Pickle-Brined Wings

An online friend of mine recently told me that he never, ever throws out the brine left in a jar of pickles after all of the pickles are gone. He went on to say that he uses it to brine the chicken when he makes Nashville Hot Chicken. I thought to myself, “Darn”, as I flashed back to all of the gallons of pickle brine I’ve watched go down the drain. Though I didn’t have Nashville Hot Chicken on the brain. I wanted wings! And what I got were these delicious pickle-brined wings, super-duper moist and flavorful.

Pickle-Brined Wings

Tender and juicy

The pickle brine doesn’t smack you in the face, it just helped make the chicken more tender and juicy. Do not fear, biting into your wings won’t be like biting into a Vlasic. No, it’ll be like biting into wing greatness!

From now on I am definitely saving my pickle brine. It doesn’t have to come from just pickles either. The juice from anything pickled will do. Just save that stuff up for the next time you make pickle-brined wings and you’ll be as happy as I was.

You can buy pickle juice in jugs now, which is just about the best thing ever.

Also try my pickling spice wings!

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

Pickle-Brined Wings
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5 from 1 vote

Pickle-Brined Wings

The pickle brine doesn’t smack you in the face, it just helped make the chicken more tender and juicy.
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time45 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: brined, wings
Servings: 6
Calories: 517kcal

Ingredients

For the wings

For the seasoning

Instructions

  • Place wings in a large resealable baggie or container.
  • Add the pickle juice. Seal and toss to coat.
  • Refrigerate for 1-4 hours, flipping occasionally
  • When ready to cook, remove the wings from the pickle juice and dab dry with a paper towel. Do not rinse.
  • Combine the seasoning ingredients and sprinkle the wings with it. Note: If you like, you can sprinkle the wings with the seasoning AFTER cooking instead. I've tried it both ways and they came out great no matter which technique I used.

Notes

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

Nutrition

Calories: 517kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 176mg | Sodium: 1359mg | Potassium: 393mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 671IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 2mg

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

Buttermilk Southwestern Wings

Yep. I did it. I stepped right over that line between ‘fried chicken wings’ and ‘grandma’s fried chicken’. It’s a gray line. You can barely see it. Heck, I’m not sure it even exists. It doesn’t matter really. Because I enjoyed these buttermilk southwestern wings no matter what you call them. Tender, juicy meat that is packed with flavor. Crunchy, delicious coating. What’s not to like?

Buttermilk Southwestern Wings

Sauce On The Side?

You’ll probably want a sauce to go on these buttermilk southwestern wings. Oh, it’s not required really. But to keep from calling these ‘grandma’s fried chicken wings’, you’ll probably want a sauce. Heck, the wing police might come calling if you don’t.

But don’t go drizzling the wings in sauce then tossing them around in a bowl. You’ll lose all of that delicious crunchy coating. Instead, either drizzle the wings with the sauce or (my recommendation!) serve the sauce on the side, for dipping. The nice thing about having a bowl of sauce on the side is you (and your guests) can dunk a little or a lot. You go to pre-drizzling the wings and someone is gonna say they didn’t get enough sauce. Or they got too much. Sauce on the side solves that problem!

Also try my baked buttermilk wings.

Buttermilk Southwestern Wings
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5 from 1 vote

Buttermilk Southwestern Wings

Incredibly tender, moist, flavorful wings with a delightfully crunchy crust!
Inspired by a recipe from The Nutmeg Nanny
Prep Time12 hours 10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time12 hours 20 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: deep-fried, wings
Servings: 4
Calories: 258kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

For the marinade

For the coating

For the wings

Instructions

For the marinade

  • In a large resealable container add the buttermilk, cilantro, lime zest and juice, garlic and chipotle chili powder. Seal and shake to combine.
  • Add the wings to the container and seal. Shake to coat. Seal and refrigerate overnight.

For the coating

  • Combine the flour, paprika and salt in a large bowl.
  • Working in batches if needed, remove the wings from the marinade. Shake off any excess then transfer to the flour mixture. Toss or roll to coat well. Transfer to a plate.

For the wings

  • Heat a few inches of oil to 350 F in a deep fryer or Dutch oven.
  • Working in batches if needed, fry the wings 8-10 minutes or until golden brown, crunchy and done.
  • Transfer to a wire rack to drain and cool for a few minutes.
  • Serve!

Notes

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

Nutrition

Calories: 258kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 571mg | Potassium: 254mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1608IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 184mg | Iron: 3mg

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

Peri-Peri Wings

Apparently I have been living in a dark, deep cave for years and never heard of peri peri (or piri piri) sauce. Until recently, that is, when I saw an old episode of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations where he devoured some peri peri chicken in Mozambique. He said it was great, but oh did it burn. Sounded good to me so I found a jar of peri peri sauce at Jungle Jim’s grocery store, and proceeded to make Peri-Peri wings that I then lightly covered in the sour, vinegary, slightly sweet and definitely spicy sauce.

Peri-Peri Wings

Great Flavor And Heat

I found the peri peri sauce to be quite addicting. Yeah, it’s a bit spicy but it’s really not over-the-top hot in my opinion. It brings a nice earthy pepper to these Peri-Peri wings. I can definitely see myself roasting an entire chicken and covering it in peri peri. That’d make for some mighty good eats. With a kick.

RIP Anthony.

Also try my raspberry chipotle wings.

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

Peri-Peri Wings
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5 from 1 vote

Peri-Peri Wings

I found the peri peri sauce to be quite addicting. Yeah, it’s a bit spicy but it’s really not over-the-top hot in my opinion.
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time45 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: African, 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.

San Antonio Wings

These San Antonio wings turned out to be some of the best I’ve had. I wasn’t expecting the sauce, as simple as it was, to be so drool-worthy. I could not get enough of it. And the dipping sauce was equally fantastic, with just a slight hint of cumin giving it a nice southwestern flavor. A little heat, and a little sweet. Perfect.

San Antonio Wings

Spicy. Or Not. Up To You.

The first time I made San Antonio wings I used hot picante sauce. The next, I used mild. To my surprise, I loved both equally. That’s saying something because I do normally like a good kick to my wings. Not overpowering, but a little spiciness. You can’t go wrong no matter how you make these.

Oh, and the dipping sauce isn’t just great for San Antonio wings. It’s also yummy dipping for tortilla chips.

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!

Also try some tangy Tapatio barbecue wings! They’re great too!

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

San Antonio Wings
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5 from 1 vote

San Antonio Wings

These San Antonio wings turned out to be some of the best I’ve had.
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time45 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: southwestern, wings
Servings: 6
Calories: 570kcal

Ingredients

For the wings

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

For the sauce

Instructions

For the sauce

  • Combine the Pace picante sauce, ketchup, honey and cumin. Half of the sauce will be for the wings.
  • Combine remaining sauce with the sour cream and use as a dipping sauce.

Notes

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

Nutrition

Calories: 570kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 190mg | Sodium: 296mg | Potassium: 441mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 566IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 2mg

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

Brown Sugar Curry Wings

My wife isn’t a fan of curry seasoning. That’s why I made these brown sugar curry wings for my lunch while she was at work. Score for me, because I loved the combination of sweetness and the curry. These wings need no sauce.

I went ahead and made a big batch of the spice mix in anticipation of making these wings a few days in a row. It’s a good thing that I did because I did end up having them a few times in one week. Don’t judge me.

Brown Sugar Curry Wings

Deliciously Different

What would I change about these brown sugar curry wings? Yeah, nothing. Ok, maybe I’d add a bit more curry. That’s it. No sauce required, so brine, no nothing. Just cook up some wings (I deep fried mine) and sprinkle with the mix. Then devour.

You don’t need fancy expensive curry powder to make these wings.

Also try my Ramen-seasoned wings.

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

Brown Sugar Curry Wings
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5 from 1 vote

Brown Sugar Curry Wings

What would I change about these brown sugar curry wings? Nothing
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time45 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: curry, sweet wings, wings
Servings: 6
Calories: 584kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes

Any curry powder will work in this recipe. Even the cheap stuff.

Nutrition

Calories: 584kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 175mg | Sodium: 1198mg | Potassium: 523mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 431IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 437mg | Iron: 6mg

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

Nightmare Wings

Our neighbor gave me a bottle of dried powdered Carolina Reaper pepper. I knew exactly what I was going to make with it: Nightmare wings. What I didn’t know, though, was would I survive?

Well, I’m still here! These Nightmare wings definitely packed a serious kick. But beyond that, they also had great flavor. These wings aren’t just about the heat. And if you prefer, you can certainly adjust the spiciness to your tastes. Jalapeno powder itself has just the right kick, while habanero powder brings just a bit more.

Nightmare Wings

A Serious Punch. Just What You Expected.

I enjoyed my Nightmare wings ‘dry’. That is, without sauce. The rub has such a great flavor that I really didn’t want to hide it under a sauce. Now, true, I did have plenty of Ranch dressing on hand for dipping. I needed something to help cool off the heat from the Carolina Reaper peppers. At 1.5 million Scoville units, they pack a serious punch.

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.

Also try some Rick’s coffee burn dry wings!

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

Nightmare Wings
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5 from 2 votes

Nightmare Wings

These Nightmare wings definitely packed a serious kick. But beyond that, they also had great flavor.
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time45 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: spicy, wings
Servings: 6
Calories: 523kcal

Ingredients

For the wings

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

For the rub

Instructions

For the wings

For the seasoning

  • Combine ingredients.

Notes

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

Nutrition

Calories: 523kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 175mg | Sodium: 2454mg | Potassium: 378mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.01g | Vitamin A: 342IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 3mg

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

Thanksgiving Air Fryer Chicken Wings

The temperature outside dropped below 50F and my thoughts turned to Thanksgiving. I can’t help it. I was definitely looking forward to roasting a turkey in my oil-less fryer. But then, I thought, I love wings. How about taking that wonderful turkey seasoning and putting it on a batch of wings too? “Brilliant!” I exclaimed. So I made some Thanksgiving air fryer chicken wings and by golly, the holiday came early! Not only did these wings taste great, they made the house smell fantastic too!

Thanksgiving Air Fryer Chicken Wings

Back For Seconds

I made these Thanksgiving air fryer chicken wings two days in a row. I had to. They were great. I’ll let you in on a little modification that makes them even more Thanksgiving-y. I seasoned the wings upfront, like the recipe states. And I seasoned them when they were done, also like it states. But I also snuck in another round of seasoning. Before the last 6 minute cook, where the air fryer temp is increased to get that great crunchy skin, I placed the wings into a bowl and seasoned them some more. Back into the air fryer they went. Boy, were they ever finger-licking good!

Also try some Dan-O’s Original Seasoning dry wings!

Thanksgiving Air Fryer Chicken Wings
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5 from 1 vote

Thanksgiving Air Fryer Chicken Wings

Holiday flavor in a perfectly-roasted wing!
Prep Time35 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: crispy, wings
Servings: 2
Calories: 13kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

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

For the seasoning mix

Instructions

  • Combine all of the seasoning ingredients.
  • Sprinkle about half of the seasoning over the wings. Get them well-coated. Use less if you want, or more.
  • Cover the wings and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  • Lightly spray the basket of your air fryer with non-stick spray. Preheat per manufacturer's recommendation.
  • Toss the wing flats and drumettes with the seasoning.
  • Add the wings to the basket (be careful it’s hot!). If you have trouble fitting them without overlapping, stand the drumettes along the sides of the basket.
  • Cook at 360 F for 12 minutes for large wings, 10 minutes for smaller ones.
  • Carefully flip the wings (rotate the drumettes if they are standing) and cook another 12 minutes again (10 minutes for smaller wings) at 375 F.
  • Flip the wings one last time. Increase the temperature to 390 F and cook another 6 minutes (4 minutes for smaller wings).
  • Remove wings to a bowl and sprinkle with more of the seasoning. Toss to coat.
  • Serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 13kcal | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 4mg | Potassium: 9mg | Vitamin A: 9IU | Vitamin C: 0.04mg | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 0.1mg

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

Bandit Wings

The best wings pack flavor into every bite, all the way through. These Bandit wings have flavor and then some. They are marinated overnight, picking up a light soy sauce flavor along with a hint of cumin and chili powder. Sort of southwestern meets Asian.

No Sauce Required

Bandit wings definitely do not require a sauce. You don’t want to hide the fantastic flavors. I did have a little blue cheese dressing on the side for dipping but I used it sparingly. Very sparingly.

Bandit Wings

Garnishes Are Optional

The original recipe called for garnishing these Bandit wings with black sesame seeds. Apparently they’re as rare as a unicorn here so I went with plain ole ‘normal’ sesame seeds. You get that bit of sesame seed flavor either way. You can order the seeds online, of course.

If you do decide to have a side sauce for dipping, I recommend these little cups. They’re the perfect size for dipping wings!

Also try some of my Bayou Blast wings!

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

Bandit Wings
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5 from 1 vote

Bandit Wings

Bandit wings definitely to not require a sauce.
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time45 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Asian wings, wings
Servings: 6
Calories: 517kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes

Feel free to use low-sodium soy sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 517kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 175mg | Sodium: 677mg | Potassium: 389mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 540IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 3mg

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

Poppin’ Buffalo Wings

Who doesn’t love the sound and smell from a big ole hot plate of sizzling fajitas from their local Mexican restaurant? Well, my Poppin’ Buffalo Wings are sorta kinda like that. Fantastic Buffalo wing sauce aroma and flavors. Crazy outrageous sizzling sounds! Yep, thanks to the classic candy Pop Rocks, you too can have a snap-crackle-poppin’ good wing dish!

Poppin' Buffalo Wings

Pop Rocks. On Wings. Yes.

You don’t have to go crazy adding Pop Rocks to your Poppin’ Buffalo Wings. You’re not making candy. You don’t want to make your Buffalo wings too sweet. Just sprinkle them around just before you serve your wings, while the wings and sauce are still hot. As soon as those little candies hit that sauce they’ll start poppin’! It’s fun! Everyone wants to have fun with their food, and this has to be the most fun way to serve chicken wings that there’s ever been!

Use whatever flavor of Pop Rocks you prefer. Or mix it up. Combine a few different flavors!

Try some Old Mill Buffalo wings too!

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

Poppin' Buffalo Wings
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5 from 1 vote

Poppin’ Buffalo Wings

Add the candies just before you serve your wings, while the wings and sauce are still hot.
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time45 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Buffalo 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.

Ranch Wings

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 Ranch 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 wings, which I first experienced in our hotel bar.

Ranch Wings

The Perfect Dry Wings

I went with Ranch dressing for the dipping sauce for these 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.

Also try my spicy Buffalo Ranch wings!

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

Ranch Wings
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5 from 1 vote

Ranch Wings

I went with Ranch dressing for the dipping sauce for these wings, but seriously, you can eat them dry, as-is, with no sauce.
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time45 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: dry wings, Ranch, wings
Servings: 6
Calories: 508kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes

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.

Nutrition

Calories: 508kcal | Protein: 42g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 175mg | Sodium: 175mg | Potassium: 362mg | Vitamin A: 334IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 2mg

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