This copycat of the Ranch dressing from Wingstop absolutely blew me away. Not only did it make for the perfect wing-dipping sauce, it was fantastic on salads. And for vegetable dippin’. This is one delicious Ranch dressing. Crazy delicious.
Make A Big Batch, You’ll Thank Me
This is when I usually say things like “next time I’ll….” or “this recipe would be better if…”. Well, not this time. I wouldn’t change a thing about this copycat Wingstop Ranch dressing. The perfect taste and the perfect consistency, it’s my go-to homemade Ranch.
Check out my new site, Dress My Salad, for more great salad dressing ideas!
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’m a fan of dipping wings (especially spicy ones) into a nice cooling dressing. Blue cheese, Ranch, either will do. But, when I go for the blue cheese I am a tad bit picky. I can’t do the big cheese crumbles. I love them on salads, but they aren’t really for wings. For one reason: they fall off. Smaller crumbles stick to the wings and make for a better experience. That’s why I like making a copycat Wingstop blue cheese dressing at home. I can get those crumbles just like I like them.
The Right Crumble
Now as much as I said I like the crumbles in my copycat Wingstop blue cheese dressing to be small and not huge, there’s a limit to it. Too small and you lose that great texture. Sure you’ll still get great blue cheese and Ranch flavors, but that’s about it. So don’t go crazy. We aren’t making blue cheese soup here. We do still want some thickness to it!
Check out my new site, Dress My Salad, for more great salad dressing ideas!
It’s a tremendous understatement to say that I love Plucker’s wing sauces. I’ve tried many of their bottled sauces and they are all absolutely fantastic. I devoured my last bottle of medium Buffalo sauce, so I had to resort to making a copycat Plucker’s medium Buffalo wings sauce. Oh, and all was right in the world again! The perfect amount of heat, just enough to wake me up but not so much to make me cry. Wonderful traditional wing flavor. These are the wings that are destined to disappear in no time.
Perfect Heat and Flavor
I cut the recipe down so I could enjoy a small batch of copycat Plucker’s medium Buffalo wings for my lunch. No point in heating up my huge restaurant-style deep fryer for just a handful of wings. So, I used my Fry Daddy fryer instead. This little fryer gets a workout in my house. It’s the perfect size for a small batch of wings.
I usually reach for the Frank’s RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Hot Sauce when I make anything Buffalo-style. And sometimes I’ll go for Crystal Hot Sauce, which has a wonderful Louisiana-inspired flavor. You want a traditional cayenne sauce, and not something flavored like a habanero mango hot sauce!
Place the hot sauce, vinegar, butter, jalapenos and pepper in a sauce pan over medium-high heat.
Once the butter melts, whisk the ingredients together until the sauce comes together.
Reduce heat and keep warm until ready to use.
For the wings
Heat 3" of oil to 350 F in a deep fryer or Dutch oven.
Working in batches if necessary, fry the wings 8-10 minutes or until they reach 165 F. Remove to a wire rack over a baking sheet or paper towel-lined plate to drain.
I was looking for a new dipping sauce for wings. I love Ranch dressing and I have to admit that it’s my go-to. But I also love blue cheese dressing. So I made this copycat of the blue cheese salad dressing from Outback Steakhouse. This instantly became my favorite chicken wing dipping sauce (and salad dressing).
The Perfect Wing Dunking Dressing
You really need to let this copycat Outback Steakhouse blue cheese salad dressing ‘get happy’ in the fridge for at least an hour before serving. I actually prefer to let it sit overnight. The flavors get blended as you wait, and the wait is worth it. If you taste the dressing just moments after you make it you might be disappointed as it won’t have much flavor. That flavor comes later, so be patient! Then get yourself some wings, some of this dressing and GET TO IT!
Check out my new site, Dress My Salad, for more great salad dressing ideas!
I use this little ole sauce dipping cups for my salad dressings and dipping sauces. Whether I’m dipping wings, nuggets or chicken tenders or whatever, they’re the perfect size. And they’re easy to clean up, too. As an added bonus they help me with serving size, which is a good thing because I lack control around this blue cheese dressing!
These copycat KFC honey BBQ wings are some of the best deep-fried wings I’ve had. The coat is crazy crunchy and flavorful. It ‘bites’ thru perfectly. No fear of taking a bite and having the entire batter come off at one. And the sauce? My goodness me. The sauce starts with a store-bought sauce, adds a few ingredients, and ends up being just out-of-this-world great. I’d use the sauce on anything that requires a good, thick, smoky BBQ sauce. On these wings it’s perfect. These are finger-licking good wings if ever there were any!
These Wings Are Crazy Good
If you don’t follow Todd Wilbur, you should. He is the master of everything copycat. From restaurant dishes, like this copycat KFC honey BBQ wings recipe, to copycat grocery store items, and a whole lot more, Todd has it going on. Like with everything else of his I’ve made, he nailed this recipe and technique perfectly. I loved these wings. They’re a real winner.
If I’m cooking for a crowd, I’ll break out my big deep fryer. But, if it’s just me, I’ll fire up my Fry Daddy fryer. It’s the perfect size. It fries everything perfectly. And as an added bonus, it doesn’t use a lot of oil, which saves me money. And that means I can buy more wing!
Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over low heat. Bring to a simmer and continue simmering for 20 minutes, stirring often.
Keep sauce warm until ready to use.
For the wings
Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Lightly spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray.
Pre-heat oil in a deep fryer or Dutch oven to 350 F.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt and pepper.
Place the buttermilk in a separate bowl.
Coat the wings in the flour mixture. Shake off any excess and transfer to the buttermilk.
Coat the wings in the buttermilk. Shake off any excess then return to the flour mixture.
Shake off any excess flour. Working in batches if needed, fry the wings 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
Brush the wings with the BBQ sauce. You can also gently toss the wings in the sauce, but I prefer to brush the sauce onto the wings.
Place wings on the baking sheet and place in the oven for 10 minutes to 'set' the sauce.
Serve hot and enjoy!
Notes
Serve your wings with extra sauce on the side for dipping!
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.
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.
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.
The first time I tried the Buffalo Wild Wings Thai Curry Wings at Buffalo Wild Wings I was blown away. It was in West Chester, Ohio, and I remember it like it was yesterday because I absolutely loved the combination of coconut, curry and just a bit of heat. I could’ve just licked the sauce off the wings, but then we were in a public place and that would’ve been awkward. Ever since I’ve been looking for a copycat of BW3’s sauce, and here it is. Now I can lick the sauce off the wings in the privacy of my own home with this copycat Buffalo Wild Wings Thai curry wings!
One Fantastically Good Sauce
I found the Shan chicken white karahi mix in the Pakistani section of our international supermarket. If you can’t find it nearby you can always order it online. It’s what makes this copycat Buffalo Wild Wings Thai Curry wings so special.
I could not find Thai chile peppers in our supermarket, so I had to go to plan B. I picked up a few packages of dried cayenne peppers, reconstituted them, and chopped them up. It was a great save.
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!
For the sauce (start cooking when you start the wings)
Mince the peppers and then pound in a mortar and pestle or grind into a paste using the side of a knife blade. You want the peppers to form a paste.
Place the peppers and remaining ingredients into a saucepan over medium heat.
Stir until the ingredients are combined.
Reduce heat to a simmer and continue simmering, stirring occasionally, while the wings are cooking. You want the sauce to thicken slightly.
NOTE: I could not find Thai peppers at our grocery store. You can substitute jalapenos or seranos for more heat. Preferably you want to use a red pepper. I bought dried cayenne peppers, which I then reconstituted in hot water for 1 hour. I then removed the seeds and minced the peppers into a paste.
There are three things I can sit down at a table and eat all day long. They are (in no particular order): peel and eat shrimp, a crab boil, and copycat Anchor Bar Buffalo wings. Great food is even better when you can eat it with your hands. These wings have just the right amount of heat, the perfect vinegar hit, and a buttery flavor that is just the perfect combination. And, bite after bite, I cannot get enough of these wings.
The Classic
There’s nothing fancy or complicated going on with this copycat Anchor Bar Buffalo wings recipe. Season some wings and fry them. No batter required. No overnight brining. The sauce is easy, straightforward and packs nothing but flavor with just the right amount of spiciness. Make extra, because you’ll find yourself eating the afternoon away with these wings. They are perfect for watching the big game. Or the not-so-big-game for that matter.
You’ll find a number of variations on this recipe all over the internet. This is my preferred approach. From my understanding it best duplicates the original recipe from the famed bar. It sure as heck tastes great, I do know that!
Place wings in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to mix.
Heat oil in a deep fryer or Dutch oven to 400 F.
Fry the wings (working in batches as needed) 8-12 minutes or until golden brown and crispy, turning occasionally. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
Stir in the hot sauce and vinegar. Remove from heat.
I did it. I made Cool Ranch Doritos wings. Darn right I marked this day on my calendar. Because it was a glorious day. A day of wing greatness. Crunchy. A touch of Cool Ranch seasoning. These double-cooked wings came out fantastic. And different. You can’t ignore the ‘wow’ factor when these goodies come out of the fryer!
Double-Cooked Greatness
Unlike normal breaded wings, these Cool Ranch Doritos wings are double-cooked. First they are cooked ‘naked’. No batter. Doesn’t matter how they are cooked as long as they are done. Oven. Air fryer. Grill. Whatever. However. Doesn’t matter. Then you batter them in Dorito greatness and deep-fry them just long enough to warm up the wings and get the coating nice and golden brown delicious.
Choose Your Dorito
I went with Cool Ranch Doritos because they are tied for being my favorite. Tied with taco. And nacho. You can use any Dorito flavor you want. Or do some of each. Make a Dorito-coated wing flight! Score!
Cook the wings the day ahead. You don't want to cook them naked, or just lightly seasoned. I recommend grilling, smoking, deep-frying, baking or air-frying. Do not use any batter or coating. You can season them but don't over-do it as you don't want to drown out the Ranch Doritos coating. When the wings are done, place in an air-tight container and refrigerate overnight.
Heat 2-3" of oil to 350 F in a deep fryer or Dutch oven. While the oil is heating set the wings out at room temperature.
Working in batches, place the chips into a blender and process until they have a breadcrumb-like consistency.
In a large bowl, combine the processed chips, flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder.
In a small bowl or pie plate, whisk together the eggs.
Working in batches as needed, dip the wings in the eggs. Shake off any excess.
Dip wings in breading and coat evenly. Shake off any excess.
Again dip the wings in the eggs. Shake off any excess.
One more time into the breading. Shake off any excess.
Deep-fry the wings for 3 minutes. You're just getting the coating nice and crunchy and golden brown and heating the wings.
You know I love chicken wings. Any time, any way. So I was really looking forward to these wings. I made chipotle blackberry wings on the Char-Broil Big Easy oil-less fryer, but you can make them in the oven, on a grill, or just deep fry them. The sauce is what makes these wings fantastic. A nice sweetness and a nice smoky heat. Perfect.
Kick It Up!
I like a little kick to my wings. If you do too, don’t be afraid to add more chipotles when you make your chipotle blackberry wings. Or add a few good shakes of hot sauce to the wing sauce.
I did serve these wings with a dipping sauce, but honestly, I could’ve skipped it. Nothing needed to be added to them that could possibly make them any better.
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!
