Introduction
These wings get fried at 350 °F (180°C) until the skin is crisp, then tossed in a buttery chipotle sauce thickened with tomato paste and soy sauce. The coating is bold, smoky, and sticky enough to cling to each piece instead of sliding off. You can serve them as a party platter, a game-day batch, or a dinner built around wings and a simple side.
Recipe Details
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 48 chicken wingettes
- Oil for deep frying
- Poultry Shake, as needed
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup Smoky Chipotle Hot Sauce
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- Chili leaves, optional
Instructions
- Sprinkle chicken with the Poultry Shake.
- Heat the oil to 350 °F (180°C). Add the chicken pieces to the hot oil, and fry for 11 minutes. Drain on a cooling rack.
- Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients. Add wings and toss to coat and serve.
- Garnish with the chili leaves, if desired.
Variations
- Replace the chili leaves with sliced scallions if you want a milder, fresher finish.
- Swap the 1 tbsp soy sauce for tamari to keep the same savory depth with a gluten-free option.
- Use drumettes instead of wingettes for a meatier bite; they may need slightly longer frying time.
- Bake or air fry the wings instead of deep frying if you want less cleanup; the skin will be less uniformly crisp but still works well with the sauce.
- Reduce the Smoky Chipotle Hot Sauce slightly if you want a milder batch; the final wings will be less spicy and a little less loose when tossed.
Tips for Success
- Season the chicken evenly with the Poultry Shake so every wing has flavor before it hits the sauce.
- Keep the oil at 350 °F (180°C); if it drops too far, the wings absorb more oil and lose crispness.
- Drain the fried wings on a cooling rack, not paper towels, so steam can escape and the exterior stays crisp.
- Mix the melted butter, Smoky Chipotle Hot Sauce, tomato paste, and soy sauce until completely smooth before adding the wings.
- Toss the wings while they are still hot so the sauce coats evenly and settles into the surface.
Storage and Reheating
Store leftover wings in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. If you want to freeze them, spread them on a tray until firm, then transfer to a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 2 months.
Reheat in a 400 °F oven or air fryer until hot and the outside has crisped again, about 8 to 12 minutes from the fridge. A microwave works for speed, about 1 to 2 minutes, but the coating will soften.
FAQ
Can you use whole wings instead of wingettes?
Yes. Separate them into flats and drumettes for the most even cooking, or increase the frying time slightly if you keep larger pieces.
How spicy is the sauce?
It has a medium to hot kick, depending on the Smoky Chipotle Hot Sauce you use. The butter and tomato paste round it out, but it still reads as a spicy wing.
Can you make the sauce ahead of time?
Yes. Mix the butter, Smoky Chipotle Hot Sauce, tomato paste, and soy sauce up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate it, then warm it gently before tossing with the hot wings.
Can you make these gluten-free?
Yes, if you replace the soy sauce with tamari and make sure the Poultry Shake and hot sauce are labeled gluten-free. The flavor stays close and the sauce texture does not change much.
Attribution: Recipe text from “Cookbook:Buffalo Wings” on Wikibooks (© Wikibooks contributors).
Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cookbook:Buffalo_Wings
License: CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Additions: Editorial additions and formatting changes were made for clarity and usability. Ingredients, instructions, and other sections may be adapted where appropriate.