Copycat Hooter’s Hot Buffalo Wings

It’s hard to beat Hooter’s for good ole hot wings. If you don’t have a restaurant nearby you have three options. One, move. Two, order some of their breading and sauces online and make the original yourself. Or three, make this copycat Hooter’s hot buffalo Wings from scratch. Any option will do, but I have to admit that these wings came out spot-on like what I’ve had at the restaurant. They’re hot but not crazy hot. They’re breaded perfectly. They taste wonderful and they disappear in no time. That’s the sign of darned good wings.

Copycat Hooter's Hot Buffalo Wings

Great Heat and Great Flavor

I wouldn’t do anything different about these copycat Hooter’s hot Buffalo wings. Except maybe more of them, more often. You can tone down the heat but leaving out the cayenne and make a medium version of these wings, but then they wouldn’t be hot wings! Doh!

If it’s just me or the two of us, I’ll use my lil ole trusty Fry Daddy fryer to make these wings. I can fit a good 8 pieces in without any fear of over-crowding. As an added bonus, it doesn’t use much oil and it is super easy to clean up. It sure makes deep frying a breeze.

Try my copycat Hooter’s medium Buffalo wings for a little less heat!

Check out my always-growing list of over 100 homemade wing recipes, including sauces and seasonings!

Copycat Hooter's Hot Buffalo Wings
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5 from 1 vote

Copycat Hooter’s Hot Buffalo Wings

These wings are hot, but not crazy hot!
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Buffalo wings, copycat
Servings: 4
Calories: 275kcal

Ingredients

For the Wings

For the Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce

Instructions

For the Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce

  • Make the sauce by placing all of the ingredients into a small saucepan over medium low heat.
  • Once the butter is melted stir well. Turn off the heat.
  • Stir again before tossing with the wings.

For the Wings

  • Combine the flour, salt, cayenne and paprika in a large bowl.
  • Rinse the wings. Drain well but do not dry the wings.
  • Add the wings to the flour mixture and turn to coat well. Transfer to a plate and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  • Heat 3" of oil in a Dutch oven or deep fryer to 350 F.
  • Working in batches if necessary, fry the wings 8-10 minutes or until they reach 165 F. Transfer to a rack over a baking sheet or a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
  • Transfer wings to a large bowl. Drizzle with the sauce and toss gently to coat. Serve with blue cheese or ranch dressing. Click here for our guide on how to sauce your wings.

Notes

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce on the side, if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 275kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 811mg | Potassium: 23mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 819IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional values are approximate and will not include any store-bought wing sauce or seasoning nutritional values.

Big Game Hot Wings

These Big Game Hot Wings were some of the best, if not the best, homemade wings I’ve had. The sauce really hit the spot for me. It’s the perfect combination of a little sweet and a little heat, with a little vinegar and mustard tang to it. It’s beyond finger-licking good. And since it’s homemade, I got to adjust the heat to my liking. That meant that I added a bit more hot sauce than the recipe calls for. You can use more. Or less. This sauce would be great for the Big Game. You can make a huge batch of sauce without a lot of fuss or trouble. If you’re worried about the heat scaring off some of your guests, just make two different batches. One with the pepper flake and hot sauce, and one without.

Big Game Hot Wings

Great Wings from a Great Cookbook

This recipe for Big Game Hot Wings is one of the many great wing recipes you can find in Brian White’s series of chicken wing cookbooks. Every book in the Chicken Wing Cookbook Book 1 Deliciously Different Recipes of Chicken Wings You Need to Try! series is packed with fantastic recipes like this one. I picked up all 6 books for free on Amazon with my Kindle Unlimited subscription. Heck, these books alone more than make the subscription price worth it!

This sauce would be absolutely great on grilled or smoked pork ribs. The mustard would go perfectly with the pork.

Also try my Five Alarm Buffalo wings!

Check out my always-growing list of over 100 homemade wing recipes, including sauces and seasonings!

Big Game Hot Wings
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5 from 1 vote

Big Game Hot Wings

This sauce would be absolutely great on grilled or smoked pork ribs.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time2 hours 44 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: hot, wings
Servings: 4
Calories: 782kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

For the sauce

For the wings

  • 2 pounds chicken wings flats and drumettes separated, tips saved to make stock

Instructions

Notes

Make extra sauce and serve it on the side for dipping!

Nutrition

Calories: 782kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 175mg | Sodium: 772mg | Potassium: 619mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 62g | Vitamin A: 1168IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutritional values are approximate and will not include any store-bought wing sauce or seasoning nutritional values.

Croix Valley Pineapple Habanero Wings

I checked. It’s actually legal in all 50 states to drink a wing sauce directly from the bottle. You’ll want to, too, when you get a taste of Croix Valley Pineapple Habanero wing sauce wings. The fine folks at Croix Valley way out-did themselves this time, and that’s saying a lot because they make a bunch of great sauces and seasonings. Slightly sweet, with a nice slow spicy burn, this sauce reminds me a bit of a Asian chili sauce, but fruit-based instead. It’s so good I put more sauce on the side for dipping my already-sauced wings.

Croix Valley Pineapple Habanero Wings

Pineapple Sweetness with a Bit of Heat

Croix Valley Pineapple Habanero wing sauce is delicious on a whole heck of a lot more than ‘just’ wings, too. Shrimp, grilled or deep-fried, are big winners when tossed in it. Chicken nuggets too! And the pineapple sweetness really shines on anything pork, specially grilled or smoked pork ribs. And yeah, it’s great straight out of the bottle too!

Also try some Croix Valley tequila lime wing sauce wings.

Check out my always-growing list of over 200 favorite store-bought wing sauces and seasonings!

Croix Valley Pineapple Habanero Wings
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5 from 1 vote

Croix Valley Pineapple Habanero Wing Sauce Wings

This is one fantastic sauce!
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time45 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: sweet heat, wings
Servings: 6
Calories: 730kcal

Ingredients

Notes

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce on the side, if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 730kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 175mg | Sodium: 195mg | Potassium: 418mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 532IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutritional values are approximate and will not include any store-bought wing sauce or seasoning nutritional values.

Market District Zesty Dill Pickle Wing Sauce Wings

These Market District Zesty Dill Pickle wing sauce wings are… dill-icious! There, I said it. I knew I would. The name says it all. Zesty. Dill. Pickle. They aren’t lying, nope. I’m a huge fan of dill pickles, especially the juice left in the jars after I devour all of the pickles. Boy does it ever make for good chicken wing marinade! But I digress! Now I can get all of that great dill flavor, now in a bottled wing sauce that is yummy creamy to boot!!

Market District Zesty Dill Pickle Wings

Different. And Very Good.

There’s no mistaking the dill flavor in the Market District Zesty Dill Pickle wing sauce. That’s what we’re here for, right? We didn’t pick up a bottle of this sauce expecting Thai-inspired flavors. Or traditional Buffalo wing flavors. Nope, we’re here for that in-your-face dill and vinegar flavor that we all know and love! Get you some, fellow pickle lovers!

Also try some great Market District creamy Buffalo blue cheese wing sauce wings!

Check out my always-growing list of over 200 favorite store-bought wing sauces and seasonings!

Market District Zesty Dill Pickle Wings
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5 from 1 vote

Market District Zesty Dill Pickle Wing Sauce Wings

It's dill-icious!
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time45 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: dill pickle, wings
Servings: 6
Calories: 503kcal

Ingredients

Notes

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce on the side, if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 503kcal | Protein: 42g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 175mg | Sodium: 166mg | Potassium: 354mg | Vitamin A: 333IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional values are approximate and will not include any store-bought wing sauce or seasoning nutritional values.

Legend Larry’s Scary Larry Wing Sauce Wings

I always say ‘it’s been fun’ before I dive into a batch of wings covered in a super-spicy wing sauce. You know, just in case things go sideways. Legend Larry’s Scary Buffalo wing sauce worried me a bit. I mean, it says ‘scary’ right there on the label. Not ‘hot’ or ‘spicy’, but ‘scary’. Heck, it was scaring me. Then I took that first bite of wings tossed in the sauce. Well, first thing was the heat. The spice. The tongue-tingling sensation. Maybe a sneeze or two. Then along came the wonderful, outrageously good flavor. The perfect combination of spices and vinegar sauce, these wings were fantastic. And scary hot.

Legend Larry's Scary Larry Wings

Heat! Glorious Heat!

So what do you do if you’re worried that Legend Larry’s Scary wing sauce is too hot for you? Well, first, accept that it’s going to be hot. Accept that it’s going to tingle your tongue and not for just 2 seconds either. But know that you’re going to taste a delicious sauce too. So go light that first time. Don’t drench your wings in sauce. Lightly coat them. Heck, they don’t have to be glistening in sauce!

Also make some Legend Larry’s sweet Thai chili wing sauce wings!

Check out my always-growing list of over 200 favorite store-bought wing sauces and seasonings!

Legend Larry's Scary Larry Wings
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5 from 1 vote

Legend Larry’s Scary Larry Wing Sauce Wings

Crazy good super-spicy wings!
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time45 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: very spicy, wings
Servings: 6
Calories: 503kcal

Ingredients

Notes

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce on the side, if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 503kcal | Protein: 42g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 175mg | Sodium: 166mg | Potassium: 354mg | Vitamin A: 333IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional values are approximate and will not include any store-bought wing sauce or seasoning nutritional values.

Spicy Mango Wings

Let’s all head to the islands and enjoy some delicious tropical-inspired wings! These spicy mango wings bring a little fruitiness, a little sweetness and as little or as much heat as you want! The sauce is the perfect consistency for wing-sticking enjoyment. I couldn’t find fresh habaneros in our market, so I used a good few shakes of habanero hot sauce instead. It hits my palate up front, then comes the fruity sweetness and all is good in the world again.

Spicy Mango Wings

Fresh ‘n Fruity. And Spicy.

I used frozen mango chunks when I made these spicy mango wings. They’re always in season! They’re easier to deal with than a fresh mango and always perfectly ripe. It’s nice to keep them on hand for recipes like this and anything else that calls for mango.

The sauce on these wings is also great on grilled or smoke ribs. Or slather it on grilled chicken.

Also try my teriyaki dry wings.

Check out my always-growing list of over 100 homemade wing recipes, including sauces and seasonings!

Spicy Mango Wings
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5 from 1 vote

Spicy Mango Wings

Delicious island-inspired hot wings!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: fruity, spicy
Servings: 6
Calories: 533kcal

Ingredients

For the wings

  • 3-4 pounds chicken wings flats and drumettes separated, tips saved to make stock

For the sauce

  • 1 medium mango skinned, cubed
  • 3 habanero peppers stems removed (or use habanero hot sauce, to taste)
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • ¼ cup honey

Instructions

For the sauce

  • Place all ingredients into a food process or blender. Process until smooth.
  • Transfer the mix to a sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to a slow simmer and continue simmering while stirring often until thickened.
  • Reduce heat and keep warm until ready to use. Stir before adding to wings.

Notes

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce on the side, if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 533kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 175mg | Sodium: 168mg | Potassium: 445mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 795IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional values are approximate and will not include any store-bought wing sauce or seasoning nutritional values.

Croix Valley Garlic Ginger Teriyaki Dry Wings

This right here is why I really love dry wings. Croix Valley Garlic Ginger Teriyaki dry wings are packed with flavor, without a sauce. Hey, sure, if you want to add sauce you surely can. But the seasoning is soooo good you can enjoy them without anything else. A sauce or dressing for dipping is definitely optional. Each bite of the wings is a combination of hints of teriyaki, the aroma of ginger and a bit of garlic. You smell the ingredients when you first open the seasoning pouch. You might think that the teriyaki will end up battling the ginger, but no. There’s the perfect balance of each. It’s kinda soy sauce like but without being overwhelming.

Great Flavor in Every Bite

Croix Valley Garlic Ginger Teriyaki Dry Wings still let you taste the wings. I like that. Otherwise, hey, just eat the seasoning out of the bag and skip the wings! We’re here for delicious wings, seasoned perfectly in each and every bite. Add more for more flavor. Less to get just the perfect hint of seasoning. Don’t let the size of the bags fool you. One bag goes a long ways. And this is quality stuff, too. No worries about some bites tasting different than others. It’s mixed and seasoned perfectly.

If I am serving my wings with Ranch or blue cheese or some other sauce, I use these little sauce dipping cups. They’re the perfect size for dipping wings, nuggets, tenders and even vegetables. And they’re easy to clean, too!

Also try some Croix Valley garlic Buffalo wings.

Check out my always-growing list of over 200 favorite store-bought wing sauces and seasonings!

Croix Valley Garlic Ginger Teriyaki Dry Wings
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5 from 1 vote

Croix Valley Garlic Ginger Teriyaki Dry Wings

Delicious wings with Asian-inspired flavors.
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time45 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: dry wings, wing dust, wings
Servings: 6
Calories: 503kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce on the side, if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 503kcal | Protein: 42g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 175mg | Sodium: 166mg | Potassium: 354mg | Vitamin A: 333IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional values are approximate and will not include any store-bought wing sauce or seasoning nutritional values.

Crystal Hot Wing Sauce Wings

I’ve been a fan of Crystal Hot Sauce since the moment I first tasted it. It’s such an incredibly tasty hot sauce. I was waiting for the fine folks to come out with a wing sauce version of their famous sauce. Heck, while I was waiting I made a Buffalo wing sauce based on their hot sauce while I was waiting. Well, the wait is over, Crystal Pure Louisiana Original Hot Wing Sauce is here. Now I can enjoy Crystal Hot Wings any time, in minutes. This is the wing sauce dreams are made of. Just the right heat. And the most incredible aged cayenne pepper flavor around. I love these wings.

Crystal Hot Wings

Nothing But Great Taste In Every Bite

Crystal Hot wing sauce wings are 100% about flavor. Great flavor. You may find yourself like me: wanting to devour the wings in front of you. But resist. Go slow. Enjoy each and every tasty bite. You’ll be so glad you did. These wings are a wonderful take on traditional Buffalo wings.

got a bottle of Crystal hot sauce? Make some Crystal hot sauce Buffalo wings.

Check out my always-growing list of over 200 favorite store-bought wing sauces and seasonings!

Crystal Hot Wings
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5 from 1 vote

Crystal Hot wing sauce wings

Crystal Hot Wings are 100% about flavor.
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: hot sauce, wings
Servings: 6
Calories: 537kcal

Ingredients

For the wings

Notes

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce on the side, if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 537kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 175mg | Sodium: 263mg | Potassium: 357mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.4g | Vitamin A: 409IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutritional values are approximate and will not include any store-bought wing sauce or seasoning nutritional values.

Baked Coconut Mango Wings

I’m gonna be straight-up. I thought these baked coconut mango wings were delicious. I loved them. I’m not usually a big baked wings fan, but they were packed with island-inspired flavor with golden-brown lightly crunchy skin and moist, tender meat. It was the dipping sauce that threw me. Maybe it’s because 99% of the time I dip my wings in blue cheese or ranch salad dressing. I’m not sure, but I wasn’t a fan. I’d make these wings again, but I’d use the sauce as additional marinade instead. You might feel differently, but it’s my job to be up-front and honest.

Baked Coconut Mango Wings

Delicious… and Pretty

The gorgeous color on these baked coconut mango wings comes from the annatto in the Sazon seasoning. It’s the same stuff that’s used to color other foods, like making cheddar cheese orange. Yeah, it’s really white. Go figure. Why do orange-ish foods taste better? I’m not sure, but they do. And they look better too.

Also try my baked salsa verde wings! Ole!

Check out my always-growing list of over 100 homemade wing recipes, including sauces and seasonings!

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4 from 1 vote

Baked Coconut Mango Wings

I thought these baked coconut wings were delicious. I loved them.
Inspired by a recipe from Cooking on the Weekends
Prep Time12 hours 45 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: fruity, wings
Servings: 6
Calories: 533kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Season the wings with the Sazon seasoning on all sides. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  • Add coconut milk and mango to a blender and puree until smooth.
  • Add half of the mixture to a large resealable container or a baking dish. Stir in the cayenne.
  • Transfer remaining half of the sauce to a resealable container and refrigerate until ready to use.
  • Add wings to dish and turn to coat in the marinade. Cover tightly and refrigerate for 6-12 hours.
  • Preheat your oven to 450 F.
  • Remove chicken from marinade and transfer to a baking sheet, skin-side up, that is lined with foil or a silpat.
  • Season chicken with pepper.
  • Bake chicken for 25 minutes or until they reach 165 F internally.
  • Turn on your broiler and broil the wings until they get a little more golden brown and to slightly crisp the skin.
  • Serve the wings with the reserved coconut/mango sauce for dipping.

Notes

For best results, do not use lite coconut milk.

Nutrition

Calories: 533kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 175mg | Sodium: 168mg | Potassium: 445mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 795IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional values are approximate and will not include any store-bought wing sauce or seasoning nutritional values.

Lillie’s Q Honey Gold Tender Sauce Wings

As soon as I saw this sauce from Lillie’s Q I thought ‘wings’. The bottle says ‘tender sauce’ but hey, wings are what tenders wish they were, so I knew it’d be great on them too! Lillie’s Q Honey Gold Tender sauce wings are crazy good. The sauce is just lightly mustard-y. Too much mustard can be a bad thing. It gets up your nose and all of a sudden you’re not in wing heaven any more. This sauce balances the mustard with the perfect sweetness. No heat here, just great flavors.

Lillies Q Honey Gold Wings

The Perfect Mustardy Balance

So just to make sure, I actually also had the sauce on side for dipping some chicken nuggets. Not ‘boneless chicken wings’, there’s no such thing. Oh don’t let me get started on that! Nuggets. And yep, fantastic for those too! I figured it would be! But truth is, Lillie’s Q Honey Gold Tender Sauce wings are fantastic no matter how you use the sauce.

Also try Lillie’s Q white BBQ sauce wings! They’re great!

Check out my always-growing list of over 200 favorite store-bought wing sauces and seasonings!

Lillie's Q Honey Gold Wings
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5 from 1 vote

Lillie’s Q Honey Gold Tender Sauce Wings

This sauce balances the mustard with the perfect sweetness.
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time45 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: honey, mustard, wings
Servings: 6
Calories: 503kcal

Ingredients

Notes

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce on the side, if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 503kcal | Protein: 42g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 175mg | Sodium: 166mg | Potassium: 354mg | Vitamin A: 333IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional values are approximate and will not include any store-bought wing sauce or seasoning nutritional values.