Homemade Hot Wings

The following is a recipe I have created (and continue to modify) for homemade hot wings.  I use a light breading and traditional style sauce however, I also provide a modified version of my sauce in this instructable (I usually can't decide between the two so I end up making both). Generally I like to use the BBQ style sauce with breaded wings and the traditional style without. Hopefully you all enjoy my recipe and remember to have some fun while creating the best of all party foods!

Step 1: Materials and Ingredients

The following ingredients are required for creating the coating and sauce for your chicken wings.

Materials:

Large Pot with lid

Saute Pan

Vegetable Steamer Rack

Chopping Knife

Cutting Board

Large and Medium sized Mixing Bowls
Baking Pan
Aluminum Foil

 

Coating:

Corn Meal

Flour

Salt

Rosemary

Cayenne Pepper Powder

Cumin

Onion Powder

 

Sauce:

Serrano Pepper (1)

Pickled Sweet and Hot Jalapeno Peppers

Habanero Sauce

Cayenne Pepper Sauce

Garlic

Butter

Brown Sugar

Red Wine Vinegar (garlic flavored)

Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbeque Sauce

Step 2: Prep the Chicken

You will need your cutting board and chopping knife for this step.

I prefer to buy wings that are still attached to the drumsticks. This ends up requiring a little more work however, they generally cost less. Refer to the attached video for the best way to separate the drumstick from the wing. Remember to use caution when cutting; take it slow and BE CAREFUL!

Step 3: Steam the Chicken

One step that is often overlooked is steaming the chicken wings before baking. Due to the high fat content of chicken wings, baking can often cause your oven to produce large amounts of smoke. By steaming the chicken wings prior to cooking, much of the fat can be removed resulting in less smoke when baking. Another added benefit to doing this is a healthier meal.

First, place the drumsticks and wings on your vegetable steamer rack. Next, fill your large pot with about 1 inch of water. Bring the water to a boil and carefully place the steamer rack in the pot. Cover with a lid and allow the wings to steam for approximately 10 minutes. Use caution when removing the lid to avoid getting burned by any steam (keep your face away from the pot). Remove the wings from the pot and place in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to allow them to cool. Move on to the next step while the wings cool.

Step 4: Mix the Coating

It is now time to mix your coating for the wings. This step is optional. I generally use a coating on wings with the alternative Chipotle BBQ sauce and leave my traditional sauce wings ‘naked’[no coating].

Begin by gathering your medium mixing bowl and measuring utensils.

Combine 3 tablespoons Corn Meal and 1 tablespoon flour. Next add 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper powder. Now add ¾ teaspoon crushed rosemary. Finally add ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon cumin and ½ teaspoon onion powder.

Mix all of the ingredients together with a fork.

Step 5: Bake the Chicken

It is now time to bread and bake your chicken. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator. Next, prep your pan by placing a sheet of aluminum foil on your baking pan. While this isn’t required, it will certainly make cleaning your pan much easier. Take your wings one at a time and place them in the medium sized mixing bowl with your coating. Lightly toss the coating mixture on the wing covering it completely. Tap the coated wing on the inside of the bowl to remove any excess breading; best results are achieved when there is only a small amount of coating on the wing. Place each wing on your pan not allowing any to touch. It is important to leave a little space, approximately 1 inch, between each wing to allow them to cook properly. Place your pan in the oven on the middle rack. Bake for 30 minutes flipping the wings half way through. Not all ovens bake the same so your wings may require a slightly longer bake time. Be sure to discard any excess breading. You will not want to keep it to use for anything else since it has come into contact with raw chicken.

Step 6: Create Your Sauce

Time to get saucy! Begin by prepping all of your ingredients. Chop your Serrano pepper and garlic (refer to video on this page for tips on chopping your garlic). Place 2 ½ tablespoons butter in your small sauté pan. Melt using low heat. When all of the butter is melted, add your chopped Serrano pepper. Sauté for about 3 minutes. Now add your garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes. DO NOT USE TOO MUCH HEAT. Be careful not to get your sauté pan too hot, your garlic will burn easily. In your large mixing bowl, combine ¾ cup cayenne pepper sauce and ¼ cup garlic flavored red wine vinegar. I prefer Frank’s Red Hot for my cayenne pepper sauce. Now add 1 teaspoon brown sugar, ½ cup chopped pickled (sweet and hot) jalapeno peppers and 1 to 2 teaspoons habanero sauce. The habanero sauce is what will add most of your heat and spice to your hot wings, add as much or as little as you are comfortable with. Finally, add your sauté mixture and stir all ingredients together. If you would like to try another sauce, use the same recipe as above and add 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 2 to 3 diced chipotle peppers (in adobe sauce) and ¾ cup of your favorite BBQ sauce (I strongly advise using Sweet Baby Ray’s Original).


 
 

Step 7: Toss the Wings in Sauce

Remove your wings from the oven and use a spatula to separate the wings from the foil. Place three to four wings in your large mixing bowl that contains your sauce and toss with a fork to completely cover the wings. Repeat this step until all of your wings are coated in sauce.

Step 8: Serve and Enjoy

Place your wings on a large serving plate and DIG IN!!!