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.

Tangy Taco Wings

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!

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

Also try my enchilada wings!

Tangy Taco 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 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: crispy, wings
Servings: 2
Calories: 42kcal

Ingredients

For the wings

For the sauce

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

Calories: 42kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 154mg | Potassium: 13mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 222IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 0.2mg

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

Melinda’s Craft Wing Collection – Gourmet Wing…
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Tabanero Smoked Pepperoncini BBQ Sauce Wings

We always stop at Buc-ee’s when we travel. Yeah, we’ve done the brisket sandwiches, the cheap gas, and the gear. But for me, the highlight is always the condiment section. I always find something there. BBQ sauces. Jellies. Seasonings. And all reasonably priced, too. Our last stop was at the new Buc-ee’s outside of Dayton, Ohio. There I grabbed a bottle of Tabanero smoked pepperoncini BBQ sauce. And I knew exactly what I was going to put it on first: wings. I wasn’t sure what the smoked pepperoncini would bring to a BBQ sauce but I sure do now, and that’s wonderful flavor. Slightly tangy, a bit smoky and a little sweet, this is one crazy-good BBQ sauce. For wings, ribs, chicken, you name it. This is a great sauce. It made for some of the best wings I’ve had using a bottled BBQ sauce, that’s for sure.

Tabanero Smoked Pepperoncini BBQ Sauce Wings

Just Make Some Wings!

I went with some nice-and-easy but-still-yummy air fryer wings for my Tabanero Smoked Pepperoncini BBQ sauce wings. You can do whatever wings you want, but you’ll want to stick to unflavored ones. Don’t get frozen Buffalo wings. Or lemon pepper. And don’t use any seasoning that will ‘fight’ the sauce. Salt and pepper is great here. You just want to make some good wings. Then bring on the sauce and the happiness. The sauce comes in a squirt bottle, so you can just squirt it on and give them a light toss or stir. Or you can serve the sauce on the side, in a cup, for dipping. Or both. It’s your life, your wings. Do you. Just get plenty of the delicious sauce!

Tabañero Smoked Pepperoncini BBQ Sauce, 14.5oz…
  • Pepperoncini and Smoke, in a BBQ Base: Real…
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Try dunkin’ your wings in some blue cheese dippin’ sauce!

Tabanero Smoked Pepperoncini BBQ Sauce Wings
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Tabanero Smoked Pepperoncini BBQ Sauce Wings

Slightly tangy BBQ sauce with a little smoke and sweet!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: crispy, wings
Servings: 2
Calories: 13kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Lightly spray the basket of your air fryer with non-stick spray. Preheat per manufacturer’s recommendation.
  • Combine the baking powder and wing seasoning. Sprinkle 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 the sauce.  Click here for our guide on how to sauce your wings.

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.

Melinda’s Craft Wing Collection – Gourmet Wing…
  • PERFECT GIFT FOR WING LOVERS: Melinda’s took the…
  • SET YOUR MOUTH ON FLAVOR: This hot sauce variety…