Texa-Lina Chicken Wings

Could this be the last wing post here on For The Wing? Have I reached the top? The pinnacle of wing equivalent of Mt Everest? Is there no place to go from here, but down?! Well, let me tell you fellow wing-lovers, it’s close. Darned close. Because these Texa-Lina chicken wings are flat-out fantastic. I mean super-fantastic. This sauce is nothing but perfect. Oh yeah, there’s a bit of sweet. And there’s a bit of heat. With the perfect consistency. It’s a combination of Texas-style and Carolina-style BBQ sauces, all in a sauce that makes wings dance!

If you want to see someone so happy that their face is about to burst from smiling so much, watch me eat these wings. I could not have enjoyed them any more!

Texa-Lina Chicken Wings

Steven Raichlen For The Win

The idea behind this sauce came from Steven Raichlen’s book, Barbecue Sauces, Rubs, and Marinades. It’s packed with great recipes, as you can imagine. Over 200 of them. So it makes sense that these Texa-Lina chicken wings were so good. The sauce is amazing. It started out as a vinegar and ketchup BBQ sauce and ended up on my wings. And that’s right where it belongs! Ok, it would be great on ribs and pulled pork and anything else, too!

I went with air-fried wings. Doesn’t really matter how you decide to cook your wings. I have a full guide for using pretty much any device you can imagine to make great wings, over and over. Check it out!

That Sauce!

Yes, this sauce started out life as a BBQ sauce. And you can darned sure use it for that too. Brush it on some burgers or on the buns before you serve them. It’s great on smoked or grill ribs. Ditto chicken. And if you haven’t put BBQ sauce on your hot dogs, this is your change to really up your dog game.

EHOMEA2Z Ramekins Stainless Steel Condiment Sauce…
  • Commercial Grade Stainless Steel: These sauce…
  • Multifunctional Portion Cups: This set of sauce…

Also try my Carolina wings.

Texa-Lina Chicken Wings
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Texa-Lina Chicken Wings

A sweet-and-spicy BBQ-sauced wing that is truly amazing!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: crispy, wings
Servings: 2
Calories: 330kcal

Ingredients

For the wings

For the sauce (makes enough for two batches of wings)

Instructions

For the sauce

  • Place all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat.
  • Stir often until the mixture comes to a boil.
  • Reduce the heat to a simmer.
  • Continue stirring until the sauce thickens.
  • 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 and wing seasoning and sprinkle over the wings. Toss to coat well.
  • 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 the wing sauce.  Click here for our guide on how to sauce your wings.

Nutrition

Calories: 330kcal | Carbohydrates: 76g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 1469mg | Potassium: 960mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 66g | Vitamin A: 857IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 195mg | Iron: 4mg

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

Deep-Fried Dill Pickle Wings

Dill pickle. More dill pickle. And then, yes, even more dill pickle! These deep-fried dill-pickle wings satisfied my dill pickle craving in four ways! A wonderfully-seasoned fried wing coated in flour and of course, dill pickle seasoning. Sprinkled with more dill seasoning hot out of the fryer. A little cool dill pickle dipping sauce. And of course, a few dill pickle slices. These are my kind of dill-icious wings!

Deep-Fried Dill Pickle Wings

Light On The Batter, Heavy On The Flavor

I didn’t go crazy with the batter on these deep-fried dill pickle wings. Just enough to get a good little crunch in every bite. And lots of dill flavor. I seasoned the flour heavily. I wasn’t shy at all. Experience has taught me that more is always better when it comes to seasoning flour. After all, these aren’t called deep-fried flour wings. So load up on the dill pickle yumminess!

Oh And That Dipping Sauce

I know what you’re thinking. And you’re right. You’re thinking that the dill dipping sauce would be great for deep-fried pickles. Especially my Nashville hot pickles. So make a double batch of the sauce. Heck, make it a pickle party! Serve these wings AND fried pickles!

The Wing Fryer

I usually use my little Fry Daddy when I am deep-frying wings. That’s because I’m not cooking for many. Usually. It easily cooks 8-10 wing segments. But, if I need to cook more wings at a time I’ll haul out my big deep fryer. The Fry Daddy uses just a few cups of oil. The big fryer? A whole lot more. So it’s a commitment when I fire it up. But it has a bonus feature that helps save money. It has an oil filter built in so I can easily strain my oil and reuse it. The Fry Daddy? Nope. So I have to strain the oil myself.

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  • FAST-HEATING & FAMILY-SIZE: This powerful…
  • ADJUSTABLE TEMPERATURE & VERSATILE COOKING: With…

My technique for making deep-fried dry wings always makes for the best wings!

Deep-Fried Dill Pickle Wings
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5 from 1 vote

Deep-Fried Dill Pickle Wings

Great dill pickle flavor in every bite!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: deep-fried, wings
Servings: 4
Calories: 275kcal

Ingredients

For the wings

For the creamy dill pickle dipping sauce

Instructions

For the creamy dill pickle dipping sauce

  • Combine all ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to use.

For the wings

  • Combine the flour and seasoning in a large bowl.
  • Rinse the wings. Drain well but do not dry the wings.
  • Add the wings to the flour mixture and turn to coat well. Transfer to a plate and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  • Heat 3" of oil in a Dutch oven or deep fryer to 350 F.
  • 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-lined plate to drain.
  • Remove wings to a bowl and sprinkle with more of the seasoning. Toss to coat.
  • Serve.

Notes

For even more dill flavor, season the naked wings with the dill pickle mix and let set it at room temperature for 30 minutes before battering and frying.
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: 275kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 811mg | Potassium: 23mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 819IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 2mg

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

Thanksgiving Air Fryer Chicken Wings

The temperature outside dropped below 50F and my thoughts turned to Thanksgiving. I can’t help it. I was definitely looking forward to roasting a turkey in my oil-less fryer. But then, I thought, I love wings. How about taking that wonderful turkey seasoning and putting it on a batch of wings too? “Brilliant!” I exclaimed. So I made some Thanksgiving air fryer chicken wings and by golly, the holiday came early! Not only did these wings taste great, they made the house smell fantastic too!

Thanksgiving Air Fryer Chicken Wings

Back For Seconds

I made these Thanksgiving air fryer chicken wings two days in a row. I had to. They were great. I’ll let you in on a little modification that makes them even more Thanksgiving-y. I seasoned the wings upfront, like the recipe states. And I seasoned them when they were done, also like it states. But I also snuck in another round of seasoning. Before the last 6 minute cook, where the air fryer temp is increased to get that great crunchy skin, I placed the wings into a bowl and seasoned them some more. Back into the air fryer they went. Boy, were they ever finger-licking good!

Got Seasonings?

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.

My Trusty Companion

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!

Dash Deluxe Air Fryer – Adjustable Temperature…
  • Consistent Cooking Every Time: The Dash Deluxe Air…
  • Simple Operation, Tasty Results: This compact…

Also try some Dan-O’s Original Seasoning dry wings!

Thanksgiving Air Fryer Chicken Wings
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5 from 1 vote

Thanksgiving Air Fryer Chicken Wings

Holiday flavor in a perfectly-roasted wing!
Prep Time35 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: crispy, wings
Servings: 2
Calories: 13kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 6 chicken wings flats and drumettes separated, tips saved to make stock

For the seasoning mix

Instructions

  • Combine all of the seasoning ingredients.
  • Sprinkle about half of the seasoning over the wings. Get them well-coated. Use less if you want, or more.
  • Cover the wings and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  • Lightly spray the basket of your air fryer with non-stick spray. Preheat per manufacturer's recommendation.
  • Toss the wing flats and drumettes with the seasoning.
  • 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 wings to a bowl and sprinkle with more of the seasoning. Toss to coat.
  • Serve.

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.

Creamy Cool Blue Cheese Wing Dipping Sauce

Blue cheese. Ranch. Blue cheese. Ranch. I don’t care which side of the fence you might be on when it comes to having a dipping sauce for your wings. I personally don’t think that there is a ‘side of the fence’ to be on. Me, I switch it up depending on the wings and my mood. Today, I was in the mood for a really good, cold, kinda funky creamy cool blue cheese wing dipping sauce. And this is it. This is about the easiest sauce you can make. The only thing easier would be to just open a bottle. This is better.

Creamy Cool Blue Cheese Wing Dipping Sauce

The Right Sauciness

What (besides great flavor) makes this creamy cool blue cheese wing dipping sauce so good? Consistency. The right consistency. Too runny of a sauce and you end up with more sauce on your lap than you do on your wings. Too thick and you end up with a ‘fondue’ wings. You know, so much sauce you can’t even see the wings.

Get To Dippin’

I use these little sauce cups for dipping my wings. They are appetizer-sized in that I can easily get enough sauce for 6-10 wings in them. And they’re just the right size for getting a wing in there, too. Boy, there’s not much worse than having a cup so small you can’t dip your wing.

EHOMEA2Z Ramekins Stainless Steel Condiment Sauce…
  • Commercial Grade Stainless Steel: These sauce…
  • Multifunctional Portion Cups: This set of sauce…

Jonesin’ for some Ranch instead? Try my copycat of Wingstop’s Ranch dressing instead.

Creamy Cool Blue Cheese Wing Dipping Sauce
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5 from 1 vote

Creamy Cool Blue Cheese Wing Dipping Sauce

The perfect wing dipping sauce with a great blue cheese flavor.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time2 hours
Course: Dipping Sauce
Cuisine: American
Keyword: blue cheese, dipping sauce
Servings: 8
Calories: 278kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place all ingredients into a blender or food processor. Process until smooth.
  • Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or better, overnight.
  • Shake or stir before serving.

Notes

Store any leftover sauce in the fridge.

Nutrition

Calories: 278kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 351mg | Potassium: 83mg | Fiber: 0.01g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 241IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 110mg | Iron: 0.1mg

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

Sweet and Tangy Heinz 57 Wings

Welcome to one of my all-time favorite homemade wing sauces. Easy as heck to make. Delicious as can be. These sweet and tangy Heinz 57 wings were beyond finger-licking good. They were plate-licking good. I’d make these again in a heartbeat. A little tangy. A little sweet. They hit the spot!

I made a batch of simple deep-fried wings to go with this sauce. But really, any wings will do. The coating is not thick. But it does give the wings a nice little crunch. And a little something for the sauce to cling to. Air-fried wings would’ve been just as great. Baked would’ve been fine too. It really doesn’t matter. Just don’t season your wings with much more than something like salt and pepper. You do not want something on the wings that ends up ‘fighting’ the sauce. This is it’s moment. Let it shine!

Sweet and Tangy Heinz 57 Wings

A Sauce For The Entire Family

I do sometimes post some fairly spicy homemade wing sauces here on For The Wing. This isn’t one of them. I think these sweet and tangy Heinz 57 wings would be great to serve at a party or picnic or family get-together. No one’s gonna scream that they are spicy. But they will tell you they loved them. They’ll definitely ask you what’s in it. You can tell them or keep it a secret. A little wing sauce mystery can be a good thing! “It’s my special ingredient!”

But…. You could kick them up a bit if you want. They are on the sweet side. A bit. And just barely tangy. No reason you couldn’t sneak a little hot sauce in there. Maybe make a special batch for yourself and your heat-loving friends.

Heinz 57 Sauce, 20 oz Bottle | Zesty Meat Sauce…
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Tapatio hot sauce and a few other ingredients make for a spicy wing sauce. Try some of my tangy Tapatio barbecue wings too!

Sweet and Tangy Heinz 57 Wings
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Sweet and Tangy Heinz 57 Wings

Beyond finger-licking good.
Inspired by a recipe from The Wolfe Pit
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: deep-fried, wings
Servings: 4
Calories: 275kcal

Ingredients

For the wings

For the sauce

Instructions

For the sauce

  • Combine the steak sauce and honey in a small saucepan over low heat.
  • Keep warm until ready to use.

For the wings

  • Combine the flour and seasoning in a large bowl.
  • Rinse the wings. Drain well but do not dry the wings.
  • Add the wings to the flour mixture and turn to coat well. Transfer to a plate and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  • Heat 3" of oil in a Dutch oven or deep fryer to 350 F.
  • 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-lined plate to drain.
  • Transfer wings to a large bowl and sauce your wings before serving. Click here for our guide on how to sauce your wings.

Nutrition

Calories: 275kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 811mg | Potassium: 23mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 819IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 2mg

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

Beer-Battered Fried Smoked Wings

Was this necessary? Did I have to make beer-battered fried smoked wings? What??? We don’t ask silly questions like that here at For the Wing. Of course I had to make these! Are you kidding me? Look at them! Heck yeah it was a crazy idea. A crazy good one! Super-tasty lightly-smoky wings coated in a wonderful beer batter then fried up lightly crunchy and yummy! The question isn’t should I make these beer-battered fried smoked wings. The question is… how often should I make them!

Don’t make that face. These really are great!

Beer-Battered Fried Smoked Wings

A Total Taste Experience

Although these beer-battered fried smoked wings are not difficult to make, the taste and bite are amazing. You’d think that there’s a lot more going on than there is. The batter is wonderful. It’d be great on fish. Chicken planks. Broccoli. Anything. The wings have a wonderful smoky flavor while the meat is still moist and tender. These are great wings. And a real ‘wow’ moment when you serve them, too! I know they seem outlandish. But they’re outlandishly amazing!

Smoke, Baby!

I use my Weber Smokey Mountain smoker to smoke my wings. I have an 18″ model which is large enough to cook a ton of wings. It’s really easy to set up and maintain the temperature I need. And I cook a ton of dishes on it too, besides wings!

Weber® Smokey Mountain Cooker Smoker…
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  • The Weber Smokey Mountain charcoal smoker helps…

Fry, Baby!

I love deep-fried wings. But it’s usually just me I’m cooking for. So there’s no reason for me to drag out my big deep-fryer that could easily cook for a crowd. No, this calls for my Fry Daddy. Perfect for one-to-four people’s-worth of wings. And it doesn’t use a lot of oil, that’s a major plus. It gets to temperature quickly and maintains it even when I add cold wings. It’s priced right too and lasts forever!

Amazon Basics 3.2-Qt (3.0L) Electric Deep Fryer…
  • FAST-HEATING & FAMILY-SIZE: This powerful…
  • ADJUSTABLE TEMPERATURE & VERSATILE COOKING: With…

These wings are fantastic. You might also want to try my non-battered smoked-and-fried version.

Beer-Battered Fried Smoked Wings
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Beer-Battered Fried Smoked Wings

Totally different and totally amazing.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: deep-fried, smoked
Servings: 6
Calories: 638kcal

Ingredients

For the smoked wings

For the beer batter

Instructions

  • Fire up your smoker for 225 F. Use any wood you like. I used Jack Daniel’s whiskey barrel chunks because I wanted a good, noticeable smoke flavor. Use a lighter wood if you want your wings to be a little less smoky.
  • Toss the wings with plenty of the Buffalo wing seasoning. When you think you’ve added enough, add more. This is not the time to be shy.
  • Place the wings onto the smoker and smoke for 2 hours. No need to rotate or flip them.
  • When done, remove from the smoker. You can deep fry them immediately or freeze them for thawing and frying later.
  • To fry, heat oil to 350 F.
  • In a small bowl or shallow plate, place the remaining 1/2 cup of flour.
  • Lightly toss the wings in the flour and shake off any excess.
  • Whisk together the remaining 1 1/2 cups of the flour and the beer along with the salt and smoked paprika in a large bowl.
  • Working in batches, dip in the batter.
  • Fry until crisp and golden, about 10 minutes. Remove to a wire rack or paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain.
  • Serve hot.

Notes

If you want a thicker batter on the wings, add a little less than the 1 1/2 cups of beer to begin with. Stir. If the batter is too thick add more beer. 

Nutrition

Calories: 638kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 46g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 175mg | Sodium: 553mg | Potassium: 361mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 498IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 4mg

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

Sweet and Sour Spicy Wings

A friend of mine sent me this recipe for sweet and sour spicy wings. The recipe has been in his family for years and years and is always a big hit. You know it’s good if you end up making it over and over. This is one great wing sauce. And truthfully, it’d make for a great BBQ sauce too. It’s a bit sweet. It’s a bit sour. And it’s a bit spicy. All in perfect balance. This is a great, finger-licking good sauce that you’ll want to make again and again.

Sweet and Sour Spicy Wings

Flavor Perfection

A lot of my favorite flavors are in this sauce. Including celery salt. Anything with celery salt in it is going to make me happy. But it’s not overpowering. Like the other seasonings, it’s there and you taste it. It contributes to the overall flavor. It’s just one of the things that make these sweet and sour spicy wings so great.

Bring The Heat. Or Don’t.

You can decide how this sauce ends up being. Just adjust the hot sauce amount. If you’re not a fan of spicy start with 2 tablespoons first. Don’t worry, it won’t be crazy hot. Taste it. Add more if you want more of a kick.

Just remember, you can’t take it back out once you add it. So add the spicy stuff sparingly. And think about it first. It’s a commitment that you should take seriously!

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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!

Dash Deluxe Air Fryer – Adjustable Temperature…
  • Consistent Cooking Every Time: The Dash Deluxe Air…
  • Simple Operation, Tasty Results: This compact…

Also try my extra-crunchy honey chipotle wings.

Sweet and Sour Spicy Wings
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Sweet and Sour Spicy Wings

A wonderful flavor combination.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: sour, sweet, wings
Servings: 6
Calories: 64kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes

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

Nutrition

Calories: 64kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 0.4g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.04g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Cholesterol: 0.4mg | Sodium: 572mg | Potassium: 90mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 176IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 0.3mg

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

Deep-Fried Lemon Pepper Sweet Wings

I’ve made my share of deep-fried wings. But I don’t think I’ve had anything like these deep-fried lemon pepper sweet wings. Like the name says, they’re kinda sweet. Not super-sweet, but you’ll notice. Lemon pepper, well, that’s common on wings and a flavor I love. The combination of the sweetness, the citrus and the crunchy breading made for a different, enjoyable wing experience. I liked these. They were new to me and a pleasant change from my ‘usual’ deep-fried wings.

Deep-Fried Lemon Pepper Sweet Wings

Crunchy Yummy

The breading on these deep-fried lemon pepper sweet wings is nice and crunchy. I like my wings crunchy. Deep-fried or not. I like that crunch. The breading is packed with flavor too. It’s not just flour and salt and pepper. It brings more of that lemon pepper flavor to the party. It’s not crazy citrusy, but you get the flavor.

To offset the sweetness of these wings I served a little spicy Buffalo wing sauce on the side in place of my usual blue cheese dressing. I didn’t go crazy dunking my wings into it, but every once in a while I’d sneak a piece over and get some heat on it. I serve my side sauces in condiment cups. They’re the perfect size for dunking wings. I could put a different sauce in each cup so I can enjoy a wing ‘flight’ with my deep-fried wings!

Lawry’s Zesty Lemon & Pepper Wings Seasoning Mix…
  • TANGY AND SAVORY FLAVOR: Lawry’s Zesty Lemon and…
  • PREMIUM SEASONING MIX: Create unique recipes with…

Fry, Baby!

I love deep-fried wings. But it’s usually just me I’m cooking for. So there’s no reason for me to drag out my big deep-fryer that could easily cook for a crowd. No, this calls for my Fry Daddy. Perfect for one-to-four people’s-worth of wings. And it doesn’t use a lot of oil, that’s a major plus. It gets to temperature quickly and maintains it even when I add cold wings. It’s priced right too and lasts forever!

Sale
Presto 05427 FryDaddy Electric Deep Fryer
  • SPECIAL GREEN/GOLD EDITION: Our best-selling…
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Also try my copycat of Wingstop’s lemon pepper wings.

Deep-Fried Lemon Pepper Sweet Wings
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Deep-Fried Lemon Pepper Sweet Wings

Crunchy sweet wings with a hint of citrus!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Marinade time1 day
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: deep-fried, sweet
Servings: 6
Calories: 732kcal

Ingredients

For the wings

For the breading

For the seasoning

For the frying

Instructions

For the wings

  • Place wings in a large bowl or resealable container.
  • In a medium bowl, combine the remaining wing ingredients. Pour over the wings and toss or stir to coat well.
  • Cover and refrigerate for 1-12 hours.

For the breading

  • Combine all ingredients in a large bowl or shallow plate, such as a pie plate.

For the seasoning

  • Combine all ingredients.

For the frying

  • Heat 2-3" of oil in a deep-fryer or Dutch oven to 350 F.
  • Working in batches as needed, remove the chicken from the marinade, shaking off any excess, and add to the breading mixture.
  • Coat each piece completely then fry 8-12 minutes or until the wings are golden brown and at 165 F internally. Remove to a wire rack or paper towel-lined plate to drain as you cook the remaining wings.
  • Sprinkle the chicken liberally with the seasoning and serve.

Notes

Serve with warmed Buffalo wing sauce on the side for dipping, if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 732kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 237mg | Sodium: 1412mg | Potassium: 477mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 614IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 4mg

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

Amazon Basics 3.2-Qt (3.0L) Electric Deep Fryer…
  • FAST-HEATING & FAMILY-SIZE: This powerful…
  • ADJUSTABLE TEMPERATURE & VERSATILE COOKING: With…

Buttermilk Southwestern Wings

Yep. I did it. I stepped right over that line between ‘fried chicken wings’ and ‘grandma’s fried chicken’. It’s a gray line. You can barely see it. Heck, I’m not sure it even exists. It doesn’t matter really. Because I enjoyed these buttermilk southwestern wings no matter what you call them. Tender, juicy meat that is packed with flavor. Crunchy, delicious coating. What’s not to like?

Are these like what grandma might make for Sunday dinner? Nope. Might look like it. A bit. But these wings are definitely not that chicken.

Buttermilk Southwestern Wings

Sauce On The Side?

You’ll probably want a sauce to go on these buttermilk southwestern wings. Oh, it’s not required really. But to keep from calling these ‘grandma’s fried chicken wings’, you’ll probably want a sauce. Heck, the wing police might come calling if you don’t.

But don’t go drizzling the wings in sauce then tossing them around in a bowl. You’ll lose all of that delicious crunchy coating. Instead, either drizzle the wings with the sauce or (my recommendation!) serve the sauce on the side, for dipping. The nice thing about having a bowl of sauce on the side is you (and your guests) can dunk a little or a lot. You go to pre-drizzling the wings and someone is gonna say they didn’t get enough sauce. Or they got too much. Sauce on the side solves that problem!

See my full guide on how to sauce wings to make sure you don’t go ‘hurting’ your wings saucing them after you spent your time making them so tasty great!

To cook a full batch of wings at once I use my big fryer. It can get the job done. But if I cooking just a few wings at a time, my lil Fry Daddy is the right machine for the job.

Amazon Basics 3.2-Qt (3.0L) Electric Deep Fryer…
  • FAST-HEATING & FAMILY-SIZE: This powerful…
  • ADJUSTABLE TEMPERATURE & VERSATILE COOKING: With…

Also try my baked buttermilk wings.

Buttermilk Southwestern Wings
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Buttermilk Southwestern Wings

Incredibly tender, moist, flavorful wings with a delightfully crunchy crust!
Inspired by a recipe from The Nutmeg Nanny
Prep Time12 hours 10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time12 hours 20 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: deep-fried, wings
Servings: 4
Calories: 258kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

For the marinade

For the coating

For the wings

Instructions

For the marinade

  • In a large resealable container add the buttermilk, cilantro, lime zest and juice, garlic and chipotle chili powder. Seal and shake to combine.
  • Add the wings to the container and seal. Shake to coat. Seal and refrigerate overnight.

For the coating

  • Combine the flour, paprika and salt in a large bowl.
  • Working in batches if needed, remove the wings from the marinade. Shake off any excess then transfer to the flour mixture. Toss or roll to coat well. Transfer to a plate.

For the wings

  • Heat a few inches of oil to 350 F in a deep fryer or Dutch oven.
  • Working in batches if needed, fry the wings 8-10 minutes or until golden brown, crunchy and done.
  • Transfer to a wire rack to drain and cool for a few minutes.
  • Serve!

Notes

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

Nutrition

Calories: 258kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 571mg | Potassium: 254mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1608IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 184mg | Iron: 3mg

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

Air Fryer Blackened Wings

I love a good air-fried dry wing. The air fryer does a great job crisping up the skin while leaving the meat moist and tender. Although these air fryer blackened wings don’t have sauce, they definitely do not lack flavor. Blackening seasoning adds a nice spicy, herbal kick to wings. To me its like roasted chicken, only elevated. A lot. These are great wings. And beyond easy to make.

Air Fryer Blackened Wings

Double-Seasoned Deliciousness

I like to season my air fryer blackened wings twice. Once, before cooking. I can do that with these seasoning without fear of the seasoning burning because it doesn’t contain any sugar. The seasoning will get nice and toasted while the wings cook. And it imparts a great flavor to the skin and meat.

I season my wings again hot out of the air fryer. While the wings are still a little ‘wet’ from the fat cooking. Yep. Fat. Well, that’s what that is. And it helps seasoning still well. So I load up. No boring bites for me. Nothing but flavor in each and every one.

Got Seasonings?

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.

My Trusty Companion

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!

Dash Deluxe Air Fryer – Adjustable Temperature…
  • Consistent Cooking Every Time: The Dash Deluxe Air…
  • Simple Operation, Tasty Results: This compact…

Also try some air fryer Thousand Island wings.

Air Fryer Blackened Wings
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Air Fryer Blackened Wings

Delicious flavor and crispy skin!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: wings
Servings: 4
Calories: 503kcal

Ingredients

For the wings

  • 2 pounds  chicken wings flats and drumettes separated, tips saved to make stock
  • Blackening seasoning from below or use store-bought

For the blackening seasoning

Instructions

For the blackening seasoning

  • Combine all ingredients. If your ingredients are lumpy you may want to grind the mix using a mortar and pestle or pulse them a few times in a blender.

For the wings

  • Season the wings with the seasoning mix.
  • 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.
  • Remove the wings and toss in more seasoning.

Notes

 The ingredients for the blackening seasoning make more than you’ll need. Store unused seasoning in an air-tight container.

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.