PARTNER CONTENT WITH
words by STEPHANIE CAIN
illustrations by AMANDA LANZONE
photography by Inna & Michael Photo Video
Nothing says football season like a plate of spicy chicken wings. Wings are the ultimate food of football season, and you'll need a winning recipe.
Chef Vitor Goularte Mendes agrees, but insists on leveling up from the classic buffalo. He makes grilled chicken wings dressed with a honey habanero sauce topped with a dollop of pineapple pico de gallo.
“When you mix it together and have it as one bite, you're going to be surprised,” he says. “It’s not like the chicken wings you’ve had before.”
Goularte Mendes runs the kitchen at a Brooklyn hot spot that’s the recipient of many awards, including one from VinePair. His Mediterranean-inspired approach to food lends itself well to all sorts of dishes for game day, but chicken wings are the star of the snack table.
He discovered this particular chicken wing recipe by accident. At his restaurant, he serves prawns over a honey habanero sauce topped with a pineapple pico de gallo. Sound familiar? Well, one day he swapped in chicken for the prawns during a pre-service dinner for his team. Minds were blown, he says.
So when he thought about what to make to kick off football season (no pun intended), “I already knew what to do,” he says.
Pink Wine For the Win
When it came time to pair the sweet-and-spicy wings with wine, Goularte Mendes reached for Barefoot Pink Moscato.
This rosé-hued sweet(ish) wine has flavors of cherry and strawberry alongside a crisp acidity that balances out the sweeter characteristics of the Moscato grape.
This article is sponsored by BAREFOOT.
Grilled Honey Habanero Chicken Wings with Pineapple Pico de Gallo
Ingredients
12 chicken wings
1 tablespoon olive oil
Garnish: cilantro or micro greens
Wet Marinade
⅔ cup pineapple trim (chopped)
¾ cup shallot slices
4 garlic cloves, sliced
2 Tbsp fresh thyme
8 bay leaves
2 Tbsp fresh rosemary
1½ Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp honey
Dry Rub
¾ cup garlic powder
¾ cup onion powder
¾ cup smoked paprika
1¾ cup salt
¼ cup black pepper
Honey Habanero Sauce
⅔ cup pineapple pieces
1 – 2 habanero peppers (adjust to heat preference)
⅓ cup + 1 Tbsp honey
¾ cup + 2 Tbsp champagne vinegar
⅓ cup shallot slices
4 garlic cloves
½ cup canola oil
2½ Tbsp smoked paprika
Pineapple Pico de Gallo
1⅓ cups pineapple (1” dice)
2 Tbsp shallot, finely chopped
2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
2 Tbsp parsley, chopped
1 small serrano chili, sliced (no seeds)
3½ Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
Directions
To make the wings: In a stainless steel container or bowl, add the wings, and then add the wet marinade ingredients. Mix the wings together with the marinade until well combined.
Marinate the wings in the fridge for at least 2 days before cooking.
On grill day, remove the wings from the fridge and let sit at room temperature for at least an hour, which helps them cook evenly.
Preheat the oven to 400F.
Remove the wings from the marinade, and pat them dry.
In a small bowl, mix together the Dry Rub ingredients. Add one tablespoon of olive oil to the wings and rub them with the Dry Rub.
Cook on the grill for about 6 minutes on each side until they are browned. Remove from the grill.
Finish them in the oven at 400F for 12 minutes.
To make the sauce: In a blender, add all ingredients except the canola oil, blend the ingredients till smooth, and then add canola oil little by little, as if you’re making a dressing. Add salt to taste, possibly with additional honey or vinegar depending on preference for sweetness or tanginess.
To make the pico de gallo: Add all the ingredients in a medium sized serving bowl and mix well, season with salt and pepper
To assemble: Add a spoonful of the habanero dressing on the bottom of the serving plate, then add wings with a spoonful of the pineapple pico de gallo on top., Be sure to leave out the extra juice of the pico de gallo that collects at the bottom the bowl! Add another small spoon of the habanero sauce on top. Garnish with cilantro or other micro greens.
The Unexpected Gameday Pairing You’ll Love: Honey Habanero Wings and Barefoot Pink Moscato
Goularte Mendes explains that the fruity notes mirror those in his pineapple pico de gallo, and the sweetness offsets the habanero spice in the sauce. For him, it’s the perfect pairing.
“When you have something spicy like this, you want to wash it down with a refreshing wine that will balance the heat like the pineapple does,” Goularte Mendes says. “The Pink Moscato’s flavor profile meets that of the habanero, the pineapple, and the chicken. You just want to go back and forth from bite to sip.”
If sweet isn’t your thing, he does suggest two alternatives, and yes, one is still pink. He appreciates a great bottle of classic Rosé with his wings, like Barefoot Rosé, a crowd-pleasing blend of Zinfandel, Grenache, and Riesling. The bright and fruity wine compliments flavors in the wing’s dry rub mixture like garlic, onion, and paprika while also calming the heat of the spice from the habanero peppers.
Barefoot Sauvignon Blanc is also a welcome wine for wings. The acidity in this white wine matches that in the pineapple while also complimenting the flavors of the sauces with notes of honeydew melon, nectarines, limes, and even a hint of jalapeno on the finish.
Whichever you choose, you can’t go wrong.
“This dish is made to go with a wine that’s lighter and refreshing,” Goularte Mendes says. “It’s not heavy on your stomach, which means you can enjoy eating and watching and talking and cheering.”
Isn’t that what it’s all about?
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Some callouts from Goularte Mendes for the recipe:
Pineapple is the star of the show. “A little cube of pineapple refreshes your palate from the spice of the sauce,” Goularte Mendes says.
In Goularte Mendes’s native Brazil, a bowl of pineapple is traditionally eaten after a meal because enzymes in the fruit aid in digestion of proteins like chicken.
You can adjust the spice level by adapting the amount of habanero you add when making the dish.
Goularte Mendes says he can snack on pineapple all day, which makes this refreshing ingredient perfect for hours of TV time watching the games.
Goularte Mendes recommends serving the chicken wings alongside a crudite platter, his play on celery and ranch that often comes with buffalo wings at a sports bar. He whips up a quick dip for any collection of raw vegetables by combining anchovies, garlic, a handful of herbs, and olive oil in a blender.
The pineapple pico de gallo is the inspiration for the Pink Moscato.
Now you’re ready to serve! Clear a place on the coffee table to ensure that you’re right in front of this dish. For a winning centerpiece, plop the platter down alongside a bottle of Barefoot Wine.
“Watching a football game while having these wings,” Goularte Mendes says, “you’ll be sitting there for four hours nibbling and sipping.”
You may even need to sprint faster than a running back for a refill — of both the wings and Barefoot Wine.