For me, June Moon Nashville wings are like a sweet version of one of my favorite things to eat, Nashville hot chicken. Not quite as spicy as you can get, but packed with plenty of cayenne heat and flavor. Add a bit of honey and brown sugar to tame that heat a bit and offset the earthiness from the pepper. These are mighty good wings, and ones that I enjoyed immensely. I’m a big fan of Nashville hot chicken, and although this isn’t the thick lard-based paste you get on the real thing, this sauce reminds me a lot of the African-inspired dish.
Tremendous Flavor without a lot of Heat
I wasn’t shy with the sauce when I made some June Moon Nashville wings. I sampled the sauce right out of the bottle as soon as I opened it and knew I was in for a treat. So, no messing around. I added some to my right-out-of-the-air-fryer wings and tossed them good. Then I added a bit more and tossed some more. I really enjoyed the heavy cayenne flavor.
Spicy and tasty. Moore’s spicy habanero wings sauce checked all of the boxes for me. It made my lips tingle but it wasn’t so hot that I didn’t notice the underlying flavor. I enjoyed the kick and I enjoyed the slight sweetness this sauce brings. I’m not one to want to torture myself with an over-the-top hot sauce. Although this sauce brought some heat I didn’t suffer!
I’ve Had Hotter, But Not Better
I’ve definitely had hotter sauces than Moore’s spicy habanero wings sauce. But few have been as tasty. It’s a great balance of the two. I didn’t go nuts with it when I sauced up a batch of hot-out-of-the-air-fryer wings. Just enough to notice. They were perfect.
If I am serving my wings with Ranch or blue cheese or some other sauce, I use these little sauce dipping cups. They’re the perfect size for dipping wings, nuggets, tenders and even vegetables. And they’re super easy to clean, too!
This is it. The pinnacle of chain restaurants, Hooter’s 3 Mile Island wings. But made at home with little fuss and tons of reward. Yeah, they’re spicy. They’re mighty spicy in fact. But tasty too. Heat and tasty are a good thing. Lightly breaded and fried in no time, these are definitely one of my favorite wings of all time.
Buckle Up, It’s Going To Be A Spicy Ride
For me, these wings have just the right amount of heat. I mean heck yeah, they’re spicy. If you’re not really into that kick, you can make Hooter’s traditional hot wings at home too. Same great flavor without all the heat.
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.
There’s no denying it. Melinda’s Creamy Style Ghost pepper wings sauce is HOT. I do mean spicy, tingle-my-lips hot. But it’s a good burn. I’m not one of those guys that’s in a constant search for the latest, hottest sauce. I like a bit of a kick, and a lot of flavor. Well, this sauce has a lot of both. If you’re looking for a sauce that’ll wake you up and still tastes fantastic, grab a bottle. Use a little (like I did) or a lot (if you’re into heat!).
Sure, It’s Spicy. But It’s Oh So Good, Too!
If you’re afraid of the heat, just do like I did and just toss a few wings with just a bit of the sauce for starters. Take a few bites and see where you are. After that initial kick I found myself liking the sauce more and more and more. So I added some more sauce. The combination of ghost, habanero and cayenne peppers makes for a wonderful sauce.
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!
Oh yes! Give me a plate (or two) or air fryer Hooter’s 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, deep fryer and 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 Hooter’s hot wings take me right back to the first time I visited a Hooter’s. 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. And so here I am, many years later, still enjoying Hooter’s 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.
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.
Cook wings for 10 minutes.
Flip the wings and cook another 10 minutes.
Remove wings from fryer and place in a bowl. Toss with the sauce. Click here for our guide on how to sauce your wings.
Serve with dressing and carrots and celery.
Notes
Note: If your wing sauce is refrigerated, place a few tablespoons of the sauce into a microwavable bowl and microwave for 20 seconds to melt.
You know Plucker’s Fire in the Hole wings sauce is guaranteed to be spicy. Plucker’s backed up the name with great flavors too. Yeah, it’s got great heat. A lot of it, too. I do mean a lot. A whole heck of a lot of heat. But it’s also one super-flavorful sauce. There’s nothing worse than a spicy sauce that’s nothing but kick and no flavor.
Lots and Lots of Great Heat
If you like hot wings, I highly recommend Plucker’s Fire in the Hole wings sauce. And, according to their website, if you eat 25 wings covered in the sauce while at their restaurant you’ll get your picture on their wall of fame. I just had 6 wings and it was good but made me sweat. Not sure I could eat 25!
Our neighbor gave me a bottle of dried powdered Carolina Reaper pepper. I knew exactly what I was going to make with it: Nightmare wings. I didn’t know, though, was would I survive.
Well, I’m still here! These Nightmare wings definitely packed a serious kick. But beyond that, they also had great flavor. These wings aren’t just about the heat. And if you prefer, you can certainly adjust the spiciness to your tastes. Jalapeno powder itself has just the right kick, while habanero powder brings just a bit more.
A Serious Punch. Just What You Expected.
I enjoyed my Nightmare wings ‘dry’. That is, without sauce. The rub has such a great flavor that I really didn’t want to hide it under a sauce. Now, true, I did have plenty of Ranch dressing on hand for dipping. I needed something to help cool off the heat from the Carolina Reaper peppers. At 1.5 million Scoville units, they pack a serious punch.
I like to make my spice, rub and seasoning mixes in big batches and keep them in large bottles with easy-to-pour shaker lids.
Alliger’s House of Wings is a highly-rated establishment located in Sayre, PA, halfway between Elmira and Owego NY. It’s definitely on my to-visit list because let me tell you, their wing sauces are insanely good. I recently ordered a bottle of every single one. This time I dug into the House of Wings hot wings sauce. Traditional Buffalo wing flavors with a good bit of kick. But not too much kick.
Just the right Kick
House of Wings’ hot wing sauce doesn’t pack so so much heat that that is all you get. You also get really great flavor. This is another great wing sauce from House of Wings. You can’t go wrong with any of them.
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.
Start with a really great BBQ sauce. Add hot sauce and butter. Boom! You’ve got a great wing sauce! That’s essentially what Hogs ‘N Heat did when they created their crazy-good hot wing sauce. This unique sauce (with a nice spicy kick!) really makes for a delicious batch of wings. Hogs ‘N Heat hot wings sauce is also great as a BBQ sauce, so put it on everything!
Buffalo-Inspired BBQ Wings
Hogs ‘N Heat hot wing sauce got me to thinking more and more about taking any bottled BBQ sauce I can find in my pantry (or the store) and turning it into a wing sauce in just seconds. What a great, simple idea!
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.
This sauce got me to thinking more and more about taking any bottled BBQ sauce I can find in my pantry (or the store) and turning it into a wing sauce in just seconds.
Prep Time1 hourhr
Cook Time45 minutesmins
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: barbecue, BBQ, Buffalo wings, wings
Servings: 6
Calories: 503kcal
Ingredients
3-4poundschicken wingsflats and drumettes separated, tips saved to make stock
