Smoked Chicken Wings with Caramelized Onions

I was not a wing fan until I met my husband. Wings are one of his favorites. He taught me how to smoke wings to achieve flavor and a perfectly crispy skin. Smoking wings can be tricky because they can easily dry out. To ensure moist, flavorful chicken, I created a marinade by combining onion, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper with chicken stock. After the chicken wings marinade, overnight, they are smoked until the skin is golden brown and crispy and the meat is perfectly cooked. The finishing touch of sweet caramelized onions puts these chicken wings over the top.

Smoked Chicken Wings with Caramelized Onions

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Serves: 12 wings

Ingredients

Chicken Wings:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large sweet yellow onion
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 cup chicken stock
3 tablespoons kosher salt
10 fresh rosemary sprigs
4 pounds chicken wings*
1 ½ tablespoons cracked black pepper
Caramelized Onions:
1 large sweet yellow onion or Vidalia onion
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 9 minutes. Toss the onions. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the stock and 1 tablespoon salt. Stir until the salt dissolves.

Add 4 rosemary sprigs and cook for 2 minutes.

Remove from the heat and add 6 ice cubes to cool down.

Add the chicken wings to a large zip top bag. Once the marinade is cool, pour it into the bag. Remove as much air as possible and seal.

Refrigerate overnight.

Prepare a smoker with soaked oak wood chips and heat to 300 degrees F. Alternatively, prepare a charcoal grill for smoking and heat it to medium-low heat (300 degrees F).

Transfer the chicken wings from the marinade to a baking sheet. Season the chicken with the remaining 2 tablespoons kosher salt and black pepper.

Halve the onion, peel, and cut into ¼-inch slices. Place the onion slices in an aluminum foil packet. Drizzle the oil over the onions. Bring the sides of the foil packet up and crimp to close.

Place the chicken wings in the smoker or grill. Add the remaining 6 rosemary sprigs on top of the chicken.

Add the onion packet to the smoker or grill.

Smoke the chicken wings for 30 minutes and then flip over. Cook another 20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees F.

If the onions have not caramelized, leave them on the grill another 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

To serve, place the chicken wings on a serving platter. Top the wings with the caramelized onions. Serve warm.