These Bourbon Bacon Jam Chicken Wings are a bacon lovers dream.
If you know anything about me, I am absolutely obsessed with chicken wings. To be completely honest with you, these are some of the best wings I’ve ever had. They have next level flavor in each and every bite. Juicy grilled chicken, crispy bacon, sticky maple syrup with a hint of smoky bourbon.
Be sure to make these for the next big game or whenever you’re looking to upgrade wing night! Either way, this will quickly become one of your new favorite recipes!
Ingredients you will need
Meat: Whole chicken wings
Seasoning: SPG blend (salt, black pepper, garlic powder) or any of your favorite barbecue rubs
Bacon Jam: Bacon, yellow onion, garlic, pure maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar,
Bourbon: Buffalo Trace, Maker’s Mark or any of your favorite bourbon
You can add a little spice to your bacon jam by adding in 1/4 -1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper.
If you are not a huge chicken wing fan, you can also grill up a chicken breast and top it with the bacon jam.
How to make Bourbon Bacon Jam Chicken Wings
Preparing the grill/smoker
Preheat the smoker at 350°F using Bear Mountain BBQ’s cherry wood chunks for a sweet smokey flavor. I am cooking these on my Nomad Grill which is a great portable charcoal grill option. I also really like cooking chicken wings on a pellet grill because they tend to come out with really crispy skin.
If you do not have a grill or smoker, you can easily make this recipe in an air fryer or an oven.
Prep and seasoning the chicken wings
Cut up the chicken wings with a sharp knife by cutting each knuckle separating the drums, flats then discard of the wing tips. I always purchase whole chicken wings because they tend to be a lot cheaper and it takes about 2 minutes to quick cut them up.
Place the cut up wings in a large bowl, then season them with a SPG blend (salt, black pepper, garlic powder) and add in 1 tbsp of cornstarch to help get crispy wings.
Grill the wings indirectly of the heat at 350° F for 1 hour. Flip the wings half way through to help cook them evenly.
Assemble the Bourbon Bacon Jam
While the wings are cooking, make the bacon jam by following the full Bourbon Bacon Jam Recipe.
Slice up the raw bacon, then cook it in a skillet over medium heat. Once it starts to crisp up, remove the bacon and place it on paper towels to absorb the excess bacon grease then drain the grease from the skillet less 1 tbsp.
Sauté the diced onion and minced garlic for 4-5 minutes. Add the bacon back in to the skillet with the apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, brown sugar, bourbon then cook for 5 minutes until it thickens. Let it cool off and set it aside for later.
Finishing and serving the Bourbon Bacon Jam Chicken Wings
Finish cooking the wings over direct heat for 2-3 minutes on each side to help crisp up the skin. Remove them once they reach an internal temperature of 185° F. I know this seems really high for chicken, but try me on this one – you want fall off the bone chicken!
Place the wings in a large bowl then add in the bacon jam and mix it thoroughly so all of the wings are coated in the sticky bacon jam.
Serve the wings up on a plate and dive right in!
If you happen to have leftover bacon jam, store it in an airtight container and save it to try my viral Bone Marrow Bacon Jam Burger.
Check out more super delicious wing flavors below!
Grilled Chimichurri Chicken Wings: Crispy, juicy chicken coated in some bright, fresh chimichurri. These could possibly be some of the best wings of all time!
Chili Garlic Chicken Wings: Smokey chicken wings smothered and covered in a spicy garlic sauce. These are a major upgrade to the classic buffalo wings.
Garlic Parmesan Wings: Grilled chicken wings that are coated in a homemade Garlic Parmesan sauce. This wing flavor is one of the OG classics for a reason!
Smoked Teriyaki Wings: Smoky, crispy wings marinated in a homemade Teriyaki Sauce. These wings are packed with flavor and are a huge crowd pleaser.
PrintBourbon Bacon Jam Chicken Wings
Bourbon Bacon Jam Wings are some of the best wings you’ll ever have! Grilled chicken, crispy bacon, sticky maple syrup and bourbon flavors!
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 24 chicken wings 1x
Ingredients
- 3 pounds of chicken wings
- 3 tbsp of SPG blend (salt, black pepper and garlic powder)
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
Bacon Jam Ingredients
- 6 slices of thick cut bacon
- ½ yellow onion
- 3 cloves of garlic
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup of maple syrup
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup bourbon
Instructions
- Season 1 1/2 pounds of wings with salt, black pepper, garlic powder and add in 1 tbsp of cornstarch to help crisp up the skin.
- Grill wings indirectly at 350° F for 1 hour, flip half way through. add in cherry wood at the beginning of the cook for smoke flavor.
- Make your Bacon Jam: Slice up 1/4 lb of bacon, cook until it starts to crisp up then remove bacon and leave 1 tbsp bacon fat and sauté 1/2 onion and 3 cloves of garlic for about 5 mins. Add bacon back in, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup maple syrup, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup bourbon and cook for 5 mins until it thickens
- Finish wings over direct heat and remove once they reach an internal temperature of 185° F.
- Place the wings in a large bowl then add in the bacon jam and mix it thoroughly so all of the wings are coated.
- Serve and enjoy
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
1 Comment
Made these wings for a family wing competition and was the unanimous winner! Super stoked everytime Nick puts out a recipe and try as many of them as I can!