I kinda went into making these easy chili-Ranch wings with low expectations. The recipe seemed pretty simple. But oh, did I ever love them. It helped that I’m a huge chili fan. Just two ingredients, chili powder and flour, made for great crunchy, flavorful wings. A little Ranch dressing on the side for dipping and I was one happy wing-aholic.
Go Big
I admit it, I added more chili powder than the recipe calls for. I’m not sure you’ll want to do that. Like I said, I love chili flavors. If you’re a fan but not a huge fan, just go with the recipe as it’s written and you’ll have great wings. You can always make them again. I did.
I almost crossed the line into grandma’s deep-fried chicken with these buttermilk wings. Actually, I did cross the line. But that’s ok, I saved myself by drizzling traditional Buffalo wing sauce over these crunchy tasty beauties before devouring them. Yeah, you sure can toss your battered wings in sauce, but beware! That lovely coating can be fragile. It doesn’t like being thrown hither and yon (which I think means tossed a lot). That’s why I prefer to drizzle the wings with sauce or dunk them in it instead.
A Fantastically Crunchy Tasty Wing
If you have some of your favorite wing seasoning on hand, I recommend substituting it for the salt and paprika when you make these buttermilk wings. It’s a great way to create a sort of deep-fried ‘dry’ wing. Nothing wrong with salt and paprika, nope. But you bought that wing seasoning for a reason! Get it in the flour mix and don’t be shy with it!
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 more money means more wings!
When I was knee-high to a grasshopper, like about 5th grade, I absolutely loved the peg legs at Long John Silver’s. They were battered, fried chicken legs. They’re now called ‘planks’ and are made with boneless chicken. Well, phooey! They took away my fun. Well, that’s ok, I love wings now more than legs anyway. But I still love battered and fried chicken, so … yep, I made beer-battered wings! Kinda like the peg legs of my childhood, but with yummy, juicy wings instead!
Malt Vinegar. Yes. Malt Vinegar.
Since I’ve already upset the traditional wing gods by making beer-battered wings, there’s no reason in stopping there. There’s only one thing you can serve with these delicious, packed-with-flavor wings and that’s malt vinegar. Your brain is gonna think fish-and-chips but your mouth is gonna scream ‘yummy wings!’. Pour it on top or serve it on the side for dipping. Yummy malt vinegar makes these wings even better.
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 wings.
It’s not so much that I was seeking out a low-carb alternative to my deep-fried wing recipes. I don’t usually coat my wings so heavily that carbs are something I consider. But I was looking for something different. Pork panko, well, that’s different so that’s how I ended up here. Deep-fried pork panko wings are just like the ‘regular’ panko ones, just low-carb and I would actually say they are a bit better.
Different. In A Good Way.
As you might expect the flavor of the pork rinds makes these deep-fried pork panko wings a bit different than their bread flake-breaded cousins. I think the coating is also a bit moister, juicier. I’d serve these and watch people take that first bite, expecting the ‘usual’ bread or panko flavor and texture. Then spring the news on them! It’s pork rinds! Oh my!
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.
These honey hot fried wings were absolutely incredible. They’re deep-fried. The result is a crunchy skin and batter flavored with one of my favorite things, Old Bay seasoning. The sauce is a combination of honey, hot sauce and sesame oil. It’s a different taste that is amazing. Sweet, heat and umami in each and every bite. What started out as a shrimp recipe ended up being some of the best wings I’ve ever had. I cannot say enough how wonderful these were.
Deep-Fried Deliciousness
I didn’t sauce these honey hot fried wings like I would my traditional deep fried wings. The sauce is full of flavor. Use it sparingly. The wings are ‘kissed’ with the sauce. Not drowned in it. It’s ok to double to sauce portion of the recipe if you prefer more sauce.
If I’m cooking for a crowd, I’ll break out my big deep fryer to make wings like these. But, if it’s just the two of us, I’ll fire up my Fry Daddy fryer. It’s the perfect size for both of us. It fries everything perfectly. And as an added bonus, it doesn’t use a lot of oil, which saves me money.
This is what wings are all about. These Hooter’s hot wings (deep fried as they should be!) are as close to the real thing as you can get. Lightly crunchy, super tasty breading. Nicely spicy Buffalo wing sauce. No pain here, just great hot wings. This is not a copycat recipe. These wings are made with the same breading and sauce you can order online or pick up in the retail section at any Hooter’s. Get some, make these wings, and be happy!
Beyond Great
I fry up my Hooter’s hot wings 6 or so at a time in a Fry Daddy fryer. It makes perfect wings. Only downside is you can’t select the cook temperature, so I end up cooking my wings a bit longer since the oil is around 325 F. Still it makes for great wings in no time with a lot less oil than if I’d used my big restaurant-style fryer!
If you like to serve your Hooter’s Hot wings with carrots and celery on the side, I recommend that you take a vegetable peeler to remove the outer strings. The celery is oh so much more tender without those pesky things!
Most of the time, you’ll find me making my wings on one of my grills. Quite regularly, actually. But sometimes I am just not up to fighting the weather or I prefer a more traditional wing. That’s when my restaurant-style deep-fried wings make an appearance. For me, a deep-fried wing has to be battered, but not heavily so. Somewhere between grandma’s fried chicken and no-batter-at-all is what I want. Something for the wing sauce to stick to, and something with just a little crunch. A little kick, if I want. Like these wings, right here.
My Go-To Recipe
This is my base recipe for my restaurant-style deep-fried wings. When I’m cooking dry wings (not sauced after cooking), I will often take the dry wing spices and incorporate them into the coating, leaving out the paprika and/or cayenne if they will clash. My Buffalo Ranch dry wings are a great example.
Big Wings Take Longer (Duh!)
Frying time varies with the size of your wings. I always buy family packs of fresh wings. They’re big and meaty and take a full 9 minutes or longer to fry. If you buy frozen un-cooked wings (thaw them first!) you’ll often find they are smaller and don’t require so much cooking time.
Add enough oil to a deep fryer or Dutch oven to cook the wings. Bring to 375 F.
Rinse wings and pat dry. Transfer to a large bowl.
Combine the coating ingredients and sprinkle some (but not all) over the wings. Toss to coat. If the wings don't get fully coated add some more coating. You might have leftover coating.
Working in batches, transfer wings to the oil and fry 5-6 minutes per side, flipping once.
Remove to a paper towel-lined plate then to a wire rack to cool slightly.
Toss with your favorite seasoning and/or sauce and serve.
