Deliciously hot and irresistible. Who wouldn’t want a bite of hot wings? A spicy yet deliciously good piece of wings, you’ll crave more on every bite. Since the day that hot wings are invented, we crave more and more of it, but what makes it so good? Capsaicin – this chemical is present in spices that make your food hot, their hotness is not a taste but rather a sensation.
Capsaicin tricks the brain into thinking that our tongue is being burned then our brain releases endorphins, it is our body’s natural way of relieving pain by blocking the nerve’s ability to transmit pain signals, additionally, the neurotransmitter dopamine, responsible for our sense of pleasure and reward, is also released. This is what makes hot foods addictive, with a delicious spicy hot wing paired with a ranch dip, a really rewarding taste for your cravings.
Here how you make hot wings with ranch dip.
Hot Wings Recipe
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade:
- 6 pcs. - Chicken Wings
- 1 tbsp. - Onion Powder
- 1 tbsp. – Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp. – Cayenne Pepper Powder
- 2 tbsp. – unsalted Butter
- ½ tbsp. – salt
- ½ tsp. – Black Pepper Powder
Hot Glaze:
- 6 tbsp. – cold chicken stock
- 2 tbsp. – Honey
- 5 Tbsp – Sriracha Hot Sauce
- ½ tsp – salt
- ½ tsp - Black Pepper Powder
- 2 tsp. – Corn Starch
Ranch Dip:
- ½ cup - Mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp. - Lemon Juice
- ¼ cup - Room Temp Butter
- ¼ cup - Sour Cream
- 1 string of Chives
- 2 cloves of Garlic
- ¼ tsp. - Salt
Coating:
- ½ cup - All-Purpose Flour
- ½ cup - Cornstarch
Instructions
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Clean the chicken wings in running water
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Mix in the bowl of chicken the onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper powder, unsalted butter, salt, and pepper.
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Mix thoroughly until all the ingredients have been mix well
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Cover the bowl of chicken with cling wrap, cover it well that no opening left in the bowl
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Refrigerate the bowl of chicken in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight to make sure that the chicken will absorb all the flavor
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Prepare the hot glaze and ranch dip (see step by step instructions below)
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Heat a pot with 1.5 liters of cooking oil to 160°c
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Coat the chicken with the mixture of flour and cornstarch.
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Deep fry the chicken wings for 10-15 minutes until golden brown
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Pour hot glaze over chicken wings
Step One: Marinate the Chicken
Prepare all ingredients, there is a French term we call “Mise en place” (meez ahn plahs) which means having all your ingredients measured, cut, peeled, sliced, grated, etc. before you start cooking.
Clean individually the chicken wings in a running water to remove any salmonella that the chicken may be carrying, salmonella is very widespread bacteria and can be spread easily so we need to make sure that our chicken is free from salmonella when we eat it.
Place each chicken wings in a clean cutting board for poultry then cut all the chicken wings in the joint next to the drumette part after that place all the pieces in a large bowl.
Mix in the bowl of chicken the onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper powder, unsalted butter, salt, and pepper.
Mix thoroughly until all the ingredients have been mix well. I like to use my hand so that I can toss the chicken and I could find those large clumps of butter then rub it to the chicken to make sure all of the ingredients has covered the chicken.
Cover the bowl of chicken with cling wrap, cover it well that no opening left in the bowl. Refrigerate the bowl of chicken in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight to make sure that the chicken will absorb all the flavor but if you’re in a hurry 4 hrs is good as well.
Step Two: Prepare the Hot Glaze
Let’s make the hot glaze while you’re marinating the chicken in the fridge.
Prepare all the ingredients of the hot glaze, again mise en place.
In a small bowl place the chicken stock, honey, sriracha hot sauce, cornstarch, salt, and pepper then mix it thoroughly. (you can use any hot sauce that you prefer like habanero or chipotle etc. but I like sriracha for this recipe. As for the chicken stock, you can buy it ready made in your local grocery store, it is usually packed in a paper carton, or you can make your own chicken stock at home. Here is the recipe for it: https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/chicken-recipes/easy-chicken-stock/
In a small saucepan pour the sauce into it then place it in medium heat, continue mixing until boils and the sauce thickens. Let the sauce cool then cover with cling wrap. Set aside for a while.
Step Three: Prepare the Ranch Dip
Now let’s make a ranch Dip.
A hot wings without a good dip is just a plain hot wings.
We start by preparing all the ingredients for ranch dip, remember mise en place is the key to an ease cooking.
Minced the chives in a clean chopping for veggies then set aside, wash your chopping board then wipe it dry. Take the garlic, peel it then place it in the chopping board that you just washed. Minced the garlic finely after that take your knife and position it facing the body of the knife horizontally flat, push down the knife over the minced garlic, scraping it towards you do this multiple times until the garlic becomes translucent and pasty then scrape all the garlic towards the center, now you have a garlic paste. Set it aside.
Take the bowl of mayonnaise then pour over the buttermilk, sour cream, lemon juice, minced chives, and garlic paste in the bowl, mix it all thoroughly until all ingredients are mixed well, add salt into the mixture, add more if needed.
Step Four: Deep Fry the Chicken Wings
Prepare the coating.
Mise en place the ingredients for the coating.
Mix both all-purpose flour and cornstarch in a small bowl. You may use potato starch if you want more crispier wings.
Heat a pot with 1.5 liters of cooking oil to 160°c. I prefer corn oil for frying cause it gives crispier texture than canola oil or palm oil.
Coat the chicken with the mixture of flour and cornstarch.
Deep fry the chicken wings for 10-15 minutes until golden brown, make sure that the chicken doesn’t touch the bottom of the pot or it will burn the area that touches the bottom before the rest of the chicken will cook. then let it drip it in a plate covered with a paper towel or a wire rack.
Step Five: Pour the Hot Glaze Over the Chicken Wings
Place the cooked chicken wings in a container with cover then pour the hot glaze all over the chicken wings, cover the container then shake it until the glaze coats all the pieces of chicken.
Arrange the chicken for serving then side it with carrot sticks, celery sticks, and the ranch dip. Here is a link on how to make veggie sticks: https://livesimply.me/2017/10/25/how-to-keep-cut-carrots-celery-fresh-crisp-prep-hack/
If this recipe is too hot for you or you want spicier hot wings you can adjust the cayenne pepper in the marinade recipe.