Mexican corn on the cob is a treasure. I don’t know a single soul who doesn’t enjoy a good elote. So why not apply that same energy to chicken? These keto-friendly elote chicken wings will make your life a little better, and the way 2020 is going, we all need some sunshine. Chicken is such a bad b*tch. She can take on anything you throw her way. Sweet, savory, salty, tangy, zippy…whatever the note, chicken can take it.
What’s so incredibly delicious about elote is how simple it is. You simply smear the hot corn with mayo (Japanese mayo, in my case), coat it evenly with cotija cheese, and chili powder (chili powder, and Tajin for me please), and a good amount of lime juice and cilantro. Like, who knew something with so few ingredients would make corn even better? God bless the human being who first created it. But see, I don’t wanna just stop there at corn…let’s do this same thing to chicken, shall we?
You don’t even really need a recipe for elote wings, because as always, things will depend on how much chicken you have. I had about 2 pounds of chicken wings, so I’m just gonna give you eyeball measurements for what I had. Please double, triple, quadruple as you need to. This is more about the method than ingredient amounts. Please follow me on Instagram, check my *Highlights* for a demo on how I made these incredible elote chicken wings.
Chicken is just…I don’t know man, we vibe. I hook chicken up properly, and she just accepts what I throw on her and struts her badassery all the way down my happy little throat. Wait…
More chicken!
- Chicken Taquitos with Chipotle Salsa and Guacamole
- Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich
- Million Dollar Chicken
Elote-Style Chicken Wings
We took all the flavorings of Mexican street corn and turn it into elote chicken wings. That’s it. That’s the description.
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 3 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken wings, flats and drums
- Olive oil
- Flaky kosher salt
Elote mixture
- 1/4 cup mayo (or Kewpie), plus more if needed
- 1/4 cup grated cotija cheese, plus more if needed
- Zest and juice from 1 lime
- Chili powder
- Tajin (chili lime flavor), optional
- Fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- Jalapeños, very thinly sliced or minced
Instructions
I cooked my wings in an air-fryer for 45 minutes at 435 degrees.
- Pat the wings dry of any excess moisture with paper towels. Place the wings in a medium bowl and drizzle with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with a large pinch of flaky kosher salt, and toss to coat. Make sure each wing is properly seasoned and coated with the oil. Line the chicken in an even layer on the rack or basket of your air-fryer. Air-fry for 40-45 minutes at 435 degrees, or until your wings are golden brown and crispy — registering 170 degrees internally. Depending on your air fryer, you may have to flip the wings half-way during cooking.
- When the wings are done and crisp, remove them from the air fryer and place them into a medium bowl. Add in the mayo and lime juice, and toss to coat. If you need a little more mayo, add it in. You are looking for each wing to be coated just enough for the remaining ingredients to stick to it. Sprinkle in the cotija cheese. Toss until the wings are evenly coated with cheese, adding more if needed. Finally, sprinkle in a desired amount of chili powder, Tajin (if using), jalapeños, cilantro, and the zest of the lime. Feel free to add more lime juice if your wings are too pasty — the extra lime juice will make it a smoother coating.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
You can do this same method in an oven if you do not have an air fryer.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 45
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Air-fry
- Cuisine: Mexican
I made this recipe immediately! I love elote soo much and this was a fun play on that dish. It also works for me because you can adjust seasonings to your liking (ex. I love paprika on my elote and so I added to my wings). I highly recommend!
Ok so I’ve never had elote corn before (I am born and raised in LA and could never get into it lol) but I see you repost the maaaasive amount of people making them and they really look so damn good! The thought of mayo smeared on corn with cheese never really tickled my pickle, but I think I’m curious to try these ?. Is the mayo taste really dominant or do the other flavors help mask that mayo-y flavor??
Delicious! I don’t even like chicken wings but loveddddd this. It’s so creative and I got rave reviews
My gawd! These are now my go to! The flavor is so good!
These were bomb. I was so excited to have majority of the ingredients on hand. Ordered the mayo off Amazon. Easy to follow and everyone in my house loved them. I even made my oldest daughter a breast (she doesn’t eat chicken with bones) and she was just as satisfied
What is the best way to make these a few hours before a party? Just air fry all the wings and reheat in oven then toss them in the elote seasoning
I can’t even find the words to describe this recipe. I have been using Chef Resha’s recipes for YEARS but this one right here! Definitely top 5! This is the only time I use my air fryer (it takes so long to clean it!) to make these wings! This is one of the BEST wing recipes out there. You can’t go wrong with this one. I make these wings at least once a week! I’m about to go to the store right now to pick up the ingredients! I LOVE these wings!
I’m new to her website. Which other recipes are your favorites?
This wings was so good. 2 nd recipe I have tried and they both was great.lemon pound cake
These wings were absolutely amazing!!! I will be making these for my next function (after Covid) of course! The flavors of ingredient come through!!! Delicious!!
OMG!!! These wings are amazing!! They are so delicious. I finally had time to make these wings today and I am so glad I did! They are so flavorful. I will definitely be making them again soon!!
I made these wings twice! They are really good ?
Every time I cook these they are a hit. My family loves them. My daughter found the recipe, shared it with me and I shared it with others. Every one is pleased with this recipe.