I’d been on a sweet wing sauce kick. I needed something to bring me out of that. Something to wake me up. Something to wake up my taste buds. Kinder’s Black Cherry Chipotle BBQ wings did just that. Right up front, I got the tartness of black cherries. No mistaking that taste, that’s for sure. There are hints of smoke and heat, coming from wonderful chipotles. I’m a big fan of chipotles, they add so much to any sauce they are used in. This is a great sauce. It’s different and it’s fantastic on wings.
A Quality Tasty Sauce
Kinder’s sauces and seasonings are the real deal. These Kinder’s Black Cherry Chipotle BBQ wings are proof of that. Not only is the flavor spot-on, the consistency is perfect for wings, and anything else for that matter. This would make the perfect sauce on grilled ribs for sure. Black cherry and pork go together well. And now, black cherry goes well with wings too!
My goodness gracious me are these sticky crispy garlic wings ever good. The chicken cooks up crazy crunchy. It’s good enough to serve by itself. The batter is well-seasoned and is definitely not boring. Then there’s the sauce. Slightly sweet with a slight Asian-inspired flavor, it brings the garlic big time. And oh yes, it’s sticky. Get out the paper towels, because wimpy napkins aren’t going to cut it here.
Watch your sauce
The one thing you need to know before you dive in and make these sticky crispy garlic wings is that the sauce needs to be watched the entire time it simmers. Trust me on this. It’ll want to boil over. You might be thinking it won’t….. and then it will. Just keep an eye on it. If it starts to rise, just grab the pot handle and take it off the heat for a minute or two. Once it subsides, put it back. And keep keeping an eye on it.
No Tossing Zone
If I’m saucing deep-fried wings, specially ones with a thicker coating like these, I don’t like to toss the wings in the sauce. That’ll tend to knock off the crispy coating. Instead, I’ll put the wings in a bowl and drizzle them in the sauce then stir them gently with a rubber spatula. Or I’ll just serve the sauce on the side and dip my chicken wings in it instead.
For the sauce (Warning: Do not leave the sauce un-attended while simmering)
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
Add the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.
Add the honey, soy sauce and pepper. Stir. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium and let simmer for 10 minutes. Stir often and keep a close eye on the sauce as it simmers. It will want to expand and boil over the side of the pan. If this starts to happen, remove the pan from the heat until it subsides. Return to the stove and continue simmering.
Reduce heat to low and keep warm until ready to use.
For the wings
Heat 3-4" of oil to 350 F in a Dutch oven or deep fryer.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, ginger, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper.
In a separate bowl whisk together the eggs and cold water.
Working in batches as needed, dip wings into the egg wash and coat well.
Shake off any excess and transfer to the flour mixture. Turn to coat well.
Transfer the wings to the oil and fry 10-15 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate or wire rack over a baking sheet to drain.
I usually make a sad face when someone says ‘baked wings’. The flavor is usually there. But oh, that skin! Too many times it’s rubbery. I can’t think of an another word for it. You can’t get a nice clean ‘bite’. Well, these Creole-Cajun wings up the baked wing game big time. They’re fried and baked. Yep. You read that correctly. And they are delicious. All the way through, too. The flavor’s not just resting on the skin. And second, the skin produces a perfect bite. It’s not rubbery and it doesn’t all come off in one bite.
Worth The Effort
Making these Creole-Cajun wings isn’t as easy as just throwing some wings in a pan and into the oven they go. They take a little extra work, including some quality time spent in a deep fryer. But it’s worth it. You could easily make a double batch or more and feed a small crowd. The hard work is done the day ahead. On the day you want to serve them just pop them into the oven for 30 minutes or until nice and hot.
I’m going to be straight up honest. Baked buttermilk wings are not something I had a lot of optimism in when I first started. I prefer my wings fried or grilled, nine times out of ten. Not to say I don’t like baked wings. But marinated and baked… I just wasn’t sure. I knew the skin wouldn’t come out super crispy. I was hoping for a clean bite and a lot of flavor. Well, happy me. I got that and more. They turned out deliciously moist and tender. Packed with flavor. And after a little time under the broiler, a little bit of a crispy skin.
No Coating Required
When I first thought about making these baked buttermilk wings I thought about fried chicken. I marinate my chicken for fried chicken the same way. But I then toss it in a bit of seasoned flour and deep fry it. These wings are not quite that same experience. You get that moist deliciousness just like fried chicken. Without the deep frying you don’t get that crunchy exterior but you do you get a bit of crunchy skin. My brain had a hard time with that at first but I ended up devouring a plate of these wings so obviously I wasn’t complaining!
Seal the container and give it a few shakes to combine the ingredients.
Place in fridge for at least 1 hour or up to 12 hours. Shake the container every few hours to keep the ingredients well-combined.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Remove wings from marinade, shaking off any excess, and transfer to the parchment paper.
Bake for 30 minutes. Flip.
Bake another 20-25 minutes or until starting to brown.
If desired, you can place the wings under the broiler to help crisp up the skin. I DO NOT RECOMMEND DOING THIS ON PARCHMENT PAPER. First remove the wings to a piece of foil or place directly on the baking sheet. Then place under the broiler for 5 minutes, checking on them every minute.
I had no idea. None. I picked up a bottle of Kentuckyaki sauce at the Kentucky Artisan Center because it seemed and looked different. Unique. I was worried it might be too bourbon-y. Would I like it on wings? Well I gotta say, this sauce makes for some of the best wings I’ve ever had. Slightly sweet. A little hint of teriyaki. Garlic and ginger. Sounded Asian-inspired, but with a Kentucky twist: a splash of bourbon. And just the right amount, too. This is the perfect sauce, and Kentuckyaki wings are the perfect wings! Shout out to the fine folks at Bourbon Barrel foods. Great job!
A Great Sauce For Other Dishes
You can sure bet that this sauce is great on a whole lot of other things. I’d tell you what, but honestly, I’m going to use the entire bottle making Kentuckyaki wings. And next time I’m on I-75 in the area of Berea, KY, I’m going to stop at the artisan center again and pick up some more. And I’m going to make more of these wings. I always stop there when I’m in the area. They always have unique foods and crafts. And a great little café too!
Go Easy, My Friend
I’m always leery of tossing deep-fried wings in sauce. You have to be gentle or that crunchy coating you worked so hard to get comes flying off. I recommend either drizzling the wings first and gently stirring with a spatula or brushing the sauce on. You can also just serve the sauce on the side for dipping.
Heat 2-3" of oil in a deep-fryer or Dutch oven. While it's warming up, make the sauce.
In a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat, add the Kentuckyaki sauce, pineapple juice, brown sugar and hot sauce. Stir.
In a small glass or bowl, mix the corn starch and water together. I like to use a fork for this. Make sure you get them well-combined.
Let the sauce come to a boil. Whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Continue whisking while the sauce thickens, another 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and let sit while you make the wings. Note: If the sauce gets too thick as it sets, whisk in a teaspoon or two of warm water to thin it.
For the wings
Place the flour in a large bowl. Stir in the salt and pepper.
Working in batches if needed, add the wings to the flour and coat well. Turn them several times, making sure you get the wings covered in flour.
Shake off any excess flour and add to the hot oil. Deep fry 7-10 minutes or until the wings hit 165 F. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate or wire rack over a baking sheet to drain.
Transfer wings to a large bowl. Drizzle with the sauce. Using a spatula, turn the wings to coat well.
We were on vacation in Sevierville, TN for a few days. Whenever we travel I make it a point to seek out local stores that might have wing sauces I can’t find around home. This time we stopped at the Old Mill. The mill has been around almost 200 years and is the oldest operating grist mill in the US. They have a great restaurant and a store where you can get all sorts of great foods and other items. I of course grabbed a bottle of their Buffalo wing sauce so I could make some Old Mill Buffalo wings as soon as I got back home!
The sauce is your fairly standard Buffalo wing sauce. It has a nice heat level to it. And the flavor is actually quite good. I fond it to be quite tasty. It’s a little on the thin side, but not so thin that you don’t end up with a lake of sauce on your plate.
Memories in a Wing
The Old Mill Buffalo wings are sure to satisfy with great traditional Buffalo flavor. And they also bring back memories. We had a great vacation (again) in the Sevierville area. Oh, and while you’re at the Old Mill store, pick up some of their many flours and corn meal mixes. They have great stuff for making fried chicken, fish and vegetables. And more. Lots more. Tons more.
Perdue Roasted Crispy Air Fryer wings really made me happy. I’m not usually impressed with frozen, prepared wings. They’re usually scrawny and tasteless. Not these. Not even close. These wings have a nice, roasted flavor. They also have a great crunchy batter. They cook up in no time in an air fryer (you can also prepare them in the oven). The aroma as they cook is dream-worthy. And perhaps best of all, they are not scrawny! Nope, these are meaty, tender, juicy, tasty, crunchy wings! Score!
I was wrong, and I’m sorry
I didn’t have high expectations for these wings and I was wrong about them. If you like battered wings and are in a hurry, you can’t beat them. Eat them straight out of the air fryer. Dunk them in a little Buffalo wing sauce and Ranch dressing. Or blue cheese. Or Eat them plain. Whatever works for you!
Cook time
The packaging for Perdue Roasted Crispy Air Fryer Wings says to cook them at 400 F for 16 minutes. Maybe it’s just my air fryer (which is a 1700 watt model), but I found that 14 minutes is better. The wings may not seem crunchy after the shorter time, but they do get crunchier as they cool a little. I thought they came out great. Any longer and they start to get a little dark. Not burned, just dark.
Ranch dressingoptional, for serving. Or use your favorite
Instructions
Preheat your air fryer to 400 F per the manufacturer's instructions.
Add the wing pieces and cook for 16 minutes. Note: I prefer 14 minutes. I recommend checking them after 12 or so minutes to see if you are happy with the color of the wings and remove them before 16 minutes if desired.
Remove wings and let cool for 2 minutes before serving with your desired sauces.
I’ve had my share of teriyaki-flavored wing sauces. There’s something about that combination of soy, garlic, ginger and a little sweetness that really makes for some fantastic wings. But, I’ve never, ever had something like Wing It teriyaki wings. Yeah, classic tastes, but my goodness me is it dark. You know there’s no skimping on ingredients in the bottle when you pick it up. You can’t see through it. Heck, hold it up to the sun. Nope, nada. This is one seriously thick, seriously serious teriyaki sauce.
Tasty Teriyaki. And More Tasty Teriyaki.
This is easily one of our top favorite sweet wing sauces. Wing It Teriyaki wings just cannot be beat. I like making a batch of some hot wings, then have a few of these wings as ‘desert’. How could you ever go wrong with a wing desert?
This sauce is also fantastic on grilled or smoke ribs. Just put it on at the very end of the cooking to let it set up. Not too long. It’s got plenty of sugar in it, and you don’t want it to over-caramelize (er… burn).
Truth is, you’re gonna feel it when you bite into some Ass Kickin’ Bacon Wing Sauce wings. The base sauce definitely packs a punch. There’s a slight hint of smoky bacon. I can’t say it’s really ‘bacon forward’. This sauce is based on a great, spicy Buffalo-inspired sauce and that’s it’s strength. You’re gonna get an ass kickin’ first, and the bacon second!
Great Flavor and Heat
I really liked the flavor of these Ass Kickin’ Bacon wing sauce wings. The sauce is a little thinner than you’d expect from a BBQ sauce. It really is more reminiscent of a Buffalo sauce. That’s where it’s roots are and it doesn’t try to hide them. The bacon plays second fiddle to what is a great hot wing sauce.
