southwestern wings Archives

Tangy Taco Wings

I apologize to my neighbors. Even with my windows closed, and the tv on, it’s likely they heard me moaning with happiness as I bit into these tangy taco wings. Truth be told, they’ve heard it before because I’ve had some delicious wings. But not this loud. These are crazy good wings. Great southwestern flavors. Great smoky undertones. Some great heat. Just great everything.

Cook Those Wings!

The sauce is the star here. How you cook the wings to make some tangy taco wings is kind of not important. Don’t get me wrong. Of course you don’t want ‘meh’ wings. But you don’t have to go crazy with them. No need for complicated preparing or cooking techniques. Just get some cooked wings. Season them a bit first. Then just cook them. Then comes the really good part. That sauce. Load it up or go light. I went heavy. I don’t usually do that. This time, the temptation of the sauce won and I went saucy. And am I ever glad I did.

And More…

This sauce is great on anything. Grilled burgers. Hot dogs. Smoked ribs. Any place you might think about putting BBQ sauce, use this instead. It’s better, tastier, richer, thicker and wonderful.

About That Salsa Chipotle…

I used to be able to buy cans of salsa chipotle at the store on a regular basis. Now they’re harder to find. They’re like a cross between chipotles in adobo sauce and salsa. They have a smoother texture to them, making them perfect for sauces. You don’t have to do any chopping or preparation, just use it straight out of the can. If you can’t find it you can still make this wonderful sauce. You can grab a jar of chipotle salsa and pulse it a few times in a blender until just slightly chunky. Or you can use a chipotle pepper minced, and mixed with some of the adobo sauce.

The idea for these wings came from La Preferida. They made me happy, so thank you fine folks at La Preferida!

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Also try my enchilada wings!

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Tangy Taco Wings

This sauce is great on anything.

Inspired by a recipe from La Preferida

Prep Time5

Cook Time30

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: crispy, wings

Servings:

Calories: 42kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

For the wings

6 chicken wings flats and drumettes separated, tips saved to make stock
½ tablespoon vegetable oil
½ tablespoon taco seasoning more or less, to taste

For the sauce

½ cup your favorite BBQ sauce
2 tablespoons salsa chipotle see note
1 tablespoon water you might need more
1 tablespoon taco seasoning

Instructions

For the wings

Lightly spray the basket of your air fryer with non-stick spray. Preheat per manufacturer’s recommendation.
Sprinkle taco seasoning over the wings and toss to coat.
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 your favorite wing sauce. Click here for our guide on how to sauce your wings.

For the sauce

Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat.
Bring to a boil then reduce heat and keep warm until ready to use.
Stir in more water if the sauce becomes too thick.

Notes

Salsa chipotle can be difficult to find. It’s not chipotle salsa. You can substitute chipotle salsa but for best results you’ll want to pulse it a few times in a food processor. You want a smoother texture versus a chunky one.

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

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

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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?

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!

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Also try my baked buttermilk 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 10

Cook Time10

Total Time12 20

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: deep-fried, wings

Servings:

Calories: 258kcal

Equipment

Deep Fryer

Ingredients

For the marinade

2 cups buttermilk
¼ cup cilantro minced
1 small lime zested and juiced
3 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon Frank's RedHot Original Hot Sauce
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons chipotle chili pepper
1 teaspoon cumin

For the coating

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon kosher salt

For the wings

12 chicken wings flats and drumettes separated, tips saved to make stock
vegetable oil for frying

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

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

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MIld Sauces
Made for wings and more

Kinder’s Fire Roasted Jalapeno Wings

There for a minute I thought I was eating smoked chicken wings. I double checked, and nope, my air fryer wasn’t belching smoke… Ah ha! The great smoky flavor was coming from these Kinder’s Fire Roasted Jalapeno wings! Man, what a great sauce this is! I love roasted peppers, especially jalapeno. A little spicy heat and a little smoke is great on wings. There’s a slight hint of garlic and lime. These made me think ‘southwestern’ when I devoured them. And it made me think ‘buy more of this sauce’.

Crazy Good Bite After Bite

Kinder’s Fire Roasted Jalapeno wings are definitely finger-licking good. You don’t have to go crazy with the sauce, either. It packs great flavor in just a little. Which means you’ll have plenty of sauce for other dishes, like squeezing over burritos, tacos… or dipping nuggets. It’s also great on a grilled chicken sandwich. Anything that needs a little heat (not too much) and southwestern-inspired flavors, grab this sauce and get to it!