At Home Happy Hour: Peach BBQ Chipotle Chicken Wings & Summer Shandy

First off, HAPPY FRIDAY!

The best day of the week! I am also STOKED to bring you the second week of our new series: ‘At Home Happy Hour’!

How was your week?! One of my favorite parts of this new series is having a away to connect with you guys through that ‘Friday feeling’ that I’m sure you can also relate with!

If it was up to me I would seriously invite all of my friends and family and have a small get together every Friday to start the weekend off. But everyone has these crazy lives and it just doesn’t seem to happen. But family and friends, if you’re reading this know I think about you especially every Friday! Ha!

This week was actually pretty pleasant. No crazy fires to put out and I didn’t have to sit in traffic once! I will tell you something embarrassing…

On Tuesday the second to last episode of pretty little liars… EVER. I have been watching pretty little liars since like 9th GRADE! While I know the show has gone down hill and I’ll admit I don’t even really watch it because of the content. But I’m just so freaking bonded to it! I just have to find out what happens! If you want to geek out with me the series finale is on this Tuesday.

This week I have also DOVE head first in Bjork Ostrom’s Food Blogger Pro podcast. This is also embarrassing but this is the first podcast that I have ever really listened to and been extremely interested in. Bjork talks to different food bloggers in the industry and what their ‘origin’ story is and how they came to their blogging stardom.

So so so interesting! My yearbook teacher in high school always stressed the importance of ‘keeping up with your industry’. So if I have any food bloggers here on the site today, I would highly suggest a listen.

The thing I have learned that I love about podcasts is that I can still be super productive AND listen and learn about something new. 

So we’ve covered most of the flyover days… now on to Friday!

Last week, and the kick start to the series was a spinach and artichoke naan pizza with sparkling rose! 

This week we went more classic happy hour with a sophisticated southern spin. I’m a fan of most wing sauces but I really, really don’t like buffalo sauce. I know I must be like un-american or something but there is just something about the vinegar punch in it that I have always really hated. I’m much more of a cayenne or chipotle spice kind of girl (like chipotle fish tacos!).

No matter what kind of sauce you like… I can pretty much promise you will like this! It’s sweet from all those fresh peaches and so mouthwatering from the chipotle added in. I would seriously put this sauce on everything from halibut cuts to chicken wings. It screams summer and wings are such an easy at home happy hour. My goal for these at home happy hours were an easy recipe and an easy cocktail! We’re not trying to have shakers to clean or a sink full of dishes afterwards. 

To make things really easy on yourself make the sauce the night before (it will store for two weeks in a mason jar!). Be sure your beer is in the fridge all day so it’s nice and frosty for an afternoon fruity summer shandy!  

Peach Chipotle BBQ Chicken Wings

dry rub
2lbs of chicken wings
1 Tsp of smoked paprika
1/4 Tsp of cayenne pepper
1 Tsp of garlic powder
1/4 Tsp of cinnamon
1 Tsp of kosher salt
1/2 Tsp of cracked black pepper
+plus oil for pan / grill

peach bbq sauce
2 Tbs of olive oil
1/2 Yellow onion, finely chopped
3 Cloves of minced garlic
1 Tsp of thyme sprigs
1/2 Tsp of kosher salt
1/4 Tsp of freshly cracked pepper
1 Cup of ketchup
2 Tablespoons of brown sugar
1 Tsp of cinnamon
1/4 Tsp of smoked paprika
2 Tablespoons of chipotle liquid (from canned or jarred adobo chipotle peppers)
1 Tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 Whole peaches, pureed

For wings: In a large bowl rub chicken wings with dry rub ingredients: paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, cinnamon, salt + pepper. Let sit for 30 mins. 

For sauce: Heat a small sauce pan with oil on medium heat and add in onion until translucent. Add in garlic and cook until fragrant (1-2 mins). Add in ketchup, garlic, salt, pepper, cinnamon, smoked paprika, brown sugar, thyme sprigs and stir. Cook on medium to low heat until mixture is simmering. Add in pureed peaches (you can pulse them in a food processor), Worcestershire sauce, and chipotle sauce. Cook for 10-20 mins or until sauce has thickened. 

I use a grill pan for these wings but you could also bake them or grill them on a bbq. I grease my grill pan and cook on each side on medium to high heat for 5-10 mins or until cooked through. Coat wings generously in peach chipotle bbq sauce. Garnish wings with fresh thyme sprigs and jalapeño slices.  

For summer shandy fill a tall 16oz glass with 1/3 juice such as grapefruit or lemonade and top the rest off with a fruity ale!