy, and spicy pop of pure summer flavor that gives ode to ultimate refreshing beer-based libation. Roll up your sleeves and prepare to get a little messy with these cocktail inspired wings that pair perfectly with your favorite cerveza.

Is there anything that goes together quite like wings and beer? These saucy and sassy grilled chicken wings pull from the classic flavors of the Mexican beer-based cocktail, the michelada. Besides the refreshing and bright effervescence of lager, lime juice and zest bring tang, the chile forward kick of Mexican hot sauce brings spunk, and the herbaceous, verdant bite of cilantro will have you going back for more. These wings prove that you can have your cocktail, and eat it too. Just add a side of tortilla chips and Roasted Habanero Tomato Salsa and you have a ready made fiesta!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Balance of Flavors – These michelada chicken wings are spicy, but not overly spicy. The other bright and aromatic ingredients balance out the heat level. If you want these spicier feel free to add additional hot sauce.
• Easy Process – Grilled chicken wings are one of the most forgiving proteins you can throw on the grill. They actually benefit from a little over cooking giving you that super crispy skin and rich, tender, rendered meat. These are perfect for any level of griller. All you need to do is brine them, season and grill them, and make your quick sauce.
• Common Ingredients – Aside from maybe the Mexican hot sauce you probably have most of the ingredients on hand. You only need a few to pull together the sauce and the brine and they both utilize some of the same ingredients.
• Versatility – These grilled Mexican buffalo wings can easily be made on any type of charcoal, gas, or electric grill.

What is a Michelada?

There is nothing like beating the heat and quenching your thirst during the summer with a refreshing michelada. This beer-based Mexican cocktail pulls from the basic flavors of a chelada, beer, salt, and lime, by adding additional ingredients. Hot sauce, the salty and tangy pop of chile-lime seasoning such as Tajin, umami of Worcestershire sauce or soy, and sometimes tomato or Clamato juice are also added.

When the tomato component is added it has a similar quality to a bloody Mary without being heavy. It’s a sunny cocktail that goes down smooth with a little kick that will have you craving another. Think of it as summer in a lime and Tajin rimmed glass. The only question is, Modelo or Dos Equis?

How to Make Michelada Buffalo Wings

These Mexican buffalo wings will be love at first bite and become part of your regular wing rotation. The easy process combined with the texture of crispy skin and juicy meat, all hugged in a purely savory sauce will make them an instant hit at any barbecue. So go ahead and pop open a cold one and fire up the grill.

• Brine Time. If your wings are whole, go ahead and remove their tips and separate the drums from the flats. Add them to a large zip top bag. Add your ingredients for the brine to a bowl and carefully mix to combine. Pour the brine mixture into the bag and close it up, removing any excess air. Allow your wings to brine in the refrigerator for at least four hours, up to overnight.
• Dry and Season. Remove your wings from the brine and pat them dry. Mix together your dry rub and evenly season both sides. Allow them to refrigerate on a baking sheet fit with a wire rack while you prepare your grill.
• Fire it Up. Prepare your grill for indirect grilling. For a kettle grill you will want to build your charcoal up in the center of the grill. Other types of charcoal grills bank your coals to one side leaving you a cooler spot. For a gas grill heat most of your burners but leave one or two off. You want your grill between 350-400 degrees. And make sure your grates are clean!

• Getting Saucy. While your grill is heating go ahead and make your sauce. You can also make it earlier in the day. Add the beer and smashed garlic clovers to a saucepan over medium heat and bring it to a boil. Allow it to boil until the beer is reduced by half. Once reduced add in your hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Give it a stir and turn the heat to low. Add in the lime juice and zest, and a few cubes of cold butter at a time. Stir while continuing to add cold butter a few cubes at a time. This will give you an emulsified sauce without that broken butter slick. Remove from the heat and stir in your cilantro.

• The Heat is On. Place your seasoned wings on the indirect portion of the grill. If using a Weber kettle this will be around the entire outer circumference, because who doesn’t love a ring of wings? Close up your lid and allow the wings to grill indirect for 20-30 minutes, undisturbed. After about 30 minutes give them a flip and close your grill back up, allowing them to go another 15 minutes.
• The Sauce is Boss. When your wings are between 155-160 degrees, give them a dunk in the sauce and put them back on the grill. Let them go another 10-15 minutes and dunk them again. Allow them to cook until their temperature is between 180-185. This will allow the sauce to set while letting your skin remain crispy.

• Finishing Touch. Garnish your wings with fresh cilantro and serve with lime wedges. Don’t forget the cold beer!

What Hot Sauce Is Best for Michelada Chicken Wings?

Don’t get me wrong, sometimes I really do put Frank’s on everything, but these beer brined chicken wings aren’t one of those occasions. You need a true Mexican style hot sauce for this recipe. Unlike a hot sauce like Frank’s that is very vinegar forward, Mexican hot sauces tend to be a lot thicker and more chile forward. They may also have additional ingredients like garlic and other spices, giving them a more complex and deep flavor profile. Keep in mind that the sauce is going to be diluted with both beer and butter and have the additional bright note of lime added, so it can take some heat. Here are a few options.

• Valentina – This is my go-to and absolute favorite for both the flavor and texture. It comes in two varieties, the red label which is milder, and the black label which is extra spicy.
• Salsa Búfalo – This thick sauce has a slight sweetness to it and is made with guajillo chiles.
• Tamazula – This hot sauce comes from the same company that makes Valentina, and like Valentina has a milder sauce and extra spicy version. They have a very similar flavor profile as well.
• El Yucateco – If you love things spicy, this is for you! Most of their hot sauces are made with the fruity but fiery mighty habanero. Many of the varieties also have additional ingredients like lime and carrots which gives them that true Yucatan/Caribbean flavor. You may need to adjust your sauce a little with the addition of a drizzle of honey to balance the tang.
• Cholula – This hot sauce is made with árbol and pequin peppers. It comes in several varieties but for this sauce stick with the original.

Tips From the Beach

• Make sure that your beer is at room temperature when making your brine. The salt in the chile-lime seasoning will cause it to foam up and this helps.
• You want to use cold unsalted butter when making your michelada buffalo sauce. The cold butter will emulsify into the sauce giving it a smooth texture while the unsalted butter will give you total control of the final flavor profile.
• Don’t worry about taking your chicken wings past 165. They can handle the higher temperature and this will give you that crispy skin combined with tender, rendered meat.
• Have fun experimenting with different Mexican hot sauces. They will each give you a slightly different flavor profile.
• Pick a Mexican style lager for this recipe. You want to avoid anything that is too hoppy. If you would use it in a michelada or drink it on a sweltering hot, humid summer day, that’s what you want to use.

Looking for the perfect side to serve with Michelada chicken wings? Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad is a great option! And don’t forget the chunky blue cheese for dipping!

Michelada Buffalo Wings

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These Michelada Buffalo Wings are a bright, tangy, and spicy pop of pure summer flavor inspired by the ultimate refreshing beer-based cocktail. Roll up your sleeves and prepare to get a little messy with these cocktail inspired wings that pair perfectly with your favorite cerveza.

• Author: Nicole Stover
• Prep Time: 10
• Marinating Time: 240
• Cook Time: 60
• Total Time: 5 hours 10 minutes
• Yield: 6 1x
• Category: Entree
• Method: Grilling
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Michelada Chicken Wings

• 2 pounds chicken wings, tips removed, separated
• 12 ounces Mexican style lager, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon chile-lime seasoning, such as Tajin
• 1 tablespoon Mexican style hot sauce, such as Valentina
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1–2 serrano peppers, sliced
• 2 teaspoons lime zest

Chile Lime Rub

• 1 tablespoon chile-lime seasoning, such as Tajin
• 1 teaspoon guajillo or ancho chile powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

Michelada Buffalo Sauce

• 3/4 cup Mexican style lager
• 2–3 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 cup Mexican hot sauce such as Valentina
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
• 1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped

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Instructions

Michelada Buffalo Wings

1. Place your chicken wings in a plastic zip top bag. Add the beer, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, Tajin, serrano peppers, and lime zest in a bowl and stir to dissolve the seasoning. Pour into the bag and close it up, pressing out all of the air.
2. Allow the wings to brine for at least 4 hours up to overnight.
3. Remove the wings from the brine and thoroughly pat them dry. Add your ingredients for the rub to a small bowl and mix to combine. Season both sides of your wings and place on a wire rack fitted into a baking sheet. If time allows, let them refrigerate for an hour.
4. Prepare your grill for 2-zone indirect grilling. If using a kettle grill place your charcoal directly in the center leaving the outer circumference as the cooler zone. Make sure your grates are clean. Add wood chips if desired. Close the lid and allow your grill to heat to 350-400 degrees.
5. Place your seasoned wings on the cooler zone of the grill, or outer ring. Close the lid and allow them to grill undisturbed for 20-30 minutes.
6. After about 30 minutes flip your wings and allow them to grill for another 15 minutes.
7. When your wings reach between 155-160 degrees, toss them in your sauce and put back on the grill, indirect. Allow them to grill for 10 more minutes covered.
8. Sauce them again and let them grill indirect until they reach between 180-185 degrees.
9. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with lime wedges and charred jalapenos if desired.

Michelada Buffalo Sauce

1. Add the beer and garlic to a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Allow the beer to cook until reduced by half.
2. Add the hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and smoked paprika. Stir to combine and let heat through.
3. Turn the heat to low. Stir in the lime juice. 
4. Add the cold butter a few cubes at a time, continuously stirring. If the butter seems like it is beginning to break remove the pan from the stove and continue stirring in butter.
5. Once the butter has emulsified into the sauce stir in the cilantro.

Notes

1. Use a Mexican style lager for this recipe such as Modelo, Pacifico, or Tecate.
2. Use a Mexican style hot sauce for this recipe and not a more vinegar base hot sauce like Frank’s or Tabasco. 
3. Make sure your butter is super cold and chilled before adding it to the warm sauce. 
4. You can make the sauce earlier in the day and keep it at room temperature or refrigerated. Gently reheat it on low.
5. For an additional layer of flavor add a handful of wood chips to your charcoal. 
6. You can use your favorite Mexican seasoning for these, or even just Tajin.