Blazing Hot Mango Habanero Hot Wing Sauce

What do parties, sporting events, bar outings, family reunions, board/video gaming sessions, barbecues, and general group hang-outs have in common? Food.

Either the host is serving all the snacks and refreshments, or we do it "pot-luck" style (everyone brings something to contribute be it food, drinks, or otherwise).

My wife, Jackie, and I have a few serious winners that we rotate at every event we attend or host,  consisting of roughly 10 different dishes.

After offering up the same things for a while, people tend to get bored. And even though every single time we make the White Chicken Chili or Taco Bites or any of our other go-to's we rarely have leftovers to deal with, we get bored of eating the same things every time.

That leads me occasionally to explore a little.

One of the foods that I have always loved, but had never attempted to make is hot wings.

I LOVE HOT WINGS!! 

But most of the sauces out there are just vinegar and heat. There's no flavor. There's no body. I needed something better. Something that would really blow people out of the water.

To hit that chicken wing-shaped baseball out of the park and straight into your face!

A few years ago, a friend of ours had made a Mango Habanero wing sauce. It was so insanely hot. I'm talking hotter than almost anything I'd ever had (I have a different kind of passion for spicy than most people do, so that really says something).

BUT! Included with that heat was a flavor that was so delicious I couldn't put it down. So there I sat, nose running, sweat dripping from my chin, destroying those wings. A few years later I decided to try to make them on my own.

The recipe that I use today is fairly different from what he made. The reason being was that he used store-bought habaneros.

I started a small garden on our tiny balcony in which I now grow some of the hottest peppers in the world.

My personal favorite at the moment is the Chocolate Habanero.

But don't let the name fool you. The only thing chocolate about this chili is it's earthy brown color.

It has a dark, almost smoky flavor and is absolutely perfect in this dish.

If you don't have chocolate habaneros don't fret! You can still make the same dish with red, yellow, or orange habaneros or even less/more hot chilies to adjust the level of heat and flavor.

If you're not sure about your heat tolerance, start with something mild and work up - you can ramp up the heat until you find your preference.

Blazing Hot Mango Habanero Hot Wing Sauce
makes approx. 2 cups sauce

Ingredients:
3 Mangos, Cubed (2 1/2 cups of cubed mango)
2 - 6 Chocolate Habaneros, diced
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1/3 Cup Oil
2/3 Cup Water
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
2 Tbsp  Butter
2 Tbsp  Worcestershire Sauce

Instructions:
Add Mango, oil, and water to blender and blend until mostly smooth.

Some gritty texture is fine at this point.

In a medium sauce pan melt butter over medium heat.

Add salt, pepper and garlic and heat, stirring constantly, until garlic is fragrant, about a minute.

Pour in mango mixture, diced chilies, Worcestershire, and brown sugar. Stir well.

Cover and simmer on low for 20-30 minutes.

Remove from heat and allow sauce to cool.

Pour sauce into blender and blend until completely smooth.

The sauce can be used immediately or can be placed in the fridge or freezer for later use.

When serving re-heat the sauce and pour over cooked wings (wings can be baked or deep fried as you prefer).

Mix to coat the cooked wings well.

Serve with carrot sticks, celery, blue cheese and ranch dressings.

Keep a drink close by - and remember, milk not water if you're trying to dilute the heat! 😉