Everyone loves a wing, and the choice of seasonings is almost infinite. Deep-fried, baked, and more, here are 23 recipes for wings that highlight different ways of cooking that are perennial bar foods.
Classic Fried Buffalo Wings
Truly, the one wing to rule them all. The spicy, vinegary, buttery sauce makes the Buffalo wing quite possibly the world's greatest accompaniment to a cold pint.
Ingredients
Method
- Pat the wings very dry, season with salt and pepper and let them stand uncovered in the refrigerator for 1 hour if time allows.
- Heat 3 inches of oil in a heavy pot to 350°F, filling the pot no more than halfway.
- Fry the wings in small batches for 9 to 12 minutes, maintaining 325°F to 350°F, until deeply golden and at least 165°F inside.
- Drain on a wire rack while the oil returns to temperature.
Extra-Crispy Double-Fried Wings
You may have double-fried French fries, but have you ever double-fried wings? The principle is the same, ensuring maximum crispiness.
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Ingredients
Method
- Pat the wings dry and season with 1 teaspoon salt, garlic powder and pepper.
- Heat 3 inches of oil in a heavy pot to 300°F and fry the wings in batches for 8 minutes until cooked but pale.
- Drain on a wire rack and let the wings rest for 20 minutes while heating the oil to 375°F.
- Fry again in batches for 3 to 5 minutes until deeply browned and crisp, checking that the centers reach at least 165°F.
- Drain on the rack, season immediately with the remaining salt and serve.
Buttermilk Pepper Fried Wings
Just like any other piece of fried chicken, a buttermilk marinade really elevates things. Black pepper should be the main flavor here, so don't be afraid to go hard on it.
Ingredients
Method
- Combine the wings, buttermilk and 1 teaspoon salt and refrigerate for 2 to 8 hours.
- Whisk the flour, remaining salt, black pepper and garlic powder in a shallow dish.
- Heat 3 inches of oil in a heavy pot to 340°F.
- Drain the wings well, coat lightly in flour and shake off excess, then fry in batches for 11 to 14 minutes until crisp and at least 165°F inside.
- Drain on a wire rack and serve while the crust is hot.
Korean-Style Gochujang Double-Fried Wings
In Korea, you'll see signs everywhere for "chimaek" — chicken and maekju, a.k.a. beer. The gochujang glaze on a chicken wing is the Korean answer to Buffalo wings, and they disappear just as fast with a couple of glasses of lager.
Ingredients
Method
- Pat the wings dry, season with salt and coat evenly in potato starch, shaking away loose powder.
- Heat 3 inches of oil to 325°F and fry in batches for 8 minutes, then drain on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
- Raise the oil to 375°F and fry the wings again for 3 to 5 minutes until crisp and at least 165°F inside.
- Simmer the gochujang, honey, soy sauce, vinegar and garlic for 2 minutes.
- Toss the hot wings with just enough glaze to coat and serve immediately.
Fried Garlic Parmesan Wings
There are a couple of ways to make garlic wings, and this version dresses the wings after frying, instead of mixing garlic into the batter. Dress with garlic butter and Parmesan, but be sure to serve quickly before the Parmesan stiffens up.
Ingredients
Method
- Pat the wings dry and season with salt and garlic powder.
- Heat 3 inches of oil in a heavy pot to 350°F and fry the wings in batches for 9 to 12 minutes until golden and at least 165°F inside.
- Drain on a wire rack while melting the butter in a small pan.
- Cook the minced garlic in the butter for 1 minute and remove from the heat.
- Toss the wings with garlic butter, Parmesan and black pepper and serve immediately.
Fried Lemon Pepper Wings
Lemon pepper is a natural fit for chicken wings, bringing some brightness to balance the fat. A little lemon zest amps up the citrus, and don't be afraid to finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon.
Ingredients
Method
- Pat the wings very dry and season with salt and 1 teaspoon lemon pepper.
- Heat 3 inches of oil in a heavy pot to 350°F.
- Fry the wings in batches for 9 to 12 minutes, keeping the oil above 325°F, until crisp and at least 165°F inside.
- Drain on a wire rack for 1 minute.
- Toss with melted butter, lemon zest and the remaining lemon pepper and serve promptly.
Honey Hot Fried Wings
To be honest, I roll my eyes every time I see a new hot honey product, but it makes sense for wings. Spicy and sweet pair awfully well, and a little vinegar keeps things light.
Ingredients
Method
- Pat the wings dry and season with salt and cayenne.
- Heat 3 inches of oil in a heavy pot to 350°F and fry in batches for 9 to 12 minutes until crisp and at least 165°F inside.
- Drain the wings on a wire rack.
- Simmer the hot sauce, honey, butter and vinegar for 2 minutes until glossy.
- Toss the hot wings with enough sauce to coat lightly and serve immediately.
Teriyaki Fried Wings
Chicken and teriyaki sauce are a natural match, so it's not surprising teriyaki works on fried wings too. As always, be careful not to overdress, or you risk losing the crunch.
Ingredients
Method
- Pat the wings dry and season with salt.
- Heat 3 inches of oil to 350°F and fry the wings in batches for 9 to 12 minutes until golden and at least 165°F inside.
- Simmer the soy sauce, 1/2 cup water, brown sugar, ginger and garlic for 3 minutes.
- Whisk cornstarch with cold water, add it to the sauce and simmer 1 minute until glossy.
- Drain the wings on a rack, toss with a light coat of teriyaki sauce and serve.
Cajun Dry-Rub Fried Wings
These wings get the double seasoning treatment — a dry rub before frying and a sprinkle after. I strongly recommend a DIY Cajun seasoning, which mixes up in a matter of seconds.
Ingredients
Method
- Pat the wings dry and toss with salt, 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning and baking powder.
- Heat 3 inches of oil in a heavy pot to 350°F.
- Fry the wings in batches for 9 to 12 minutes until deeply browned and at least 165°F inside.
- Drain on a wire rack and place in a clean bowl.
- Toss with the remaining Cajun seasoning and 1 tablespoon hot frying oil, then serve.
Nashville Hot Fried Wings
What makes it Nashville is the seasoning paste — spices and plenty of cayenne, mixed with hot fryer oil. Here, you want to brush on the seasoning rather than toss the wings in it to ensure a careful, even layer.
Ingredients
Method
- Pat the wings dry and season with salt and black pepper.
- Heat 3 inches of oil to 350°F and fry the wings in batches for 9 to 12 minutes until crisp and at least 165°F inside.
- Whisk the cayenne, brown sugar, paprika and garlic powder in a heatproof bowl.
- Carefully whisk in 1/2 cup hot frying oil to make a red paste.
- Drain the wings on a rack, brush lightly with the hot paste and serve.
Sweet Chili Lime Fried Wings
Sweet chili is a popular dipping sauce for wings — in Thailand, they even call it "chicken dipping sauce" — but it works well as a dressing too. The lime juice and lime zest keep things fresh.
Ingredients
Method
- Pat the wings dry and season with salt.
- Heat 3 inches of oil to 350°F and fry in batches for 9 to 12 minutes until crisp and at least 165°F inside.
- Simmer the sweet chile sauce, lime juice and soy sauce for 2 minutes.
- Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the lime zest.
- Drain the wings on a rack, toss with a thin coat of sauce and serve immediately.
Salt and Vinegar Fried Wings
In Britain, fried food means malt vinegar is never far away. For these chip shop-inspired wings, a malt vinegar brine does the base seasoning, and the wings are finished with a vinegar mist to prevent sogginess.
Ingredients
Method
- Combine 3/4 cup vinegar, 2 teaspoons salt and sugar with the wings and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Drain, pat the wings extremely dry and let them stand on a rack for 20 minutes.
- Heat 3 inches of oil to 350°F and fry in batches for 9 to 12 minutes until crisp and at least 165°F inside.
- Drain on a wire rack and lightly sprinkle with the remaining vinegar.
- Season immediately with the remaining salt and serve.
Black Pepper Soy Fried Wings
You don't always need batter or breading. These wings go in the fryer naked and get a quick soy glaze afterward, with plenty of coarse-ground black pepper.
Ingredients
Method
- Pat the wings dry and season with salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper.
- Heat 3 inches of oil to 350°F and fry in batches for 9 to 12 minutes until crisp and at least 165°F inside.
- Simmer the soy sauce, brown sugar, water and garlic for 4 to 5 minutes until lightly syrupy.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining black pepper.
- Drain the wings on a rack, toss with a light glaze and serve.
Baked Buffalo Wings
I do love deep-fried things, but I do not love the cleanup or the caloric load. A wire rack in the oven and a little baking powder to enable browning make for baked wings that taste fried.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 450°F and set a wire rack over a foil-lined rimmed pan.
- Pat the wings very dry and toss with baking powder, salt and pepper.
- Arrange in one layer and bake for 25 minutes, turn and bake 20 to 25 minutes more until crisp and at least 165°F inside.
- Whisk the hot sauce with melted butter.
- Toss the hot baked wings with just enough sauce to coat and serve immediately.
Baked Garlic Parmesan Wings
Baked wings can take on almost any seasoning you would apply to normal fried wings. Garlic butter and Parmesan take center stage in this version.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 450°F and set a wire rack over a foil-lined rimmed pan.
- Pat the wings dry and toss with baking powder, salt and pepper, then arrange them without touching.
- Bake for 25 minutes, turn and bake 20 to 25 minutes more until browned and at least 165°F inside.
- Melt the butter, cook the garlic in it for 1 minute and remove from the heat.
- Toss the wings with garlic butter and Parmesan and serve promptly.
Baked Lemon Pepper Wings
Lemon pepper works great both in rubs and as a seasoning in its own right. In this recipe, you get the best of both worlds, with a shake of lemon pepper both before and after cooking.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 450°F and set a wire rack over a foil-lined rimmed pan.
- Pat the wings dry and toss with baking powder, salt and half the lemon pepper.
- Bake in one layer for 25 minutes, turn and bake 20 to 25 minutes more until crisp and at least 165°F inside.
- Stir the remaining lemon pepper and zest into melted butter.
- Toss the hot wings with the seasoned butter and serve.
Air-Fryer Buffalo Wings
Wings are sort of a thing an air fryer is made for. Make sure not to crowd the basket so you can get maximum air circulation.
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F for 3 minutes.
- Pat the wings dry and toss with oil, salt and baking powder.
- Arrange in one uncrowded layer and air-fry for 20 to 24 minutes, turning every 8 minutes, until crisp and at least 165°F inside; work in batches if needed.
- Whisk the hot sauce and melted butter.
- Toss the cooked wings with a thin coat of sauce and serve.
Air-Fryer Honey Garlic Wings
For a tiki bar-inspired wing, this recipe uses a glaze of honey, soy sauce, and garlic. As always with an air fryer, be judicious with your batch size.
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F and pat the wings very dry.
- Toss the wings with oil, salt and baking powder and arrange in one uncrowded layer.
- Air-fry for 20 to 24 minutes, turning every 8 minutes, until crisp and at least 165°F inside; cook in batches if needed.
- Simmer the honey, soy sauce, garlic and vinegar for 3 minutes until glossy.
- Toss the wings with a light coat of glaze and serve.
Air-Fryer Cajun Dry-Rub Wings
A dry rub works particularly well in an air fryer, and a bit of oil holds it in place. Cajun seasoning is just one idea here — any spice blend will do.
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F for 3 minutes.
- Pat the wings dry and toss with oil, salt, baking powder and 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning.
- Arrange in one uncrowded layer and air-fry for 20 to 24 minutes, turning every 8 minutes, until crisp and at least 165°F inside.
- Cook additional batches rather than stacking the basket.
- Toss the hot wings with the remaining Cajun seasoning and serve.
Smoked-Then-Fried Buffalo Wings
If you have a home smoker, the smoke-then-fry approach is fantastic. However, be sure to refrigerate after the smoking process before frying, or else rubbery skin is a risk.
Ingredients
Method
- Season the wings with salt and pepper and smoke at 250°F for 70 to 90 minutes until they reach at least 165°F.
- Cool the wings on a rack, then refrigerate uncovered for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
- Heat 3 inches of oil in a heavy pot to 375°F.
- Fry the smoked wings in small batches for 2 to 3 minutes until the skin is crisp, then drain on a rack.
- Whisk the hot sauce with butter, toss lightly with the wings and serve.
Smoked-Then-Fried Barbecue Wings
These wings take smoke first, hot oil second and thick barbecue glaze last. Refrigerating between stages is not wasted time; it dries the skin and makes the fast final fry safer by reducing surface moisture. A vinegar splash loosens the sauce enough to coat without masking the crisp finish.
Ingredients
Method
- Season the wings with salt, smoked paprika and pepper and smoke at 250°F for 70 to 90 minutes until at least 165°F inside.
- Cool on a rack and refrigerate uncovered for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
- Heat 3 inches of oil to 375°F and fry the smoked wings in small batches for 2 to 3 minutes until crisp.
- Warm the barbecue sauce with vinegar until fluid but not boiling.
- Drain the wings on a rack, toss with a light coat of sauce and serve.
General Tso-Style Fried Wings
If the random pieces of fried chicken can get the General Tso's treatment, why can't a wing? Just like at the takeout joint, cornstarch is the key to crispiness.
Ingredients
Method
- Pat the wings dry, season with salt and coat in 1 cup cornstarch, shaking off excess.
- Heat 3 inches of oil to 350°F and fry in batches for 10 to 13 minutes until crisp and at least 165°F inside.
- Simmer the soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, 1/4 cup water, chiles and garlic for 3 minutes.
- Whisk the remaining cornstarch with cold water, add it to the sauce and simmer 1 minute until glossy.
- Drain the wings on a rack, toss with a thin coat of sauce and serve immediately.
Old Bay-Style Fried Wings
Old Bay isn't just for fried seafood or crab cakes. These wings use the two-step method, with a rub as well as a final shake of Old Bay before serving.
Ingredients
Method
- Pat the wings dry and toss with salt, 1 tablespoon seafood seasoning and baking powder.
- Heat 3 inches of oil in a heavy pot to 350°F.
- Fry the wings in batches for 9 to 12 minutes until crisp and at least 165°F inside.
- Drain on a wire rack and transfer to a clean bowl.
- Toss with the remaining seafood seasoning and 1 tablespoon hot frying oil, then serve.
