Hot sauce company Texas Pete has a plan to turn your leftover Thanksgiving cranberry sauce into a hot wing glaze.
You’re thinking about Thanksgiving. Apparently Texas Pete is thinking about your leftovers.
The North Carolina-based hot sauce company is releasing a “hot sauce advent calendar” aimed at your Thanksgiving leftovers. To accompany its launch, they shared a dozen recipes for dishes you can make with their sauces and your likely leftovers. One that immediately jumped out at me are these Texas Pete Spicy Cranberry Wings. (But don’t miss their Monte Cristo slider rolls either!)
Maybe it’s because I never really know where the cranberry sauce belongs. In a little disc, by itself, on the edge of my holiday plate? The best, and really only, home I’ve found for it is in a turkey sandwich. Which is to say, I appreciate Texas Pete taking a stab at a more innovative use for the stuff. And I also welcome chicken wings as a needed shakeup to the holiday leftover doldrums.
Because let’s be honest, they’re great on Black Friday — you know I’m good for at least two ham rolls on Kings Hawaiian bread the next day — but toward the end of that weekend, I’m really ready to tap out. A man can only eat so much turkey. But by giving new life to cranberry sauce with a different protein, Texas Pete is helping the menu plan stay fresh.
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These Texas Pete Spicy Cranberry Wings rely on only a few ingredients to create the wing glaze — besides the obvious hot sauce and cranberry, there’s apple cider vinegar, orange zest, and some honey (and white bottoms of scallions).
They’re saucy, balanced, and a creative twist on the Thanksgiving staple (that frankly I could usually be just fine without).
You can make this recipe in an oven or air fryer. See below for directions either way.
One note from the Texas Pete team, besides the recipe directions: if you prefer to start with raw wings, season and cook them to your liking before coating and finishing them with the glaze.
Thank you to Texas Pete® for letting us share this recipe! This post is not sponsored or compensated in any way.
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Texas Pete Spicy Cranberry Wings
Ingredients
- ½ Cup Texas Pete® Original Hot Sauce
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 2 Tablespoons scallion bottoms white part, sliced
- 2 Tablespoons scallion tops green part, sliced
- 1 Cup cranberry sauce
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 4 teaspoons honey
- 2 Tablespoons orange zest
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 pounds plain cooked chicken wings prepared according to package directions
Instructions
- Prepare the Texas Pete® Cranberry Hot Sauce Glaze: Heat the oil in a saucepan over MEDIUM heat. Add the scallion bottoms and cook until softened, translucent, and lightly caramelized. Stir in the Texas Pete® Original Hot Sauce, cranberry sauce, vinegar, honey, orange zest, and salt. Cook until warmed through and well combined, then remove from the heat and reserve.
- Crisp the Wings: Spread the wings in an even layer on a sheet tray or in an air fryer basket, working in batches if needed. Cook in a 400°F convection oven or air fryer until hot and crispy, about 6 to 10 minutes.
- Glaze the Wings: Toss the wings with half of the glaze until evenly coated. Return the wings to the convection oven or air fryer on the highest setting for about 5 minutes to set and lightly char the glaze.
- Finish and Serve: Allow the wings to cool slightly, then toss with the remaining glaze. Transfer to a platter and garnish with the sliced scallion tops before serving.