Creamy, yummy, great. With a hint of soy sauce. These Catalina wings more than hit the spot. I was amazed by how much I loved the flavor combination. Kinda like an Asian-inspired BBQ sauce. Easy as heck to make, too. If you’re looking for a simple wing sauce recipe that can be made from ingredients you already have in your fridge and pantry, this is it. The only one you’ll need!
Make More
The sauce on these Catalina wings is great for more than wings. Slather it on grilled chicken breasts. On fried chicken sandwiches. Dip your nuggets in it. Brush it on ribs. It’s a great all-around sauce that has great flavor and the perfect consistency for just about any application.
If you’re having trouble getting the onion powder to dissolve when stirring, just use a whisk. In a minute or two it’ll disappear into the sauce and you’re good-to-go!
I enjoy a great plate of wings. Who doesn’t? The kind where I take a bite and just say “Oh that’s good.”. No analysis. No checklist. Just enjoy the moment. That’s what I did with these The Dirty Buffalo Spicy Garlic Ranch wing sauce wings. Instead of trying to describe the sauce right off the bat, I just enjoyed my lunch. And boy did I. You know you’ve had great wings when your thought after the last bite is “I can’t wait to have those again.”.
It’s About The Sauce
I didn’t make any fancy fru-fru wings. Just some simple air fryer wings. I had tunnel vision. I wanted to get to that sauce! The Dirty Buffalo spicy garlic Ranch wing sauce wings more than hit the spot. They were nicely spicy. They have a great kick to them. Not overwhelmingly so, but very enjoyable. The sauce is like a Buffalo Ranch sauce. Kind of a creamy Buffalo sauce really. All with a hint of garlic. Not a ‘ward off the vampires’ amount of garlic. Just right.
I’d eat wings tossed in this sauce all day long. Sometimes I use a lot of sauce. Some times I use less. Either way, they’re fantastic!
Note: If your wing sauce is refrigerated, set it out on the countertop before starting the wings so that it warms up a bit. You don’t want to put cold sauce on hot wings.Note: The full 30 minute cook time is for large, meaty wings. If your wings are a bit thinner (er… scrawny) back the times down to 10/10/4 minutes instead of 12/12/6 minutes.
Ask me what wings I had a year ago today and I’d say “good ones” but I can’t remember what wings they were. Wet? Dry? Dunno. I’m sure they were good. Ask me a year from today which wings I had today and I’ll say “The Dirty Buffalo Sweet Sriracha wing sauce wings”!! That’s because there’s no way I’ll forget these wings. The sauce is nicely sweet. There’s a gentle kiss of heat. It’s like sweet chili sauce but with a Sriracha twist. I can see why this sauce is an award winner. It certainly won me over.
Make Some Wings. Now.
I used my air fryer to make my standard batch of air fryer wings then sauced them. You can make The Dirty Buffalo Sweet Sriracha wing sauce wings any way you want. Just don’t use anything that might overpower the sauce. Don’t go crazy with any seasoning. The sauce is a real winner so don’t hide it.
Yes, I licked my fingers after eating these wings. And yes I wished I’d gotten more on them.
I Shoulda Bought More
I think this sauce would be fantastic in a stir-fry. Or for dipping fried shrimp. Or nuggets. Anything. It’s delicious and perfectly balanced. I definitely should’ve ordered more bottles. Well, that’s ok because I can jump online and order some more, along with all of their other great flavors!
Note: If your wing sauce is refrigerated, set it out on the countertop before starting the wings so that it warms up a bit. You don’t want to put cold sauce on hot wings.Note: The full 30 minute cook time is for large, meaty wings. If your wings are a bit thinner (er… scrawny) back the times down to 10/10/4 minutes instead of 12/12/6 minutes.
I’ve been wanting to make these crispy Buffalo wings using a gas grill for a while. It’s not that I don’t make wings on a grill often. I do. But I use a thing called a Vortex BBQ and I make them on my charcoal grill. It helps me get amazingly crispy skin using very high temperatures. That’s not what I’m doing here, though. I wanted to prove that I can make fantastically crunchy skin wings without my Vortex, without charcoal. All on my gas grill. And boy did I. These great wings take just little effort, just a little time, and come out fantastic.
It’s Super Easy
There are just two simple steps to making crispy Buffalo wings using a gas grill. First, you need to air dry the wings coated in seasoned baking powder (not baking soda) overnight in a fridge on a wire rack. This helps dry out the skin, making it easier to get it crispy later. And second, when it comes time to cook the wings, make sure you have your grill set up for direct and indirect cooking. You want one side super hot while leaving the gas off on the other side. That leaves you a less hot zone, called indirect grilling, to cook your wings without worrying about burning them. The high heat circulates around the wings helps crisp up the skin.
Place the wings in a large bowl or resealable container.
Combine the baking powder and Cajun seasoning.
Sprinkle half of the seasoning mix over the wings. Using your hands, toss the wings to coat.
Add the remaining seasoning and repeat.
Transfer the wings to a wire rack over a baking sheet. Place in the fridge 12 hours or overnight to dry out the skin.
Fire up your gas grill for two zone cooking. On one side, have the burners turned as high as they will go. This will be the direct heat zone. Leave the other side unlit. This will be the indirect heat zone, where you'll cook the wings. Give the grill plenty of time to preheat. You want maximum heat over the direct zone.
Place the wings on the indirect heat side of the grill.
Cook until the wings are lightly browned and crispy, usually 45 minutes. Check them after 30 minutes since cook times will vary depending on your grill and conditions (wind can make them take longer).
I admit it, I do eat my share of chicken wings. Most of the time that means picking up a family pack of 3-4 pounds of fresh wings at the grocery store and cooking them up. Fried, baked, grilled… any way I want. I also always keep some wings on hand in the freezer. Why? Because, well, I like them and they are quick and easy. I picked up a bag of these Tyson Smoked crispy wings and made them the other day in my air fryer. And ya know, for fast already-made wings, they were pretty good!
Crunchy Battered Yumminess
Tyson smoked crispy wings are a variety of wing pieces that are “smoked” and battered. Some pieces are bigger than others. Some are meatier than others. Cooking them involves tossing them into the air fryer or oven for a little bit. That’s it. They come out hot and crispy. Like really hot. So be careful with them until they cool a bit.
You can sauce the wings after you heat them or leave them un-sauced. They’re smaller wings, usually, making them easy to dunk in your favorite sauce or dressing. You could easily make these wings for a crowd, though you’d probably want to make them in the oven since you can only do a small amount at a time in the air fryer.
A Little Extra Cook Time
I like to cook these wings a few more minutes longer than the bag states. It could just be my air fryer or oven. I do like crunchier wings. That extra time gets me to crunchy wing happiness.
Ranch dressingoptional, for serving. Or use your favorite
Instructions
For the air fryer
Lightly spray your air fryer basket with non-stick spray. Preheat your air fryer to 360 F per the manufacturer's instructions.
Add the wing pieces and cook for 12-14 minutes. Note: I prefer 16 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.
For the oven
Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Add wings and cook for 10 minutes. Flip and cook another 10-15 minutes.
Ahhhhhh. Yes. These crispy baked wings are my kind of wings. Baked wings didn’t used to be my kind of wings. Not until this technique came along. Before this, I didn’t like the soft skin. The dried out meat. Nothing but wing sadness. Well, I’m not sad any more! Just a little seasoning and time in the oven and I’ve got nicely crisped-up wings. Grab some of my favorite sauce and I’m good-to-go!
It’s Party Time!
You can make a big ole batch of crispy baked wings in no time. Or you can make a personal-sized batch. Whichever you prefer, it’s easy no matter how many you make. This is the perfect recipe for a crowd. While the wings are cooking to perfection grab (or make!) a few different flavors of sauces and make a wing bar!
As simple as they are to make, these wings do require that you do one thing right when you are preparing them and that’s make sure they are dry before adding the baking powder and pepper mixture. If you see the baking powder making a dough-like puddle at the bottom of your bowl you do not have the wings dry enough. Take the time to make sure you get them dry. The wings will get crispier and taste better if you do!
I had no idea really how much I’d enjoy these baked Thousand Island wings. I kind of have a thing about baked wings to begin with. And the ingredients for sauce, although each yummy on its own, seemed like one of most unusual combinations I’d ever seen. Well, let me tell you folks. You need to make these. And not like next month. Not even next week. Today. Now.
Yummy Sauce. Big Time Yummy.
Thousand Island dressing. Apricot preserves. Onion soup mix. Huh? But you know what, the sauce is AMAZING! I could drink this stuff. Literally. Heck I don’t even really like apricots and I would go for adding more to this sauce. It’s like the whole world turned on its side and my eyes (and mouth!) opened to great new flavors! I’ll definitely be making these baked Thousand Island wings again and soon.
Great Baked Wings???
I don’t usually like baked wings not because of how they taste but the texture is sometimes just not there for me. I like a clean bite-thru skin. I want a bit of color. And a bit of crunch. I actually got all those things with these wings.
If you’re looking to impress a crowd with super-flavorful wings that aren’t the usual Buffalo-flavored kind, make these and impress everyone!
6chicken wingsflats and drumettes separated, tips saved to make stock
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the dressing, preserves and onion soup mix until well combined and smooth.
Lightly spray a baking dish with non-stick spray. I found that a glass dish seems to work best.
Arrange the wings along the bottom of the pan. Do not let them touch or overlap.
Pour the sauce over the wings. Get it spread out evenly.
Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove the foil (but do not discard!). Return the pan to the oven and bake another 30 minutes.
Remove wings from oven and serve hot.
Optional: Spray the foil with non-stick spray on one side and transfer to a baking sheet. Transfer the cooked wings to the foil and place the pan under the broiler for 2-4 minutes (keep an eye on it!) to brown the wings and give them a bit of a crunch.
I’m not really sure what happened. I had made a batch of wings for my lunch like I so often do. I sauced them. And I swear I blinked and they were gone. Just bones left. I checked under the table and nothing. That’s what happens when you make these The Dirty Buffalo Garlic Lemon Pepper wing sauce wings at home. I’m pretty sure it happens at the restaurants too. They’re probably used to it by now. Man, is this ever a great sauce. And a bit different too.
Seek Out Something New
This is not a Buffalo wing sauce. These are not Buffalo wings. These The Dirty Buffalo Garlic Lemon Pepper wing sauce wings are kissed lightly with garlic. And lemon. Ditto, just the right amount. And pepper. Plenty of it but not too much. You might think you’re putting salad dressing on your wings. Don’t let your brain get in the way of having fantastic wings. Grab a bottle of this sauce and go back some wings! This is great stuff and like mine, your wings will disappear like that!
I used my simple air fryer recipe for these wings. But any wings will do as long as they aren’t seasoned heavily. You don’t want anything to fight with the great flavors from this sauce. So keep the wings simple. And enjoy the sauce!
Note: If your wing sauce is refrigerated, set it out on the countertop before starting the wings so that it warms up a bit. You don’t want to put cold sauce on hot wings.Note: The full 30 minute cook time is for large, meaty wings. If your wings are a bit thinner (er… scrawny) back the times down to 10/10/4 minutes instead of 12/12/6 minutes.
It pays to branch out when looking for new wing sauces. Make your own. Buy the national brands. Try a few local ones too. And absolutely, positively make sure you seek out great wing joints that also sell their sauces. The best sauces often come from smaller market restaurants and bars. They pay attention to taste and quality. They have to. There’s a lot of competition out there. You gotta make good stuff to stand out and succeed. And that’s how I came to find The Dirty Buffalo, a more-than-just-a-wing-joint around Norfolk, Chesapeake and Virginia Beach in Virginia. So I ordered a huge bunch of their sauces. Darned near everything they make. And oh, was I excited when they arrived and I made my first batch of wings: The Dirty Buffalo Hot Buffalo wing sauce wings. This (and the rest I got from them) is one fantastically great sauce. THIS is why you seek these places out.
Deep-Fried For Wing Perfection
I started out with my favorite deep-fried wings. You can make any wings you like. Just don’t go seasoning them so heavy that you’re going to bury the flavor and heat from these The Dirty Buffalo hot Buffalo wing sauce wings. The sauce is the winner here. A big winner.
Great Heat. Great Flavor.
The balance between heat and flavor is perfect in this sauce. This is easily one of the best kicked-up Buffalo wing sauces I’ve had. Traditional flavor, perfect consistency and the right amount of heat. I loved it. I’m glad I picked it first from my big box of bottled sauces. This is one great start on my journey through the sauces from The Dirty Buffalo.
Remember that if you are using a refrigerated sauce on your hot wings, make sure you let the sauce come to room temperature before using it. Nothing is sadder than a cold sauce on a hot wing.
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.
If you prefer to air fry your wings, use my extra-crispy air fryer wing recipe to cook the wings then sauce with the Dirty Buffalo sauce when done.If you prefer to bake your wings, use my oven-baked wing recipe and substitute the Dirty Buffalo sauce for the sauce in the recipe.
I cook up a LOT of chicken wings. Sometimes I make them in the deep fryer, sometimes on the charcoal grill, sometimes on the gas grill, sometimes on the smoker, and often on the Char-Broil Big Easy. I love them any way, any time. One of my favorite ways to prepare wings is using a Vortex on my charcoal grill. This simple device gets your grill screamin’ hot, perfect for making those great crispy wings we all love. So grab a Vortex and read on! This is how to make perfect wings using a Vortex!
The Search…
I am always on a quest for the next best wing cooking idea. Recently, I discovered the best way for making crispy wings on the Char-Broil Big Easy, which came out fantastic. But, I was still looking for the best way to get crispy wings on my charcoal grill. That’s when I discovered the Vortex and Vortex chicken wings are amazing. The Vortex is an insert for your grill that let’s you concentrate the charcoal heat, making for an incredibly hot fire. As you can see below, the wings ring the Vortex, getting super hot and in just a while, crispy. And it couldn’t get any easier.
Best Thing Ever…
I couldn’t be more happy with my Vortex purchase. I purchased the small-sized model, which works fantastic on my old 18″ Weber kettle and 22″ Weber Performer grills. But, a larger model is available for the 22″-26″ cookers.
Since I originally posting this recipe, I’ve made wings on my Vortex hundreds of times. I’ve found that rotating the lid isn’t so critical (specially when cooking on a smaller grill such as the Jumbo Joe). For a little smoky flavor, throw a nice chunk of your favorite wood (I like hickory or cherry) over the Vortex about 5 minutes before you put your wings on.
