If you love crispy wings with a touch of fire, then this spicy hot wing recipe is just the ticket. You're going to love the fact that this hot wing sauce isn't obnoxious. The sauce gives a nice, slow burn that lets your mouth know there's some heat but won't melt your face! We're going to pan sear these wings for a perfectly crispy skin too. Let's take a look at how to get it done.
This hot wing recipe is: Gluten Free, Paleo, Low Carb and has Fiery Flavors!
A NAUGHTY HOT WING RECIPE
There was a period in my life (think early 20's) when only the hottest of the hot would satisfy. I found myself signing liability waivers at restaurants for their "nuclear" or "atomic" or even "deadly" wings. Looking back, I wonder why this would even cross my mind as something worth doing. I don't think there is a good answer to justify the ridiculousness of it all, but I did it anyway.
Now that I am older, the prospect of watering eyes, melting lips and a numb tongue just aren't as appealing to me for some reason. What is appealing is the idea of contained heat or heat on a reasonable scale. I still love the slightly burning lips and feel alive when my mouth is lightly coated with the a peppery glow. You know what I mean? Just enough heat to remind you that the spice of life might actually be cayenne.
You're going to find that nice, contained heat in my hot wing recipe. Not only is the heat well maintained, but the sauce tastes just incredible. There's a touch of cumin, garlic and smokey chipotle to round out the flavors. To tame the heat, serve with some of my Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing. You won't be disappointed.
PAN FRIED CHICKEN WINGS
At our house, wings are a favorite on the weekends which is why you will find so many different chicken wing recipes on my site. Here are a couple to checkout in case you don't want to search: Grilled Chicken Wings Recipe, Crispy Baked Chicken Wings, Thai Sweet Chili Wings Recipe, or my Smoked Wings Recipe if you have a smoker. I'm constantly working to make the skin more crisp, the meat more tender and the sauce more interesting.
For this recipe, we are going to pan fry the wings in just a bit of olive oil. Really there isn't enough oil to really call this recipe pan fried wings... more like pan sauteed wings but that is more of a technicality I guess. The best part about pan fried chicken wings is just how crispy they turn out. The flats, in particular, really get a fantastically crisped skin that is a pleasure to bite into. Yum.
One tip for this method is to use a splash guard or splatter screen when cooking the wings. Here's why:
- Most chicken is injected with a water solution to increase the plumpness and shelf stability.
- Water and hot oil don't play well together. It creates spatter that really smarts when it hits your hands or arms.
- I didn't have a splatter screen and my shirt is now oil speckled... just sayin.
If you have an exhaust fan, go ahead and turn that on as well if you don't want your house smelling like fried chicken wings for the day!
HOT WING SAUCE
Yes! Hot wing sauce is the best. I have searched the web for years looking for different hot wing sauces that I can try. I don't want to have a one dimensional wing sauce. It needs to have some depth of flavor to keep me coming back for more. I think that with my hot wing sauce recipe, you'll agree there are a lot of layers.
I like sauces that use a mixture of fresh ingredients, herbs, spices and hot sauces. You can take an ordinary hot sauce and make it into an extraordinary wing sauce with just a few ingredients.
Please note: When you're making the hot sauce in this post, it is going to look like such a tiny amount in the bowl. Almost shockingly small, particularly if you are using a large bowl. I've made this recipe for 28-30 wings exactly. They will all be perfectly seasoned with a coat of yummy sauce.
I've found in the past that I make way too much sauce for my wings. It tends to sit in the refrigerator, get pushed to the back and get tossed in the garbage a month from now. Not with this recipe. You'll have just enough for each wing to pack a wallop of flavor.
QUICK COOKING TIP: I have a few tips for buying chicken wings at the grocery store:
- Try not to buy frozen chicken wings. It just makes the whole process longer and I find that the skin is harder to get crispy for some reason.
- When buying raw wings, look through plastic on the package. If the wings have lots of feathers on them, move onto another package. You're going to need to pull out any feathers that you find.
- If you're not comfortable breaking down chicken wings (cutting off the tips and through the joints) ask someone at the butcher counter to do it for you.
- Remember if you are buying whole chicken wings that each wing actually counts as 2 cooked wings. There is a drum and a flat on each full wing. This recipe calls for 14 full wings or a combination of 14 flats and 14 drums. If you want to do 15 for a 30 count, that's cool too.
Time to get things heated up around here. Let's start cooking this hot wing recipe!
Devilishly Spicy Hot Wing Recipe
This hot wing recipe has an element of surprise. At first, you won't think they are all that spicy... but give them a minute as the heat creeps up to a low inferno in your mouth. If you love crispy hot wings, this is your recipe.
Ingredients
For the Wings
- 28 Wings, Drums & Flats
- ¼ cup Olive Oil
For the Hot Wing Sauce
- 2 tablespoon Butter, Unsalted
- 1 clove Garlic, Minced
- ¼ cup Chipotle Hot Sauce
- ¼ teaspoon Cayenne Powder, To taste- more for super spice!
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 1 pinch Kosher Salt
- 1 pinch Black Pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Arrowroot Powder
Instructions
For the Hot Wing Sauce
- Melt the butter in a small pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring consistently, for 1-2 minutes or until the garlic is very fragrant.
- Pour the garlic and butter into a large sized mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk together well. Set aside until the wings are cooked.
For the Wings
- In a large, heavy bottom saute pan, add the olive oil over high heat. When the oil shimmers, add in ½ of the wings. You don't want to crowd the pan. Let the wings cook for 1-2 minutes to get nice and crispy. Turn to brown on all sides. Remove from the pan and repeat with the other wings.
- Once all the wings have been browned, add them all back into the pan over medium-high heat. Continue to cook for 10-12 minutes or until cooked through. The drums will take longer than the flats.
For the Hot Wing Recipe
- When the wings are cooked, add them to the large mixing bowl with the hot sauce. Using tongs, toss them lightly in the sauce to coat. Serve hot and happy eating!
Notes
For hotter wings, add in more cayenne or substitute habanero powder. If you don't want them quite so spicy, omit the cayenne completely.
We served these with sour cream that was cut with some cream to thin it out a bit. I added a touch of red wine vinegar as well. It was absolutely delicious!
Nutrition Information
Yield
28Amount Per Serving Calories 80
FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE HOT WING RECIPE:
Make sure that you have a bunch of napkins close at hand when you're eating these spicy wings. You're going to need them. That's one of the things I love most about wings... you have to use your hands to eat them. There's really no other way to do it without losing your mind. And why would you ever want to eat wings with a fork and knife anyhow?
One of the reasons I cook wings so often for my family isn't just how delicious they taste and how much fun they are to eat... I love seeing my kids with sauce all over their faces, grinning from ear to ear. Wings and ribs... really the only two foods that make sauce smiles on my kids faces. It's just awesome.
Whether you have kids or not, I hope that you love this recipe as much as we do. Enjoy and happy eating!
These look SOOO good. I'm totally making. Appreciate all the how-to pics as I've never made wings before!
Hi Serena:
You're very welcome. Did you get a chance to make them? How were they? We have wings all the time in our house - my kids love them.
Have a great day!
Scott
These wings sound delicious, and I loved that they're not deep-fried. Thanks!
Hey Jeff:
I'm not a big fan of deep-frying. Too much fat and not enough flavor. I also love oven roasted wings.
Thank you for writing.
Take care,
Scott
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BWAHHHAHHAHA! HOT! I love these!!!
Hi Dean:
I couldn't have said it better myself - I think you came up with a better title for them than I did. Absolutely delicious!
Thanks for posting.
Take care,
Scott
I made these yesterday but used sriracha sauce instead of chipotle (didnt have any). and they were a SMASH! We cooked the wingettes over charcoal until tender and crispy then tossed them through the sauce and served in the same bowl. I have already planned to make them again!
Hi Kylie,
That sounds amazing, I need to make them again soon too. They're just too good, right?
Thanks for stopping by and for sharing your thoughts.
Have a great day!
Scott
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