Category: Recipes

Chili Crisp Wings using the Vortex

Yowsa. Talk about a great flavor combination. Big time. The light charcoal and wood smokiness from the Vortex and the spicy umami-ness of chili crisp made me one happy guy. These chili crisp wings using the Vortex really hit the spot. Nothing complicated here. With that first bite my face lit up and I mouthed “Wow. That’s good.” I made these wings three days in a row. Now that’s saying something!

If you have a charcoal grill, you need a Vortex. To get the skin super crispy, while still not overcooking the wings so much that they’re tough, you need it. A Vortex gets super crazy hot. Like mega darned surface-of-the-sun hot. And you can add a little chunk of wood to your charcoal (if you want) to add a little smokiness to your wings. Beyond what’ll get anyways from the charcoal.

Chili Crisp Wings using the Vortex

The Whole Chili Crisp. Or Just The Oil.

I tried my chili crisp wings using the Vortex two different ways. Or I added the chili crisp two different ways, I should say. The first time I spooned the mixture over the top, getting a good bit of the chili peppers on each and every wing. A little spicy, the wings were great. Hints of garlic and onion and fermented black beans. Almost soy sauce-like. Just good stuff. Second time, I just used the oil from the jar of chili crisp. More like a wing sauce. Again, delicious. And a little less spicy.

Your flavor experience will vary based on the type of chili crisp you buy. You can also make your own, there are lots of recipes out there for that.

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If you have a charcoal grill, you have to have a Vortex. Or should have one. It makes for amazing wings and ‘fried’ chicken and a ton of other great things.

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While you have your Vortex fired up, make some dill pickle dry wings too!

Chili Crisp Wings using the Vortex
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Chili Crisp Wings using the Vortex

Your flavor experience will vary on the type of chili crisp you buy.
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: grilled wings
Servings: 6
Calories: 503kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place the wings into a large bowl. Season well with the salt and pepper.
  • Place the Vortex into the center of your grill. Open the bottom vents on your grill by 1/3, while keeping the top vent open completely.
  • Light a charcoal chimney full of charcoal. Alternatively, you can fill your Vortex with charcoal and light them inside the unit.
  • Let the charcoal get fully ashed over then add to the Vortex.
  • Add the chicken as shown in the picture above. For the flats have the skin side up, and for the drumettes keep the meaty part away from the fire.
  • Close the grill and cook for 15 minutes.
  • Rotate the lid 90 degrees and cook for another 15 minutes.
  • Flip the wings. Rotate another 90 degrees and cook 15 more minutes.
  • Check if the wings are as crispy as you like. If not, rotate another 90 degrees and cook another 15 minutes.
  • Transfer wings to a bowl and toss and/or drizzle with the chili crisp. Click here for our guide on how to sauce your wings.

Notes

Make sure you give your chili crisp a good stir before using.
I’ve not found that rotating the grill has an affect on how great this wings turn out. So don’t sweat it if you forget to do it.
Serve with your favorite dipping sauce 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.

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Buttermilk Blue Cheese and Chive Wing Dipping Sauce

I’ve made a few wing dipping sauces that had tons of ingredients in them. You know, the ones that take a little bit of time to put together. This buttermilk blue cheese and chive dipping sauce isn’t one of those. A handful of ingredients makes for a great place to dunk your wings. Something to cool you off. There’s nothing huge going on here. Just creamy buttermilk richness with a little blue cheese and a hint of oniony goodness. Nothing too strong to overpower your wings, but great flavor nonetheless.

Buttermilk Blue Cheese and Chive Wing Dipping Sauce

Dunk Away!

This buttermilk blue cheese and chive dipping sauce is a bit thinner than many. It pours out quite easily. You can add more blue cheese (or less buttermilk, depending on how you want to look at it) to make it thicker. But it’s ok thin, too. It’s also a great place to dunk those carrot and celery sticks you’re wondering what to do with.

This sauce is also fantastic on salads.

If you don’t have or can’t find chives, green onions work just as well!

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Also try my copycat of Outback Steakhouse blue cheese dressing. It’s great for wings!

Buttermilk Blue Cheese and Chive Wing Dipping Sauce
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Buttermilk Blue Cheese and Chive Wing Dipping Sauce

The perfect buttermilk and blue cheese dressing for dipping wings!
Prep Time5 minutes
Get happy time12 hours
Total Time12 hours 5 minutes
Course: Dipping Sauce
Cuisine: American
Keyword: blue cheese, buttermilk
Servings: 8
Calories: 259kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place all ingredients into a bowl and whisk until well-combined.
  • Cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.

Notes

Stir before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 259kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 372mg | Potassium: 86mg | Fiber: 0.03g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 209IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 112mg | Iron: 0.1mg

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

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Frank’s RedHot Spicy Maple Wings

It’s as if someone at Frank’s RedHot was monitoring my dreams. Taking notes. Then, they created a sauce especially for me. Plenty of sweet, and plenty of heat. The stuff dreams are made of. And maple. Oh, maple. That wonderful aroma, with hints of vanilla and caramel. All I had to do was cook wings and add sauce to make my dreams come true. Frank’s RedHot Spicy Maple wings are the kind of wings that I wake up every day for. I could not get enough of them!

Frank's RedHot Spicy Maple Wings

More. Or Less.

I made a batch of my easy air fryer wings. A little seasoning, and cook. Nothing fancy, nothing crazy. I left the flavors up to the sauce. These Frank’s RedHot Spicy Maple wings don’t need any help. You can put a little sauce for wonderful hints of sweetness, maple and spiciness. Or you can load up on the sauce and get a lot of everything. Your call. That’s why there’s a tomorrow. Do it one way today, and another tomorrow.

This sauce is also crazy good on chicken and waffles. Like big time crazy good.

What Are You Waiting For?

Go make some wings! It’s not that hard to do! My go-to method is to air-fry them. A little seasoning first. Air-fried to perfection. Fantastic aroma as they cook. Crispy skin. Juicy meat. Tender. Ready for a sauce. Air-fried wings can hold up to being tossed with sauce, so that’s what I do. If they were deep-fried with a batter I wouldn’t abuse them like that. I’d gently brush the sauce on. Or serve it on the side, for dipping.

See my guides for cooking your wings, and saucing them! I’ve got you covered!

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My Trusty Wingman

My air fryer isn’t fancy. It doesn’t have any bells and whistles. Well, ok, it does have a bell when the timer goes off but that’s it. I don’t even use the timer actually. I use a timer on my phone that has two countdowns: one for 12 minutes and one for 6 minutes. That’s all I ever need to get perfect wings each and every time!

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Also try some Plucker’s maple chipotle wings!

Frank's RedHot Spicy Maple Wings
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Frank’s RedHot Spicy Maple Wings

I left the flavors up to the sauce.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: crispy, wings
Servings: 2
Calories: 13kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Lightly spray the basket of your air fryer with non-stick spray. Preheat per manufacturer’s recommendation.
  • Combine the baking powder and wing seasoning. Sprinkle over the wings and toss to coat.
  • 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 and toss with your favorite wing sauce.  Click here for our guide on how to sauce your wings.

Notes

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce on the side, if desired.
If you’d rather cook your wings using another technique, click here for our guide on cooking wings using a grill, smoker, deep fryer, oven, griddle, air fryer or Char-Broil Big Easy.

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.

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Creamy Ranch Dressing

It was not ‘make some fancy fru-fru wing dipping sauce’ day here. I just wanted a nice Ranch dressing to go with my lunch-time wings. All I had to do was throw a few on-hand ingredients into a bowl, whisk, and throw it into the fridge overnight. I woke up the next day to wing-dipping happiness. A little herby. A lot creamy. And not so strong that it overpowered my wings. This creamy ranch dressing was all I needed!

Creamy Ranch Dressing

Go Fresh… Ish

You can take one of two approaches when you make this creamy Ranch dressing. You can opt for using fresher ingredients. Grab some fresh parsley, dill and chives. You’ll get a nice, bright fresh dressing. Or you can grab the dried parsley, dill and chives and get a just-as-tasty dressing that’s a little easier and uses ingredients you might already have on-hand. That’s what I did. Whichever way you go, you’ll be happy too! Oh and yes, you can use a combination of dried and fresh if you need. Sometimes I can’t always find everything I want at the grocery store, but I can find this or that. So I use dried when I can’t find fresh.

Oh and yes, it’s great on salads!

Over-Ranching

If you’re like me (a certified, card-carrying ranch-aholic) you lack the self-control you need around this dressing. I tried to minimize my over-ranching by putting it into these small (-ish) condiment cups. I keep the container of ranch in the kitchen. Kind of an ‘out-of-sight, out-of-mind’ approach. These cups help me keep my indulgence under control. They’re the perfect serving size. And they’re wide enough for dipping wings, be it the flats or drumettes. They’re great to have on hand for other things too, like food prep!

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Also try my copycat of Wingstop’s blue cheese dressing.

Creamy Ranch Dressing
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Creamy Ranch Dressing

Nothing but tasty goodness!
Prep Time10 minutes
Get happy time12 hours
Total Time12 hours 10 minutes
Course: Salad Dressing
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Ranch
Servings: 8
Calories: 163kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

  • ½ cup buttermilk
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic minced
  • ¼ tablespoon parsley chopped (or a pinch of dried)
  • 1 tablespoon dill chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)
  • ¼ tablespoon chives chopped (or a pinch of dried)
  • ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 dash freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Whisk together all ingredients in a medium bowl.
  • Taste and add more salt and pepper, if desired.
  • Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Notes

Stir again before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 163kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 150mg | Potassium: 61mg | Fiber: 0.01g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 232IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 0.1mg

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

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Air Fryer Wings with Buffalo Arby’s Sauce

Earlier this week I made my homemade (sorta) Arby’s roast beef sandwiches. Instead of making my own sauce, I picked up a bottle of Arby’s sauce at the grocery store. For days, every time I opened the fridge, that half-used bottle was staring at me. Calling me. Taunting me. “What should I do with it?” I thought. Well, only one answer came to me: “Make a wing sauce!”. So I did. And that’s how air fryer wings with Buffalo Arby’s sauce came to be. And they were a very good thing. That great Arby’s sauce tang, with a little Buffalo sauce inspiration and flavor added in. They might sound crazy because they were. Crazy good, that is!

These wings are a bit different. And a great conversation piece. And yes, wings can be a conversation piece. At least, I sure talk about them enough!

Air Fryer Wings with Buffalo Arby's Sauce

Can You Buffalo-ize Anything?

These air fryer wings with Buffalo Arby’s sauce raises the question “Can you turn any sauce into a Buffalo wing sauce-like sauce?”. Maybe. I’ve certainly tried plenty of times. And usually I end up with something I like. And truth be told, it’s a great way to use up those half-bottles of sauces you’ve had in the fridge for a few weeks longer than you should’ve. Heck, what do you have to lose? Try them. You might just like them. They sure don’t have to say ‘wing sauce’ on the label to end up being great on wings!

Yep, for extra heat, add more hot sauce. I was gonna say that earlier but forgot.

I always use unsalted butter in my sauces like this one. The bottled sauces and other ingredients I’m adding are usually high enough in sodium that I don’t need the extra salt in the butter. I can always add salt if I need to but taking it out… well that’s a bit challenging!

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Also try my HP Brown Sauce wings.

Air Fryer Wings with Buffalo Arby's Sauce
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Air Fryer Wings with Buffalo Arby’s Sauce

Sweet and tangy and oh-so-yummy!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: crispy, wings
Servings: 2
Calories: 209kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

For the wings

For the Buffalo Arby's Sauce

Instructions

For the Buffalo Arby's Sauce (makes extra)

  • Melt the butter in a small saucepan.
  • Stir in the Arby's sauce and hot sauce.
  • Keep warm until ready to use.

For the wings

  • Lightly spray the basket of your air fryer with non-stick spray. Preheat per manufacturer’s recommendation.
  • Combine the baking powder, salt and pepper. Sprinkle over the wings and toss to coat.
  • 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 and toss with your favorite wing sauce.  Click here for our guide on how to sauce your wings.

Notes

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce on the side, if desired.
If you’d rather cook your wings using another technique, click here for our guide on cooking wings using a grill, smoker, deep fryer, oven, griddle, air fryer or Char-Broil Big Easy.

Nutrition

Calories: 209kcal | Carbohydrates: 0.5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 1153mg | Potassium: 15mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.01g | Vitamin A: 705IU | Vitamin C: 0.02mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 0.2mg

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

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Jalapeno Pepper Jelly Wings

Why do I keep doing this to myself? Why do I keep making wings that are so good that I can’t stop eating them? I keep thinking I’ll have a sandwich tomorrow for lunch, but it never happens. Not when there are wings to be had, like these jalapeno pepper jelly wings. These were great. Not complicated, but great. And messy. Good and messy. The finger-licking kind of messy.

These wings have the right kind of heat. And the right kind of sweet. I could eat these every day of the week and still ask for more.

Jalapeno Pepper Jelly Wings

Make Me Happy!

The key to these jalapeno pepper jelly wings is the jelly. Use a good one. A really good one. One with pepper chunks in it. The real stuff. You know what? Buc-ee’s has fantastic pepper jelly. Not just jalapeno, either. And the price is right, too. I backed up the truck last time we were there. Loaded up. Got them all. They’re not only great on wings, they’re delicious over smoked cream cheese. Or on a peanut butter sandwich (that I never have, because I keep making wings).

My Kind Of Spicy

These wings weren’t super-spicy. Not at all. Now, they could be. It’s all up to the jelly you use. The one from Buc-ee’s is pretty tame but you’ll notice some heat. I’d call it a ‘nice’ level of spiciness.

What Are You Waiting For?

I baked my wings before saucing them. But really, it doesn’t matter how you cook your wings. Well, within reason that is. Don’t go using some overpoweringly-flavored wings that are going to ‘fight’ with the pepper jelly. Plainer is better. A little seasoning (like I used) is just fine. A lot is not.

Air-fried, deep-fried, grilled, frozen and heated… Use whatever wings you like! Just make sure they’re on the plain side!

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Also try some jalapeno peach wings!

Jalapeno Pepper Jelly Wings
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Jalapeno Pepper Jelly Wings

A fantastic finger-lickingly great sauce!
Inspired by a recipe from The Spicy Southern Kitchen
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: baked wings, jelly wing sauce
Servings: 4
Calories: 677kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400F.
  • Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
  • Lightly spray the foil with non-stick spray.
  • Season wings with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
  • Place wings on foil (place the flats skin-side down) and bake 25 minutes.
  • Flip the wings and bake another 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. If you want a slightly crispier skin, place under the broiler for a few minutes.
  • While the wings are baking, place the jelly, vinegar and butter into a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until butter melts and the jelly is well-combined. Keep warm until ready to use.
  • When the wings are done, remove from the oven and transfer to a large bowl.
  • Drizzle with the sauce and turn to coat.

Notes

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

Nutrition

Calories: 677kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 182mg | Sodium: 500mg | Potassium: 365mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 828IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 2mg

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

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Brazilian-Style Deep-Fried Wings

I could never get tired of good-old deep-fried wings. I like mine nice and crunchy. I’ll take a thick batter. Or a thin. Or none. But I’m also open to something new. Like these Brazilian-style deep-fried wings. On the outside they may look pretty much like your standard coated-and-fried wing. But that first bite changes your mind about that. Still great crunch. But with a citrusy lime flavor. Different. Not what you were expecting, but really good. A little red pepper flakes add a bit of heat. And deep-fried garlic slivers too? Wow. These are great wings.

Brazilian-Style Deep-Fried Wings

Fried Garlic Chips?

Ok, I almost didn’t make the fried garlic slivers when I made these Brazilian-style deep-fried wings. I thought they’d be cool but not really add much. But then I talked myself into it. The deep-fryer was already going, I figured. And it only took a few seconds to slice them. So into the fryer they went, until golden brown. They really did add another taste dimension to the wings. A really nice crunch and garlic flavor. A good contrast to the lime both infused by the marinade and by the fresh lime wedges squeezed over the tops of the fried wings.

The Right Tools

For a small batch of wings, like for 2-4 people tops, I use my lil ole Fry Daddy fryer. It gets the job done. It doesn’t use a lot of oil. It’s not fancy. No oil filter or temperature gauge. You plug it in, let the oil get hot, and start frying. That’s it.

For bigger batches, for a crowd, I get out the big fryer. The work horse. It can fry a ton of wings at once, though I’ve never counted how many. A lot. It has a temperature gauge. And an oil filter. It’s fancy. And good.

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Also try my restaurant-style deep-fried wings.

Brazilian-Style Deep-Fried Wings
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Brazilian-Style Deep-Fried Wings

Deliciously crunchy wings with a light citrus flavor.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Marinade time4 hours
Total Time4 hours 25 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: deep-fried, wings
Servings: 4
Calories: 93kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Marinade

For the Wings

Instructions

For the Marinade

  • Whisk together all ingredients in a large bowl or resealable container.
  • Add the wings and toss to coat.
  • Cover and refrigerate for 1-4 hours.

For the Wings

  • Heat 3" of oil in a Dutch oven or deep fryer to 350 F.
  • Remove the wings from the marinade and pat dry with a paper towel.
  • Place flour in a large bowl and stir in the salt. Add the wings. Toss to coat.
  • 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-line plate to drain.
  • Add the garlic slices and fry until golden brown. Also remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
  • Serve wings garnished with the fried garlic, red pepper flakes, parsley and lime wedges on the side.
  • Squeeze a little lime over the wings before devouring.

Notes

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce on the side, if desired.
If you’d rather cook your wings using another technique, click here for our guide on cooking wings using a grill, smoker, deep fryer, oven, griddle, air fryer or Char-Broil Big Easy.

Nutrition

Calories: 93kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 0.5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 294mg | Potassium: 61mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 113IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg

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

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Dan-O’s Spicy Seasoning Dry Wings

This is Part Two of: Have you seen those machines you can buy to make your house smell good? Why do you need one of those smell-making machines when all you need to make your home smell outrageously fantastic is to make some of these dry wings? You get the homestead smellin’ good and you can enjoy some delicious wings! The first part was with Dan-O’s Original Seasoning. Now, it’s time for some Dan-O’s Spicy Seasoning dry wings. How much more of a win-win could you need? Or want?

Dan-O's Spicy Seasoning Dry Wings

Herby And Spicy Deliciousness

Dan-O’s Spicy Seasoning was invented for poultry. It’s full of the good stuff that you might normally find on a roast turkey or chicken. Well, don’t forget the wings! These Dan-O’s Spicy Seasoning dry wings are what roasted wings should be. Crispy skin. Wonderful herby flavors. Moist, tender meat. Oh and just a little kick. Not overwhelming, but a little spiciness to wake you up!

I Love Dry Wings

I’m a huge fan of dry wings. They’re hard for me to resist. I love them seasoned heavily. I love that great crunchy skin. Usually, I season my wings before cooking and then again after for extra flavor. For these wings, however, I go with one good, healthy seasoning beforehand. That’s it. No post-cook seasoning required or needed. These are great wings without more, no need to bury them in it!

You have to take care of your dry seasonings. In return, they’ll take care of you by always being ready the next time you need them! Protect seasonings from the four main enemies of flavor: heat, light, air, and moisture. Never store them above the stove or oven, where steam and temperature swings cause caking and quick degradation. If you have a problem with high humidity causing your dry seasonings to cake, try adding a silica gel packet to the containers to remove moisture.

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Also try some Dan-O’s Seasoning dry wings if you want a bit less of a kick!

Dan-O's Spicy Seasoning Dry Wings
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Dan-O’s Spicy Seasoning Dry Wings

Deliciously herby wings with a little heat.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: wings
Servings: 4
Calories: 503kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Combine the Dan-O's seasoning and garlic salt.
  • Season the wings with the mix. Let rest 30 minutes.

For the air fryer

  • Preheat your air fryer to 350 F.
  • Working in batches if needed, air fry the wings for 12 minutes.
  • Flip the wings and air fry another 12 minutes.
  • Turn the air fryer temperature to 400 F and fry another 6 minutes or until the wings are golden brown.

For the oven

  • Preheat oven to 400 F.
  • Lightly spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray. Or line with foil.
  • Add the wings and cook 20 minutes.
  • Flip and cook another 20 minutes.
  • Check for doneness. For crispier wings, flip and cook another 10-20 minutes.

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: 503kcal | Protein: 42g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 175mg | Sodium: 747mg | Potassium: 354mg | Vitamin A: 333IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 2mg

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

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Country Bob’s Smoked Garlic and Brown Sugar Wings

If I have the same wing sauce four days in a row you can darn sure bet it’s a sauce that I love. I just could not get enough of Country Bob’s Smoked Garlic and Brown Sugar wings. I picked up a variety pack of Country Bob’s wing sauces not knowing just how much this sauce would quickly become one of my all-time favorites. The garlic has a rather savory taste to it. Not harsh or overly garlicky. The brown sugar helps, adding a touch of sweetness. This is a thinner, tomato and vinegar sauce that is just great on wings.

Country Bob's Smoked Garlic and Brown Sugar Wings

Get Some Wings

It doesn’t really matter what wings you use when you make some Country Bob’s Smoked Garlic and Brown Sugar wings. Of course, you don’t want bad wings. But deep-fried, air-fried, baked… grilled… doesn’t really matter. Even those frozen ones that are already battered (don’t grab the flavored ones!). You’re after this sauce. Don’t use wings that’ll fight it. Nice, plain ole wings will do just fine.

What Are You Waiting For?

Go make some wings! It’s not that hard to do! My go-to method is to air-fry them. A little seasoning first. Air-fried to perfection. Fantastic aroma as they cook. Crispy skin. Juicy meat. Tender. Ready for a sauce. Air-fried wings can hold up to being tossed with sauce, so that’s what I do. If they were deep-fried with a batter I wouldn’t abuse them like that. I’d gently brush the sauce on. Or serve it on the side, for dipping.

See my guides for cooking your wings, and saucing them! I’ve got you covered!

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My Trusty Wingman

My air fryer isn’t fancy. It doesn’t have any bells and whistles. Well, ok, it does have a bell when the timer goes off but that’s it. I don’t even use the timer actually. I use a timer on my phone that has two countdowns: one for 12 minutes and one for 6 minutes. That’s all I ever need to get perfect wings each and every time!

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Also try some Country Bob’s Roasted Pineapple and Black Pepper wings.

Country Bob's Smoked Garlic and Brown Sugar Wings
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Country Bob’s Smoked Garlic and Brown Sugar Wings

This is a thinner, tomato and vinegar sauce that is just great on wings.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: air fryer, wings
Servings: 1
Calories: 13kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Lightly spray the basket of your air fryer with non-stick spray. Preheat per manufacturer's recommendation to 350 F.
  • Lightly salt the wings on all sides.
  • Add the wings to the basket (be careful it's hot!).
  • Cook wings for 12 minutes.
  • Flip the wings and cook another 12 minutes.
  • Increase the air fryer temperature to 400 F and cook another 6 minutes.
  • Remove wings from fryer and place in a bowl. Toss with the sauce. Click here for our guide on how to sauce wings.
  • Remove wings from the bowl and serve immediately.

Notes

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.

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.

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The Best Smoked And Fried Wings

I started For the Wing because I love wings. The sauces, the spices, and the cooking techniques for wings are so varied that you can always enjoy something different. Or you can make a favorite over and over. Nothing makes me happier than a truly tasty, perfectly-cooked wing. And nothing makes me happier than the best smoked and fried wings I made the other day. These wings have everything I love. Super-crunchy and delicious skin and tender, juicy, flavorful meat make every bite truly enjoyable. Sauced or not, these wings are epic.

The Best Smoked And Fried Wings

It’s Actually Easy

Making the best smoked and fried wings is actually pretty easy. It’s a two-step process. I did the two steps weeks apart, freezing the smoked wings in vacuum-packed bags for quick lunches at a later time. You can fry the wings soon after smoking them but I think having them freeze for a while first produces a better result. You don’t have to vacuum-pack them, you can just toss them in a resealable bag or container instead, especially if you don’t plan on freezing them very long.

Just Smoked

You can smoke wings over high heat and get (somewhat) crunchy skin and have a great treat. These wings are not smoked at a high temperature. You want to cook them until just done. You want to get them nice and smoky (how smoky is up to you) but you are not shooting for crisp skin. That comes later. So don’t expect the skin to come away golden brown crunchy delicious. Yet.

The Best Smoked And Fried Wings

Flash-Fried For Crunchy Perfection

The last step in preparing these wings is a quick flash-fry in hot oil. If frozen, the wings have been defrosted. I toss them in a simple flour mixture. But I’m not looking for grandma’s fried chicken here. Just a light coating. Then into the oil for around 4 minutes. Remember, the wings are already cooked. The frying step is just to heat them up and give them color and the perfect skin. You don’t want to over-fry them.

Sauced. Dry. Or Just Plain.

What you do with your wings after they are flash-fried is up to you. Sometimes I toss them (gently) in a sauce. Or I’ll season them and have them dry. The wings are so great they are also a joy without either sauce or seasoning. You can always mix it up, do some wet, some dry, and some plain!

You’ll also love my smoked and fried Buffalo wings 4 ways.

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Also try my twice-fried air fryer wings.

The Best Smoked And Fried Wings
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

The Best Smoked And Fried Wings

Fantastically smoky wings with perfectly crunchy skin.
Prep Time1 day
Cook Time2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time1 day 2 hours 30 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: deep-fried, smoked, wings
Servings: 4
Calories: 426kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

For the wings

For the coating

For serving

Instructions

Smoking

  • Fire up your smoker for 225 F. Use a fruit or light wood for a less smoky wing, or use a heavier wood, such as mesquite or oak, for a deeper smoke flavor.
  • While the smoker is coming up to temperature, toss the wings in seasoning.
  • Transfer the wings to the smoker when ready. Smoke until the wings hit 145 F. This normally takes 1-2 hours. It's ok if you go a little over 145 F.
  • Remove the wings and let cool slightly before placing into resealable bags or containers. Freeze overnight or until ready to use.

Frying

  • The day before you are ready to cook your wings remove from the freezer and let thaw in the fridge.
  • Combine the coating mixture in a bowl or baggie.
  • Heat 2"-3" of oil to 375 F.
  • Working in batches if needed, toss the wings in the coating mixture then transfer to the oil.
  • Fry 4-6 minutes or until the wings are golden brown and the skin is crunchy.
  • Remove to a paper towel-lined plate or wire rack to drain.

Serving

Nutrition

Calories: 426kcal | Carbohydrates: 87g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 9mg | Potassium: 19mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 18IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 81mg | Iron: 4mg

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

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