This post is sponsored by the National Peanut Board. I received compensation, but all opinions and content are my own.
These delicious, grilled chicken wings take the classic flavors of peanut butter and jelly and elevate it to another level. This recipe is the perfect way to make your summer BBQ a legend.
Peanut butter and jelly is a classic combination that I think we can all agree reminds us of childhood. From picnic lunches to after school snacks – it was a staple for so many of us. Budget-friendly eats at their finest, there is something so comforting about peanut butter.
Why leave that PB&J deliciousness in our past? I am bringing you a fun, new, delicious summertime recipe that brings this classic, tasty goodness into adulthood. These Grilled Peanut Butter and Jelly Wings are the perfect summer food. They will wow the pants off of your BBQ guests, and they are so simple to make.
I would LOVE to take credit for these wings, but the original idea comes from my cousin Dave, back home in Buffalo, NY. He is always coming up with unique flavor ideas for his pizzeria, from unique pizzas to fun and funky chicken wings. How very Buffalo of him, I know. His rendition is quite different than mine, without the grilling and only getting sauced after they’ve been deep fried, they are sticky and saucy and far more sweet than mine. For my chicken wing preferences, I want a little char on my wings, and I want less saucy, more savory and definitely more crispy.
Using our famous indirect method for grilled chicken wings, these wings get grilled till they are golden brown and crispy, they take a bath in sauce made from the creamy peanut butter and the sweet grape jelly, with a little garlic in there to keep in on the savory side and back onto the grill they go! This is KEY for getting a little crispy and some crunch and for making these wings the stars that they are!
You can use your favorite peanut butter in this recipe. I opt for creamy, but crunchy would absolutely work here, too! I personally find the flavor of a classic, high quality concord grape jelly to work best here. I offer a range of 1/3 – 1/2 cup, because everyone is different with their preferred levels of sweet. Use your best judgement, taste and adjust as you go. You can use homemade sugar-free or lightly honey-sweetened jelly, if you prefer.
For even more peanut butter recipes, visit here.
Grilled Peanut Butter and Jelly Chicken Wings
Ingredients
Chicken Wings:
- 3-4 lb. organic chicken wings, cut into two pieces - drumstick and wing*
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt and black pepper
Peanut Butter and Jelly Sauce:
- ½ cup creamy organic peanut butter, salted and unsweetened (room temperature not cold)
- ⅓ cup high quality concord grape jelly or jam, 1/2 cup if you want th em on the sweeter side
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 3-4 tablespoons water, as needed
- salt and pepper, to taste
- red pepper flakes, optional
For Serving:
- Roughly chopped roasted peanuts
- thinly sliced scallions
- red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat your grill to hot. All the burners. Close the cover to allow to heat up. Rinse and pat dry the wings.
- Drizzle the wings with olive oil and coat evenly on all sides.
- Season with sea salt and black pepper.
- Turn off center two burners (or 1, depending on grill). Leave outside burners set to hot. Place wings on the hot grill over center burners (that should be off) and/or on top shelf rack. Note the wings on the top rack will cook faster. Close the grill.
- At no time should the wings ever be over direct heat/flame. We are indirect cooking them.
- Check the wings at 15 minutes, just to be sure there are no wings too close to the direct flame, you can move around as needed if some get more heat, but don't flip yet. At this point the wings should still look somewhat pale, but not raw.
- Check again at 30 minutes. At this point the top of the wings should have a nice, very light brown color. Flip all the wings over, the bottoms should be golden brown. Any wing that you can't pick up (stuck to the grill still) these may need another 5 minutes or so.
- Check the wings at 45 minutes. Just to be sure nothing is getting too much heat. Swap any around as needed, if some are getting too much.
- Meanwhile in a medium bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the sauce. Add water, as needed, the sauce should be thick, but not so thick it won’t mix together. Whisk until well blended.
- At 1 hour, have a medium sized bowl ready. Remove the wings in groups of 4-8. Place into the bowl and add several tablespoons of the sauce. Shake / stir well to coat. Make as saucy as you’d like.
- Place the coated wings on the top rack. If your grill doesn't have a top rack, place back in the center of the grill where the burners are off. Continue with remaining wings until all are sauced and added back to the grill.
- If all the wings are on the top rack turn on all burners to high. (If not, leave off the burners where the wings are) close the cover and in increments of 3-5 minutes, check the wings you are cooking until desired crispness and char is achieved. Remove from the grill.
- Serve with roughly chopped peanuts and scallions. Red pepper flakes, if you’d like. Enjoy.
