How to Make Perfect Chicken Wings
Not only are chicken wings easy to make, they're quite fun. Being creative with flavors and sauces offers you endless variations. Once you have perfected your recipes you are guaranteed perfect chicken wings every time. You'll no longer feel cheated by a bad order of chicken wings.
How to buy and prepare chicken wings
When buying chicken wings, look for the drummettes if you can find them. They're a great time saver. If whole chicken wings are all you find, cut them in sections and discard the tips.
Take the time to thoroughly wash the chicken wings. Poultry requires careful handling to avoid food borne illness. Wash counters, utensils and cutting boards after use. Once the chicken wings have been washed, pat dry with paper towels.
This step is optional, but soaking the chicken wings in a light salt brine will help keep the meat moist and juicy as well as bring out the chicken flavor. In a glass or plastic bowl, mix 1/2 cup of non-iodized salt to one gallon of water. Stir until the salt has dissolved. Completely submerge the chicken wings in the solution for a half hour. Remove and pat dry with paper towels. To learn more about brining, How to use a meat brine explains it in detail.
Another secret to great chicken wings is a dry meat rub. A meat rub adds additional flavors that compliment the final sauce. As you experiment with various recipes, you will eventually create your own versions. For now this basic rub should get you started. Mix a tablespoon of salt, Hungarian paprika and fresh ground black pepper in a small bowl. Add garlic and cayenne pepper per your taste. Brush the chicken wings with olive oil and sprinkle them with the rub. Go heavy with the rub. Allow the coated chicken wings to sit for 30 to 45 minutes. Take this time to prepare your sauce. More rub recipes can be found here.
Preparing a Chicken Wing Sauce
A well cooked chicken wing can play many roles. Once dressed up with a sauce, it can be Italian or Mexican. It can be spicy or it can be sweet. It's the sauce that takes your chicken wings where you want them to go and is limited only by your imagination
Although a store bought sauce will work just fine, it's more fun creating those “signature” concoctions that makes everyone hail you as the God of wings.
If you've elected to use a store bought brand, you can still make some adjustments to suit your personal tastes. Try adding cayenne pepper if you want more heat or brown sugar if you need it sweeter. Other ingredients that can alter the flavor is garlic, pepper sauce, onion powder or even a shot of whiskey.
Whatever you decide for a sauce, bring it to a boil in a sauce pan and reduce the heat to a simmer. A cold sauce will quickly cool down the chicken wings when applied. Keep a constant eye on it and stir often. Most sauces will burn easily.
How to Bake Chicken Wings
Place the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375-degrees F. Arrange the chicken wings on a well oiled baking sheet. The wings should all be aligned in tidy rows without touching one another. Once the oven is up to temperature, place the pan of wings in the center of the rack and set a timer for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, pull the pan and flip the chicken wings being sure to keep them lined up as before. Put back in the oven and set the timer for another 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, remove the chicken wings and put in a large bowl. Pour your sauce over the wings and stir so they are completely coated. Place back on the pan and put back in the oven. Turn down the heat to 350-degrees F. Set your timer for 10 minutes.
When the timer goes off, you're almost finished. Take a look at your chicken wings and be sure your sauce is not burning. Depending upon the sauce, you may want to brush on more, flip them and brush the other side. Either way, set the timer for another 5 minutes. After that 5 minutes, give a chicken wing the taste test. If not done, keep cooking at 5 minute intervals.
Strategically place the finished chicken wings on a fancy platter and brush on one more coat of your sauce. Serve with the traditional celery sticks and Bleu cheese dip.
Where to take Chicken Wings From Here
Experiment, experiment and experiment. If you've made it this far you understand that the flavors in the brine, meat rub and the sauce all affect the final outcome of your chicken wings.
Take your chicken wings into another realm by grilling them with smoking chips or breading them and deep frying. It's endless! Viva le chicken wings!
Garlic Honey Chicken Wings
Plenty of Garlic with a hint of sweet.
One of my favorite chicken wings from a now defunct wing restaurant near my house were their garlic wings. In a failed attempt to duplicate them came this recipe. I find it to be a satisfactory substitution.
Ingredients
- 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 12 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 3/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Directions
In a sauce pan, melt a tablespoon of the butter. Add minced garlic cloves and saute until soft.
Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and simmer an additional 10 minutes, stirring often.
Cook chicken wings as instructed above
Once the wings are done, brush again with the sauce and apply more cayenne per taste
Orange Chipotle Chicken Wings
Taste great and pretty to look at!
These orange flavored wings offer a nice balance of a little sweet and a little heat. The chipotle peppers and adobo sauce compliment the citrus flavor of the orange quite well. They're also pretty to look at.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken wings
- 1 cup orange marmalade
- 1/2 cup grapefruit juice
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup canned Chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Directions
In a sauce pan, heat the marmalade until liquid. Add remaining ingredients and stir well with a whisk. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often
Cook chicken wings as instructed above
Once the chicken wings are done, place on a plate and pour the remaining sauce on them.
Sprinkle with some fresh orange zest and garnish with orange slices.
Wild Cherry Chicken Wings
Wild or mild...you decide
Cherry flavors white meat quite well. These chicken wings utilize that concept with the pieces of cherry found in the preserves. Wild cherry or mild cherry? You decide by adjusting the quantity of cayenne pepper.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken wings
- 1 18 oz jar cherry preserves
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or per taste
Directions
In a sauce pan, heat the cherry preserves until liquid. Add remaining ingredients and stir well with a whisk. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often
Cook chicken wings as instructed above
Once the chicken wings are done, place on a plate and pour on the remaining sauce. Enjoy!
Taco Flavored Chicken Wings
Yes, they taste like tacos!
The magic of chicken wings and sauces is the ability to create about any flavor imaginable. A case in point are these taco-flavored chicken wings. Using very simple ingredients, you'll be amazed at how much they truly taste like tacos.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken wings
- 1 package taco seasoning
- 1 16 oz jar of taco sauce. Choose your heat level preference
- 1 cup of tortilla chips, finely crushed
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- olive oil
Directions
Mix crushed tortilla chips with package of taco seasoning
Brush chicken wings with olive oil and sprinkle chip/taco seasoning mix evenly over wings until they are completely coated. Set the rest of the seasoning aside.
Cook chicken wings as instructed above
In a bowl, mix ketchup and taco sauce together and set aside until time for basting
Once the chicken wings are done, brush again with the taco sauce and apply another heavy sprinkling of the chip/taco seasoning mix.
Place chicken wings on a platter and serve with chips and salsa.
Sweet Sesame Soy Chicken Wings
A little oriental flair!
A nice balance of flavor featuring a soy sauce base with just enough sweetness to offset the salt characteristics of the soy sauce. Add a hint of sesame seed and these chicken wings can be a meal on their own.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken wings
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
- 1/2 cup Chinese black bean sauce
- 1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked or Hungarian paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Directions
In a sauce pan, add all ingredients and stir well with a whisk. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often.
In a small frying pan, place sesame seeds over a medium heat. Flip several times until lightly brown
Cook chicken wings as instructed above
Once the chicken wings are done, place on a plate and pour the remaining sauce on them.
Sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds.
Honey Mustard Chicken Wings
South Carolina style!
Of the nine styles of barbecue sauce, South Carolina utilizes four of them. In the heart of the state from Columbia down to Charleston, honey mustard is king. Used mostly on pork, it's also great on chicken wings.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken wings
- 1 cup cider vinegar
- 1 cup honey
- 3/4 cup prepared yellow mustard
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Directions
In a sauce pan, add all ingredients and stir well with a whisk until butter is melted. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often
Cook chicken wings as instructed above
Once the chicken wings are done, place on a plate and pour on the remaining sauce. Enjoy!
