Quaker Steak and Lube Thai ‘R’ Cracker Wings (Copycat Recipe)

Whenever we are in the Cincinnati area we make a stop at Quaker Steak & Lube for wings. They have the best sauces and service around. My wife’s favorite sauce there is Thai ‘R’ Cracker, a somewhat sweet chili sauce. We also usually pick up a few bottles of sauce to take home. Those bottles don’t normally last long, so I decided to make a copycat recipe Quaker Steak and Lube Thai ‘R’ Cracker wings.

A finger-licking good copy

Just like the original, this chili sauce-based mixture combines a bit of sweet and a bit of heat all with a slight Asian zing. It’s really, really good stuff. The kind of stuff that makes you want to lick your wings, which is borderline weird.

The key to success

The secret to this copycat recipe of the Quaker Steak and Lube Thai R Cracker Wing Sauce is in the chili sauces you choose. Both garlic and sweet chili sauces come in a lot of different variations, making it difficult to match the original taste exactly. I recommend getting a few bottles of each different sauce and mix them and try them to find the combination that you prefer. Our local grocery store had several different brands of each. You can also try your local Asian market for others.

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!

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 for saucing them! I’ve got you covered!

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!

Also try some of Chef Hak’s Buffalo wings!

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