The flavor of tacos al pastor is one of my favorites. These tacos al pastor dry wings have that same great flavor without all the work. Paprika, chipotle powder, chili powder and a few other Mexican-inspired spices give the chicken wings a wonderful earthly flavor with a hint of smokiness and just a touch of heat. Sprinkled with cilantro and served with crema for dipping, these are great (easy) wings!
Make it or buy it
I used a package of tacos al pastor seasoning, but you can also make your own. The store-bought seasoning is super tasty, but a tad salty, so you might want to be a little shy with it. You don’t need a lot of it anyways, it’s so flavorful. If you make your own you can of course control the salt if that’s your thing. No matter which seasoning you use, you can’t go wrong with these tacos al pastor dry wings. They’re a nice Mexican-inspired treat!
Toss wings with seasoning before serving garnished with chopped cilantro and drizzled with crema if desired.
Notes
I prefer to season my wings immediately after cooking them. The seasoning will stick to the surface of the hot wings better than if you wait until they cool off.
I’ve had a few store-bought Alabama white sauces. And I’ve made a few variations from scratch. Needless to say, I’m a fan of the concept. June Moon Alabama white sauce wings are another example of two great things that were meant for each other: a creamy, mayonnaise-based sauce that is nice and tangy, and chicken wings. Oh and it does have a slight spiciness to it too. But not too much.
The Perfect Balance
June Moon Alabama white sauce wings aren’t too mayonnaise-y. Or vinegary. Speaking from experience, there’s nothing more disappointing that getting all excited about wings only to have a sauce that is watery or too vinegary. Not a worry with this sauce. I found the balance to be perfectly finger-licking good.
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.
I wanted some lemon pepper wings. But sadly, I didn’t have any fresh wings on hand. So off to our local grocery store I went. And they didn’t have any fresh wings either. Sadness began to creep in when it dawned on me that Tyson makes lemon pepper crispy wings! So off to the frozen section I went, and there they were! Boom! Time to rush home and make some rather delicious, easy, crunchy lemon peppery wings!
Crunchy Battered Yumminess
Tyson lemon pepper crispy wings come as a variety of wing pieces that are seasoned and battered. Some pieces are bigger than others. You toss them into the air fryer and in no time you have hot and crispy wings. They’re fairly mildly seasoned. I’d call it a nice middle-of-the-road flavor. Not too overwhelming. So I grabbed a bottle of lemon pepper seasoning and ’embellished’ the wings after they came out of the air fryer. Then they were perfect.
The bag says there are 4.5 servings inside. Nope. Not for me. More like 2! So if you’re grabbing some for the gang to come over and watch the big game, grab extra bags. Lots of extra bags.
Ranch dressingoptional, for serving. Or use your favorite
Instructions
For the air fryer
Lightly spray your air fryer basket with non-stick spray. Preheat your air fryer to 360 F per the manufacturer's instructions.
Add the wing pieces and cook for 12-14 minutes. Note: I prefer 16 minutes. I recommend checking them after 12 or so minutes to see if you are happy with the color of the wings and remove them before 16 minutes if desired.
Remove wings and let cool for 2 minutes.
Sprinkle or toss wings in seasoning, if using, and serve.
For the oven
Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Add wings and cook for 10 minutes. Flip and cook another 10-15 minutes.
Sprinkle or toss wings in seasoning, if using, and serve.
For a quick lunch, air fryer wings just can’t be beat. My extra-crispy version gets me nice crunchy wings in less than 30 minutes. So could I improve on such a great thing? Well, I can. And did. With duck fat spray. Making duck fat air fryer wings is just as easy as making wings using my regular approach. But they are so much crispier and have a wonderful flavor that is just amazing.
Duck Fat is a Game Changer
You can find duck fat spray in your grocers oil aisle, by the non-stick spray and olive oils and stuff like that. It ain’t cheap, but what it does for duck fat air fryer wings (and many other things) is well worth it. I would suggest you don’t go nuts with it the first time you use it. Try a few quick sprays and see if you want to add more.
I often find myself using a few variations on this approach. I’ll sometimes just spritz the wings, salt and pepper them, then cook them. After they are done I’ll sprinkle them with my favorite seasoning and serve them ‘dry’. I often use this approach if my seasoning is prone to charring during cooking. If I want them ‘wet’, then I’ll toss them in my favorite sauce.
Preheat your air fryer per manufacturer's recommendation.
Spray the wings with duck fat. Just a few squirts will do. I like to put the wings into a bowl, give them a quick spray, turn then, and give them another quick spray.
Sprinkle the wings with seasoning. Turn, and add a bit more seasoning. Alternatively, place the wings into a bag or resealable container and sprinkle with the seasoning. Close the container and toss gently 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 or sprinkle with more seasoning.
My oh me oh goodness. It’s hard to put into words how much I loved these Kinder’s Woodfired garlic dry wings. The seasoning is just perfect. It helps that I’m a total garlic addict. But this isn’t any ordinary garlic flavor, nope. It’s garlic that has been roasted over a fire. Who does that? Great people do that! And they put it in a shaker bottle so I can have the best dry wings ever!
Crazy Fantastically Good And A Big Favorite Of Mine.
I went big when I seasoned my wings. Kinder’s Woodfired garlic wings can handle lots of seasoning. The flavor is so good I can’t get enough. Up next, I’m sprinkling some on a whole roasted chicken. This stuff is going to replace my traditional rotisserie chicken for sure. I love it (in case you couldn’t tell)!
I prefer to season my wings immediately after cooking them. The seasoning will stick to the surface of the hot wings better than if you wait until they cool off.
I admit, there was a time when lemon pepper and I were not pals. Seemed like every time I picked up a bottle of seasoning it was either too lemony or too peppery. There was no good balance for me. Well that all changed with Kinder’s lemon pepper dry wings. You know it’s good if I use it for dry wings. There’s no hiding with dry wings. You gotta bring flavor. You’re not going to hide behind a sauce. You have to bring it. And this seasoning brings it with that perfect balance, bite after bite.
I Make These Wings Often. Not Often Enough, Though
I keep my dry wings simple. That’s what dry wings are supposed to be. I usually cook them in my air fryer. Then I hit them with the seasoning. And lots of it. And I let it rest for a few minutes. Then I get to eatin’! Kinder’s lemon pepper dry wings are the perfect snack or lunch. Nice clean flavor, and great wings!
I prefer to season my wings immediately after cooking them. The seasoning will stick to the surface of the hot wings better than if you wait until they cool off.
I didn’t have to make dry wings. I could’ve seasoned them and then sauced them. But I’m a huge fan of dry wings and Croix Valley Mango Habanero Dry Wings are some of the best I’ve ever had. All I had to do was cook up a batch of wings and toss them in the seasoning and enjoy a crazy good lunch. Up first, I got the heat. And a good bit of it too. Then that spiciness took a back seat and up came the tropical fruitiness of mango. Heck no, I couldn’t get enough! These wings did not last at all!
Tropical Flavor with a Great Kick
I knew these Croix Valley Mango Habanero Dry Wings would be great as soon as I opened the seasoning pouch. It’s always good to get a little taste the first time you use a rub or a sauce. Without that you might use too much. You can always add more, but it’s hard to use less once you’ve already seasoned your wings!
I prefer to season my wings immediately after cooking them. The seasoning will stick to the surface of the hot wings better than if you wait until they cool off.
You know this isn’t my first rodeo. I make a lot of wings. And I sauce a lot of them with BBQ sauces. And some of those BBQ sauces are fruity. Like maybe even too fruity sometimes. Well, let me tell you folks, this right here is BBQ sauce heaven. Goodness. Yes, even greatness. Da Kine Hawaiian BBQ sauce wings are excellent. The sauce is the winner here. It is just sweet enough. And smoky enough. The addition of pineapple is noticeable, pleasant, and definitely not overpowering. Sure, you might normally buy a bottle of this sauce for a pork dish, like smoked ribs, but on wings it’s beyond fantastic.
Make Some Wings
I can’t say it really matters how you cook your wings. The sauce is the boss here. Just don’t make any wings that are overly spiced. You don’t want the wing seasoning to fight with this great sauce. So go easy with it and enjoy your Da Kine Hawaiian BBQ sauce wings. And yeah, lick your fingers. It’s ok. In fact, it’s required.
Brrrrrrr
If you’re grabbing a bottle of the sauce out of the fridge, ready to sauce your wings, don’t. Don’t put that cold sauce on your hot, cooked wings. No. Set that sauce out for an hour before serving so it comes to room temperature. No hot wing deserves a cold sauce. Ever.
Japanese Barbecue Sauce makes me sad. Sad that I went so long before buying a bottle and squeezing it onto some wings, that is! My goodness me is this ever good stuff! I mean crazy good. Lightly sweet and lightly salty, it’s what teriyaki sauce wishes it could be. I cannot stop eating wings covered in this sauce. And I’m not afraid to admit it, I double-sauced my wings.
“Oh. My. Goodness.” Good.
Bachan’s Japanese Barbecue sauce is a little on the thin side. Normally that would be a minus on wings. You won’t want your sauce to end up at the bottom of your plate, you need it to stick to your wings. Well, this sauce has so much fantastic flavor that you don’t need it to be super thick. Not at all. If you want, do like I do and put a small bowl of extra sauce on the side for dipping. You won’t regret it.
Here’s how you become a legend in the wing world. First, you start with a fantastic Buffalo sauce. Then you ‘creamy-ize’ it, making it smooth with the perfect consistency. Then you put into a squeeze bottle so people can squirt it onto wings, fries, sandwiches… everything. I sure hope someone at Frank’s RedHot now has a ‘legend’ sign on their office door. They deserve it. Because I really loved the Frank’s RedHot Squeeze Creamy Buffalo sauce wings that I made.
Creamy Mildly Spicy Deliciousness
The sauce is the winner on these Frank’s RedHot Squeeze Creamy Buffalo sauce wings. Classic Buffalo flavor. A kiss of heat. Creamy consistency. I found myself licking my fingers over and over as I devoured my wings. I found this sauce to be addictingly good. If you love Frank’s RedHot Buffalo sauce, you’ll love this sauce even more.
Squeeze-N-Squirt
Don’t just keep this sauce on-hand for wings. You’ll want to use it on fries, pizza, Ramen, grilled chicken, pulled pork… Everything. It’s a great all-around sauce that isn’t going to run off anyone afraid of a little heat. And it’s packed with flavor.
