Chicken Wings with Mozambique Sauce

chicken wings tossed in Mozambique sauce in round serving dish.

No ratings yet

Chicken Wings with Mozambique Sauce

A classic Portuguese dish, turned finger food! These flavorful chicken wings are baked until crispy and tossed in a spicy Mozambique sauce. Inspired by Shrimp Mozambique, these wings have all the same flavors, and are perfect for snacking and sharing.

Prep Time25 mins

Cook Time45 mins

Total Time1 hr 10 mins

Course: Appetizers, Main Dishes

Cuisine: Portuguese

Servings: servings

Calories: 541kcal

Author: Crystal DaCruz

Ingredients

For the wings

3 pounds party-sized chicken wings mix of wingettes and drumettes
½ cup white vinegar for soaking (soaking is optional)
2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder

For the sauce

2 tablespoon finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic or garlic paste
2 tablespoon hot sauce or piri-piri sauce
1.5 teaspoons sazon with azáfran equivalent to 1 packet
4 tablespoon salted butter
8 ounces beer (lager works best)
1 cup chicken broth divided
1 bouillon cube
2 teaspoon cornstarch
1 lemon cut into wedges
2 teaspoon chopped cilantro or parsley plus more for garnish

Instructions

Prepare the chicken

Place the wings in a large bowl. Add the vinegar and fill the bowl with water. Let the wings soak for 10 minutes, then drain thoroughly. Pat the wings dry using paper towels and transfer them to a clean bowl.
Season the wings with salt, pepper, cumin, garlic powder and paprika. Optional: Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for 1-4 hours, or overnight.
Preheat your oven to 400°F. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, sear the wings on all sides, leaving space between them. If the wings feel stuck when you try to flip them, don’t force it—the skin will naturally release from the pan when they’re ready to be flipped.
Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray. Arrange the wings on the sheet and bake them for 45 minutes, until crispy. Note: wings need to be cooked to an internal temp of 165°F.

Make the sauce

Using the same pan that you used to sear the wings, add the onions and garlic paste and and sauté over medium heat until fragrant.
Add the hot sauce, sazón, crushed up bouillon cube and butter. Use a wooden spoon to loosen the bits from the bottom of the pan, keep stirring until the butter fully melts and everything is combined.
Add the beer and ½ cup chicken broth, then bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over low heat until the sauce is reduced by half.
While the sauce is simmering, make a slurry by whisking 2 teaspoons of cornstarch with the remaining ½ cup of broth in a separate bowl.
Once the sauce is reduced, add the slurry and let the sauce thicken slightly. Turn the burner off and stir in the chopped parsley or cilantro with juice from one lemon wedge.
Note: if the sauce gets too thick, you can thin it out by adding more chicken broth.

Toss the wings

Place the chicken wings in a large bowl. Add some of the sauce and toss until evenly coated, adding more as needed (you may not need all of it). Garnish with remaining parsley/cilantro and serve any remaining sauce on the side.

Notes

Helpful tips:

Washing the chicken: Some people like to soak chicken before cooking to clean it. If you’re not comfortable with this step, you can skip it and go straight to seasoning.
Searing the wings: Let the skin release naturally before flipping to avoid tearing. If they stick, lower the heat slightly and give them another minute.
Extra chicken broth can be used to thin out the sauce if it gets too thick.
Extra sauce: You should have extra sauce leftover—save some for serving and reheating.

Nutrition