Hot Wings, baby!
For some reason Hooter's has the best hot wings. Not that I would know. People tell me this, er, well the men I know tell me this. I have no reason to set foot in that place so why would I want to eat their dumb wings? Despite my not wanting anything to do with the place there is something to be said about having a plate of excellent hot wings to devour while watching a major football game. To satisfy that craving I decided to make my own hot wings to enjoy. This recipe is inspired by that place. What makes most hot wings so good is that they are deep fried and coated in a spicy sauce. I do not have a deep fryer nor do I have any desire to own one instead I baked my wings and they turned out crispy. Baking the wings takes longer but saves on fat and the work of filling a deep fryer and then having to clean it out. I started by making the wings as I would for my "fried" chicken. Rather than use a cornmeal and flour base for the breading I chose panko bread crumbs with flour. The panko crumbs made for a nice crunch. If you can't find them using cornmeal will be fine. Flax seeds are another odd ingredient. I always have a bag of them on hand and have been putting them in just about everything. It will not affect the taste if you do not use them.
Ingredients:
3-4 pounds chicken wings (thawed if frozen)
1-2 cups milk
Cooking spray
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 Tablespoon crushed flax seeds (optional)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Place your wings in a large bowl with some milk and let that chill for a few hours rotating the wings every now and again to ensure they all soak in the milk. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray two cookie sheets (or jelly roll pans) with cooking spray. Set aside. Prepare your breading mixture by mixing together flour, panko bread crumbs, flax seeds, baking powder, cayenne powder, paprika and salt in a medium bowl. Take a wing from the milk and dredge in the breading until coated well. Place on prepared pan. Space wings apart so that they are not touching. When all the wings have been dredged spray each wing with cooking spray.
Bake wings for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and flip wings over. If the breading on the wings looks dry then use some cooking spray to moisten. Return wings to oven, rotating pans between the racks, and bake another 20 minutes. Depending on the size of your wings you may only need to bake them a total of 45 minutes. Larger wings may need up 60 minutes of total baking time. When the wings are done remove from the oven. Begin making the sauce. Place butter in a microwave safe dish and heat for about a minute or until melted. In a large bowl whisk together the melted butter, hot sauce, pepper and garlic powder. Using tongs place a few wings in the bowl and roll around until the wings are coated with the sauce. Place coated wings on platter and continue until all the wings have been coated in the sauce. Serve with your favorite dressing.
Ingredients:
3-4 pounds chicken wings (thawed if frozen)
1-2 cups milk
Cooking spray
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 Tablespoon crushed flax seeds (optional)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Place your wings in a large bowl with some milk and let that chill for a few hours rotating the wings every now and again to ensure they all soak in the milk. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray two cookie sheets (or jelly roll pans) with cooking spray. Set aside. Prepare your breading mixture by mixing together flour, panko bread crumbs, flax seeds, baking powder, cayenne powder, paprika and salt in a medium bowl. Take a wing from the milk and dredge in the breading until coated well. Place on prepared pan. Space wings apart so that they are not touching. When all the wings have been dredged spray each wing with cooking spray.
Bake wings for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and flip wings over. If the breading on the wings looks dry then use some cooking spray to moisten. Return wings to oven, rotating pans between the racks, and bake another 20 minutes. Depending on the size of your wings you may only need to bake them a total of 45 minutes. Larger wings may need up 60 minutes of total baking time. When the wings are done remove from the oven. Begin making the sauce. Place butter in a microwave safe dish and heat for about a minute or until melted. In a large bowl whisk together the melted butter, hot sauce, pepper and garlic powder. Using tongs place a few wings in the bowl and roll around until the wings are coated with the sauce. Place coated wings on platter and continue until all the wings have been coated in the sauce. Serve with your favorite dressing.
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Pete