Oh you delicious dry rubbed wings, you! Crunchy skin, juicy, tender meat… and flavor! Oh that delicious seasoning! Thanks to Wing-A-Lings rub, these dry wings are fantastically yummy. Smoked paprika, oregano, a bit of chili powder and garlic and just a bit of red pepper for a mild kick, this is the perfect dry seasoning for your wings. Just cook them up, and toss them in a little or a lot of rub, and enjoy!
A Wonderfully Yummy Seasoning
The folks at Wing-A-Lings have lots of seasonings, and this chicken wing rub is definitely one of my favorites. Before I started this blog and before I became a total wing-aholic, I ran into the Wing-A-Ling food trailer at an event at Jungle Jim’s outside of Cincinnati. That did it for me. I’d never had anything ‘but’ Buffalo wings (which I love and crave) until then. The seasonings expanded my wing horizons, and helped start me on my wing journey! Wing-A-Lings rub dry wings are great reason why I keep enjoying wings.
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.
You take a look at the ingredients list for Blues Hog Wild wings sauce and you’d think that just about everything imaginable is in it. Hot sauce, Ranch, lemon juice, BBQ sauce, Cajun seasoning… the list goes on. And somehow, all of those flavors come together in what is one wildly different and very good wing sauce. Every bite I took I’d taste something different. I’d get the Cajun seasoning. Then I’d get the BBQ. And more. And more. It’s complex and delicious and one of my favorites.
An Over-The-Top Great Sauce
Blues Hog Wild wings sauce made me think of southern-inspired flavors. The hot sauce isn’t too hot, but it’s there. The BBQ sauce is smoky, but not in-your-face. The vinegar’s not too strong. In the end nothing is really front-and-center, but there’s so many flavors that it’s kind of like an adventure with each bite you take.
This sauce comes in a big, heavy duty squeeze bottle that is great to keep around after you’ve used it up. I keep one full of oil to use on my grill.
It really doesn’t take much to make totally different-tasting wings. If you’re looking for something new, just take a gander thru your pantry or spice cabinet and grab whatever seasoning you like. Chances are it’ll make for great wings, just like these fajita seasoned dry wings. Heck, it can’t get any easier. I just cooked up a batch of wings (in the air fryer this time) and then tossed them in the seasoning.
Just Grab Some Seasoning From The Store
I grabbed a pre-made packet at my local grocery store for my fajita seasoned dry wings. You could make your own, for sure. Usually fajita seasoning contains a bit of sugar. You gotta watch it if you plan on using it to season or dry brining your wings before cooking. You don’t want it to burn!
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.
The June Moon Spice Company has gone and done it again. This time, they’ve made a fantastic Buffalo wing sauce. Like their other sauces, June Moon Buffalo wings sauce looks great right out of the bottle. They only make small batch sauces, with the best ingredients. This sauce is nice and creamy. It’s not vinegar-based, which is a welcome change from the traditional Buffalo sauce. And it’s easy on those of us that can’t handle a lot vinegar, though there certainly is vinegar in the sauce. It’s very tasty, a tad garlicky and lightly spicy, but certainly not overly so. I’d call it mild.
A Wonderfully Creamy Buffalo Sauce
June Moon Buffalo wing sauce is also great on the side, as a dipping sauce for chicken nuggets or tenders. Or on a grilled chicken sandwich. It’s nice creamy consistency will keep it sticking to whatever you use it on, without being gloppy. And it’s not so spicy that you’ll have people reaching for their water bottles (or milk).
Oh yes! Give me a plate (or two) or air fryer Hooters hot wings and I am one happy guy! Sure, the traditional method involves deep frying and that’s the way to do up the classic if you have the time, a deep fryer and some oil. If not, the air fryer makes for some mighty respectable wings that are just hot enough, just crunchy enough, and are oh-so-delicious! These wings are the way wings should be, and they’re crazy easy to make!
You Never Forget Your First Wings
Air fryer Hooters hot wings take me right back to the first time I visited a Hooters. I went to the original store in Clearwater, FL and ordered up a big ole plate of wings and proceeded to get at it! Man, did I ever fall in love with wings right there and then. I was an amateur then. I got sauce all over myself. I had to ask for more napkins. I probably ordered a soda instead of beer. Well I’ve learned since then. Now I’m a wing professional. I can eat an absolute ton of hot wings without even thinking about it. Am I proud of that? Heck yeah, you bet I am!
And so here I am, many years later, still enjoying Hooters great wings! Stop by one of the restaurants to purchase some breading and sauce (and heck, get some wings while you’re there). You can also order them online.
PS: Many of the stores are gone now. Perhaps all but the original. But that one’s worth the drive so go!
Get The Real Thing
You can order everything online that you need to make these great wings at home.
celery sticksfor serving (note: I like to shave my celery with a vegetable peeler first)
Instructions
Place wings into a resealable container. Add 1 tablespoon of the breading. Seal and shake to coat. Open the container and check for breading that isn't adhering to the wings. If there isn't any (i.e. it's all stuck to the wings!) you might want to add bit more breading, seal, and shake again. If there's a bit of breading in the container that isn't stuck to the wings, you're good to go as as much is stuck as is gonna stick!
Place the sealed wings into the fridge for 30 minutes.
Lightly spray the basket of your air fryer with non-stick spray. Preheat per manufacturer's recommendation to 400 F.
Lightly spray all sides of the wings with non-stick spray.
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.
When I first opened and tasted Kosmos Q General Tso wing sauce I thought “Whoa, that’s definitely got some soy sauce in it.” Was it too much? I marched forward, making a big ole batch of wings that I promptly tossed in the sauce. I took my first bite and … Boom! What a great sauce! Oh my!
Kosmos Q General Tso wing sauce is one of if not the best Asian-inspired wing sauces around. There’s a hint of rice vinegar, and soy sauce (but definitely not too much!), and garlic. It’s a nice stick-to-your wing sauce (thanks in part to a bit of molasses).
One Fantastic Wing Sauce
My wife loves Asian-like sauces. Kosmos Q General Tso wing sauce rocketed to the top of her list of favorites with the first bite. She’s not the wing fan I am, so she used the sauce for dipping nuggets. It’s perfect on nuggets, too, since it has just the right thickness for dipping.
June Moon makes a big variety of fantastic-tasting sauces. I stepped up and ordered all of their wing sauces all at once. No point in messing around. June Moon Bang Bang wing sauce doesn’t mess around. It’s a wonderful, mellow wing sauce. It has hints of garlic and cayenne, but there’s not too much heat at all. It’s slightly sweet and slightly creamy.
Buffalo-Inspired Sauce with a Twist
June Moon Bang Bang wing sauce would be great for a get-together. It’s different than traditional Buffalo wing sauce but still reminiscent of the classic. The flavors and the spice level are sure to please everyone. It’s also great as a dipping sauce for chicken nuggets (no! don’t call them boneless wings!). I know this for a fact!
Remember that if you have to refrigerate your open bottle of wing sauce to 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.
It’s not like I hadn’t eaten in weeks. So only one thing can explain how quickly these oven-baked garlic Parmesan wings disappeared. They were fantastic! I’d been on an air and deep fryer wing binge for a while. Time to change things up and go baked! And how glad am I that I did! Lightly crunchy chicken wings, with the perfect bite-thru skin and oh, flavor! So much flavor! Garlic, Parmesan and just the slightest bit of spiciness.
Super Tasty with the Right Crunch
I used a wire baking rack when I made these baked garlic Parmesan wings, but you can cook them directly on foil or parchment paper. And in fact, I think you’ll find cleanup to be a lot easier if you skip the rack. And make sure you shake off the excess butter. If the chicken wing skin gets super oily (from the butter) it won’t crisp as well. Not a big deal, but something you might want to keep in mind!
Line a large baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. You can also use a wire rack with foil underneath.
Place wings into a large bowl.
In a small bowl, combine corn starch, baking powder, salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of the garlic powder.
Pour the seasoning over the chicken wings and toss to coat.
Transfer the wings to your lined baking sheet. Spread them out so they do not touch.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Flip the wings and bake another 20 minutes.
Place the melted butter into a small bowl.
In another small bowl, combine 3/4 cup of the cheese, the Italian seasoning, red pepper and the remaining garlic powder.
Check the wings. They should be starting to brown and be lightly crispy on the edges. If not, bake them a bit longer.
Remove the wings from the oven. Working one at a time, using tongs, grab a wing and dunk it into the butter mixture. Flip to coat it well then shake off any excess. Transfer to the cheese mixture and roll to coat. Shake off the excess and return the wing to the baking sheet.
I never really thought I’d write a post titled The Mustard Man Simply Horsey wings. Let me start by saying that I’m not usually a fan of horseradish. I like it in my cocktail sauce, and then only a little is enough.
Fortunately for me, this sauce has just the right amount of horseradish. It’s a creamy, delicious mayonnaise-based sauce that my wife absolutely loves on sandwiches. And now, I love it on wings!
Horseradish Heaven
These Mustard Man Simply Horsey wings made a horseradish believer out of me. It has shown me that the right balance of ingredients can make for a great wings with just the right amount of horseradish heat. These are great wings.
Every day I wake up and am more and more a fan of mustardy wing sauces. Even if they don’t start out as wing sauces. The Mustard Man has made me a big believer of them. This time, I squeezed some delicious, creamy Simply Sweet mustard onto a batch of hot wings and dove in like a man possessed. This sauce isn’t overly mustardy. It’s slightly sweet, but not too much so. It’s definitely finger-licking good. If you don’t think that mustard right out of a bottle doesn’t belong on wings, this sauce will change your mind with the very first bite.
Mustard On Wings Is A Win
I like to sauce my wings with The Mustard Man Simply Sweet mustard as soon as they’re done. While they’re still nice and hot. The creamy mustard melts all over the wings making them … well, glorious is the only word I can think of right now!
