These Backyard BBQ wings bring back memories. Memories of years ago, as a kid, enjoying those classic neighborhood grill-outs. The dads gathered around charcoal grills, the moms chatting away in a circle of lawn chairs. Us kids playing, running all over the place and even getting yelled out when we came to close to the grill.
Every Bite A Memory
There’s nothing I would change about Backyard BBQ wings. They’re easy to make. They come out juicy, tender and delicious. And they remind me of that grilled barbecue chicken from long ago.
You’d find mostly grilled chicken and burgers at these cook-outs. The chicken would be heavily brushed in BBQ sauce. Like these wings. Same great flavors as back then, but on delicious wings instead.
I store my leftover homemade sauces in squeeze bottles. If refrigerated, I set them out an hour before using so they come to room temperature. You don’t want to put cold sauce on hot wings!
I’ve been a huge fan of Cajun Power Garlic Sauce for years. I seriously don’t know why I waited so long to use it as both a chicken wing marinade and sauce. I loved these Cajun Power Garlic Sauce wings. Seasoned perfectly. A little garlicky. Nice and rich and super yummy.
More Sauce is More Better
I loved these Cajun Power Garlic Sauce wings. But guess what? Cajun Power also makes Cajun Power Spicy Garlic Sauce. Perfect for your friends (like me) that prefer their wings nice and hot! It’s not crazy spicy, but it packs a nice heat.
You can’t put enough Cajun Power Garlic Sauce on your cooked wings. I’ve tried and it’s not possible. It’s also great for dipping wings instead of your usual cooling dips like blue cheese or ranch dressing.
I have been enjoying the heck out of the flavors of wing sauces I picked up from Alliger’s House of Wings. Each and every one has been fantastic. Another cool thing about House of Wings is that on their website they have recipes for using their sauces and a few other simple ingredients to create all-new flavors. Like these BBQ Ranch wings. They’re crazy easy and crazy delicious. There’s nothing fancy going on here, just a great wing sauce. The kind you cannot stop eating.
The Perfect Taste Combination
These BBQ Ranch wings have just the right amount of Buffalo wing flavor, with a hint of barbecue sauce. The Ranch dressing adds a nice creaminess and coolness to the wings. This is a great way to serve wings at a party. No need for that bowl of Ranch for dipping your wings. They’ve already been dipped for you!
I store my leftover homemade sauces in squeeze bottles. If refrigerated, I set them out an hour before using so they come to room temperature. You don’t want to put cold sauce on hot wings!
I was a bit skeptical about a coffee and chicken. Sure, coffee often finds its way into my beef rubs or sauces, but it’s not something I thought would work so well with chicken wings. Rick’s coffee burn dry wings have so many great flavors it’s impossible to point to just one that makes them taste so great. You taste the coffee, the bouillon, garlic, onion… all of it. And there’s no lack of heat, either. Chipotle powder and jalapeno powder both pack a punch, but like everything else in the rub, they don’t drown out the other flavors.
Dry Wings Are Always A Win
I’m a huge fan of dry rubbed wings. Sauced wings are fantastic too. But you have to be careful that the sauce doesn’t become the only star of the show. You don’t want to hide the seasoning and the chicken. Rick’s coffee burn dry wings let me taste of all of the spices, and still I taste chicken. If you can’t taste the chicken, what’s the point?
I like to make my spice, rub and seasoning mixes in big batches and keep them in large bottles with easy-to-pour shaker lids.
I prefer to season my wings immediately after cooking them. The seasoning will stick to the surface of the hot wings better than if you wait until they cool off.
Perdue Hot ‘N Spicy 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 are definitely hot and spicy. They have a delicious, 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, or do as I did and dunk them in a little Buffalo wing sauce and Ranch dressing. Whatever works for you!
Cook time
The packaging for Perdue Hot ‘N Spicy 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.
Perdue makes roasted and a lemon pepper versions of these wings. Try them. You’ll love them too and they’re great for your fear-the-heat friends!
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.
Notes
Remember that if you have to refrigerate your open bottle of wing sauce, let it sit out on the counter for at least 30 minutes before using. You don’t want to ‘shock’ hot, just-cooked wings with a cold sauce.
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.
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.
I’m usually a make-them-fresh wing kinda guy. But I am also open to trying just about any wing you can make, including the ones I find in bags or boxes in the freezer section of my local grocery. I don’t usually have really high expectations for them. Often the ‘wings’ are small or don’t have much meat. Or are inconsistent in size and taste. So I tend to be kinda pessimistic when I buy them. I have to say, though, that I was pretty impressed with these Tyson Korean BBQ frozen wings. Meaty? Yep. Tasty? Yep.
They Look Like Wings!
It might seem strange to be surprised that these Tyson Korean BBQ frozen wings look like wings. I’ve had some weird looking frozen wings before. I open the bag or box and wonder what I’m looking at. Not these, though. They looked like flats and drummies. I could recognize them. So right off the bat, things were looking good!
And They’re Tasty, Too!
These wings are coated in a kinda tangy Korean BBQ sauce. And not sorta coated. Unlike some wings, these wings have flavor all around, everywhere. These wings are not spicy. A little sweet but there’s no heat. I thought the sauce was quite tasty actually. I’d happily buy a bottle of this sauce by itself and use it on my own wings!
Ranch dressingoptional, for serving. Or use your favorite
Instructions
Preheat your air fryer to 375 F per the manufacturer's instructions.
Add the wing pieces and cook for 22-25 minutes. I prefer to turn the wings halfway through the cooking process, but it's optional. Make sure the wings do not overlap or they will not cook evenly.
Remove wings and let cool for 2 minutes before serving with your desired sauces.
There’s something about spicy dry-rubbed wings that I really love. It’s the subtle flavoring. Nothing overpowering. And you still taste the chicken. It’s easy to lose sight of the chicken when you drown them in sauce. That’s why I am more than happy with wings just tossed with seasoning, like these spicy dry rub hot wings. If you’ve never tried or even heard of dry wings, you’re missing out. Now’s your chance to have something amazing, something different than sauced wings.
That Depth Of Flavor Thing
The seasoning on these spicy dry rub hot wings has the perfect combination of heat, with a hint of smoke. Smoked paprika is a great ingredient for cooking wings, especially if you deep fry them. It adds that ‘almost tastes grilled’ flavor without firing up the grill. I often add smoked paprika in place of sweet paprika for that reason.
I like to make my spice, rub and seasoning mixes in big batches and keep them in large bottles with easy-to-pour shaker lids.
I prefer to season my wings immediately after cooking them. The seasoning will stick to the surface of the hot wings better than if you wait until they cool off.
My wife and I recently spent a few days in lovely Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania while attending a conference. I made sure I had my ‘to-eat’ list down before leaving, because one thing you can be sure of finding in Pittsburgh: good food. At the top of my list was dry chicken wings. No, not dry like ‘ewww, this meat is dry’. Dry as in the wings aren’t tossed in sauce after being cooked. Instead they are dusted with seasoning. The end result is almost like roasted chicken, but with much more pronounced flavors. Now that we are back home, I had to make some of the favorites that I devoured in Pittsburgh, like these Old Bay wings, which are just flat-out incredible.
My Old-Bay Addiction Just Got Worse
It’s really hard to beat crispy chicken wings that have the great crab-boil flavor of Old Bay seasoning. I ate these wings like I hadn’t had anything to eat in weeks. They disappeared so fast your head would spin. They are fantastic.
I went with Ranch dressing for the dipping sauce for these Old Bay seasoning wings, but seriously, you can eat them dry, as-is, with no sauce. There’s no need to drown them in sauce, the flavor stands on its own.
I prefer to season my wings immediately after cooking them. The seasoning will stick to the surface of the hot wings better than if you wait until they cool off.
