As the clock strikes midnight and the year starts anew, take your festivities to the next level with New Year's Eve Grilled Apricot-Balsamic Chicken Wings. Featuring a sweet and addicting combination of apricot preserves and balsamic vinegar reduction, these wings are sure to make any party the talk of your town. But watch out - keeping your hands off them for too long may be impossible!
The real power behind these wings? A brine of white vinegar, red pepper flakes, black and white pepper, sugar, and salt. This combination makes these wings foolproof (mostly), so you can rest easy knowing that no matter what happens throughout the night, your wings will stay perfectly moist on the grill.
Brining the wings for 3 hours adds flavor, a hint of heat, and moisture preventing them from drying out on the grill. After brining, the wings are thoroughly seasoned and grilled on medium heat until cooked, allowing the skin to perfectly crisp.
Once removed from the grill, the savory sauce of balsamic vinegar, apricot preserves, sea salt, and chili powder is drizzled over the wings. Full of flavor from the brine, seasonings, and sauce and finished with red onion and parsley, these are guaranteed not to last past midnight.
So fire up the grill and usher in the New Year with song, dance, and “wing” in hand. Make a memory you won't soon forget this New Year's with Grilled Apricot-Balsamic Chicken Wings!
Serves 8
New Year’s Eve Grilled Apricot-Balsamic Chicken Wings Ingredients
- 3 pounds of chicken wings
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 2 teaspoons coarse ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
For brine
- 6 cups cold water
- 1/3 cup table salt (1/2 cup kosher salt)
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 1/4 cup red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons black pepper
- 1 tablespoon white pepper
For sauce
- 1 3/4 cups balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Apricot preserves
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
For topping
- 1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped (or 2 teaspoons dried parsley)
New Year’s Eve Grilled Apricot-Balsamic Chicken Wings Directions
- Brine: Combine vinegar and pepper flakes. It is best if you can do this the night before. Dissolve salt and sugar in water thoroughly. Add vinegar mixture and black pepper. Stir to mix. Place chicken wings in a large nonmetal container. Pour the brine mixture over, making sure the wings are completely covered. Brine for 3 hours. Rinse very thoroughly. Allow to air dry in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before cooking.
- Sauce: While wings are in the brine, it is time to prepare the balsamic reduction. Pour 1 3/4 cups of balsamic into a small saucepan, boil, and reduce heat to medium or medium-low. The mixture should be reduced by half within 8-10 minutes. Once the balsamic has begun to thicken, stir in apricot preserves, salt, and chili powder. Cook for additional 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool and thicken further.
- Grill: Remove wings from brine, rinse well, and pat dry with paper towels. Preheat the grill to medium heat. Apply seasoning to wings, making sure they are well coated. Place wings onto the grill and cook for 30-40 minutes, turning often. Once the wings have cooked through and have nice crisping and grill marks, remove and arrange them onto a platter.
- Top and Serve: Drizzle with balsamic reduction, and top with chopped red onion and parsley.