Classic Hot Wings

Article by Layla Khoury-Hanold

Wings and football go hand in hand, so Ree Drummond likes to make a big batch of homemade hot chicken wings for game day. With Ree’s easy recipe, you’ll learn how to make restaurant-worthy hot wings from scratch, including the tips for her foolproof fried-then-baked method, how to make homemade hot wing sauce and what to serve with wings.

How to Make Hot Wings Like a Pro

Buy chicken wings that have been separated into parts. To cut down on prep time, buy chicken wings that have been split at the joint and separated into drumettes and wingettes.

Reach for canola oil to fry the wings. Canola oil has a high smoke point, meaning that it can withstand high temperatures without burning. Canola oil also has a neutral flavor, allowing the homemade hot wing sauce flavors to shine.

Fry the wings in batches. Work in batches to fry the wings so that they cook efficiently and brown evenly.

Drain the fried wings on paper towels. Drain the wings on paper towels to absorb excess oil to prevent the wings from being overly greasy.

Make a flavorful homemade wing hot sauce. Ree melts butter and cayenne hot pepper sauce to create a rich, spicy base for the sauce, then adds Worcestershire sauce for its savory-sweet-tangy profile and hot sauce for extra heat.

Finish the wings in the oven. After coating the wings in the sauce, Ree bakes the wings in a 325 degree F oven for about 15 minutes, till the sauce bakes into the meat and the wings crisp up.

What to Serve with Homemade Hot Wings

For a classic pairing, Ree recommends serving hot wings with carrot and celery sticks and homemade blue cheese dressing, like her Fast Blue Cheese Dressing.

Hot Wings Sides

Serve wings recipes with side dishes such as French fries, potato salad, macaroni and cheese, garlic knots and coleslaw. You can also serve wings with game-day ready appetizers, like Ree’s Jalapeno Poppers, Mini Meatball Sandwiches, Garlic and Herb Mozzarella Sticks with Marinara Dipping Sauce and chips and dips, such as her Pico de Gallo, Guacamole and Hot Corn Chile Dip.

Recipes for Wing Sauces

For this recipe, Ree makes a classic buffalo wing sauce, but you can also prepare wings with hot honey, barbecue, sweet and spicy, pepper and sweet and sour sauces, as well as fruit-based glazes. Try making some of Ree’s other wing sauce recipes, including Crispy Wings with Hot Honey Sauce, Sticky Blueberry Wings and Chicken Wings with Homemade Barbecue Sauce.