I’m sure this subject has been done in the past, but my search-fu is weak, it’s pre-Superbowl frenzy time, and while I don’t bother watching it anymore, it’s a good excuse to make wings. So lets share your best wing recipes, please. No, I don’t have one, but thanks for asking.
It’s very, very simple.
I’ll go with Buffalo wings.
Sack of wings.
Pot of oil.
Bottle of Franks
Margarine or Butter
If wings are whole, separate them into drummettes and flatties (or whatever you want to call the other part.) Discard the tip. Dry the wings thoroughly with a paper towel. In fact, if you have time, put them on a rack in a single layer in the fridge overnight to let them air dry. (These steps are for ensured crispness.) Either way, bring the wings to room temperature before frying.
Get your pot of oil or deep fryer ready. Heat to 375 or so. If you’re going to err, err on the side of too hot. I don’t use a thermometer, just eye the oil until it looks like it’s just about to smoke (which means I probably overshoot by 25 degrees or so). Use a frying oil like canola or peanut (if you can afford it.)
Deep fry your wings in batches, taking care not to overly crowd the pot. (Too many wings and you’ll drop the oil temp too much.) Let the oil come back up to temp before frying the next batch. Each batch should take anywhere from 8-14 minutes, depending on the temperature of the oil. You know they’re done when they look brown and crispy.
To prepare the sauce, just melt margarine or butter in a saucepan, and mix with Frank’s Red Hot. A 1:1 ratio is recommended for “medium” wings. Buffalo originalists will claim that margarine is the correct oil for this, because it doesn’t separate and because of the texture it gives the sauce. I actually do agree with them, so this is the only place in my cooking I use margarine. Toss the hot wings with this sauce and serve immediately.
Now, that is Buffalo wings. You don’t need to do anything else to the sauce. However, if you feel like straying a bit, here’s what I like to add to give it my own spin: a little bit of yellow mustard (maybe a teaspoon to a cup of sauce), a bit of honey (to temper the acidity a little bit), a clove or two of smashed garlic, and maybe a pinch or two of thyme. ETA: Oh, if I want extra heat, then I’ll also add pepper flakes or ground chile peppers. I personally don’t like adjusting the Franks:margarine/butter ratio to more than 2:1, because then the sauce gets too vinegary for my tastes. I prefer to add heat at this point by adding peppers (whether dry or fresh) to the sauce.
Yeah, I love the basic wings, but like to try different things (hey! a poem!). There was a wing place in Anchorage that made them with some sort of spices that I couldn’t identify. I think I was possibly tasting some sort of Indian undertones like cumin or cardamom or something. They were to die for.
Cook the wings to your liking (bake, broil, grill, fry, whatever). I usually grill mine because I tell myself that it’s healthier. Then toss them in a sauce made from adobo and a touch of vinegar. Throw them under the broiler or back on the grill to give them a little color. Serve with ranch or BC dressing.
Or, make a sauce by taking about half a cup of honey, add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, and then throw in two whole habaneros. Let the habaneros steep in there for about an hour on a low setting. Remove the peppers and toss the wings with the sauce and then throw under the broiler or on the grill for color.
Then one of my recent favorites that were a hit at a party we had a few weeks ago: make a marinade out of olive oil, fresh lemon juice, dried mint, fresh minced garlic, and a pinch of salt. Take half the sauce and marinade your wings in it for at least two hours. Pat wings dry with paper towels and cook using your preferred method.
Take the other half of the sauce you’ve reserved and heat in a small sauce pan. Add a couple of tablespoons of butter and reduce the sauce until it coats the back of a spoon. Toss cooked wings in this sauce and throw back under the broiler or on the grill for color. Serve with cucumber spears and tzatziki sauce on the side for dipping.
When we have a “wing night” at our house for family and friends, I usually make these three wings, plus the Frank’s wings pulykamell mentions above. That’s a great, standard winghouse recipe.
I’ve been toying with the idea of trying something with curry powder, but haven’t done it yet. I think it’d round out the offering, and look good on the platter.
Marinate in soy sauce, garlic and ginger. Grill over charcoal.
Another version is to use Sriracha hot sauce, margarine/butter, and a bit of ginger and extra garlic. That one works well, too.
Or, if I’m grilling, nothing beats jerk wings. You could use something as simple as Walkerswood jerk paste, or make your own. Marinade the wings in the paste overnight, then grill. I live to reserve some of the paste (before marinating) and add a little lime or orange juice to it, to use as a dipping sauce at the table.
My recipe:
8-12 Scotch bonnets or habanero peppers
3 tablespoons freshly ground allspice
2 tablespoons fresh thyme (or half the amount dried)
8 cloves garlic
1 red onion
1/4 C dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1/4 C lime juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
You can also throw in about 2 inches of fresh, grated ginger, and about 1/2 cup of green onions or chives.
Blend all ingredients together in a food processor to make a coarse paste. You can add a little lime juice or water if it seems too thick, but you want this to be a paste.
This recipe is very very spicy, so you may want to go easy on the Scotch bonnets/habaneros, perhaps even cutting it down to one or two. The most important components here are the peppers, allspice, and thyme. Do not skip any of those. You can get away with missing some of the other ingredients, though.
We’re doing wings Sunday as well. Not watching the game in any way, but doing wings just because. The deep fryer is already cleaned and ready to go. We won’t stray far from the basic Buffalo Wing, except to add a touch of garlic powder to the Frank’s and butter mixture.
You had me at habaneros. 
They work especially well with that recipe, because of the way the habaneros and allspice play off each other. The allspice is quite forward in that recipe, so it cuts through some of the habanero heat.
Also, if you like habaneros, I sometimes like to doctor the classic Buffalo wing sauce by adding some pureed habanero into the mix, along with a spoon or two of apricot preserves. The sweetness cuts the vinegar, and the fruit marries well with the habanero.
I made some mango black pepper wings that weren’t too bad last year. No real recipe, but the gist of it is:
A can of mango juice/nectar
A lot of fresh black pepper
A pinch of salt
A little bit of vinegar for tartness…rice wine or apple cider is best. Avoid balsamic 
Put everything together in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Keep at a low boil until enough water has boiled out and it’s thick enough to REALLY coat the wings. Let it cool for several minutes before tossing the wings, since all the sugar makes it like napalm.
The key is to cook the wings for two minutes longer than whatever recipe you find suggests. This ensures that the skin is nice and crispy, and will stay that way as it soaks up the sauce.
Bottle of Korean kalbi sauce (sort of like teriyaki, but with garlic and red pepper and vinegar)
3 tablespoons of Chinese fermented black beans, mashed with a fork
Some sriracha or habanero sauce, according to your own taste
Mix them up. Broil the separated wings until crispy and done, and toss in the above sauce.
So what happens to the blender after you use it for blending habaneros? Does the dish washing soap get rid of the oils or is the next user of the blender in for a hilarious surprise?
Seems to be fine. Just wash it well.
Yeah, I find the cooking times to be optimistic usually. But it depends on so many factors (which is why I’ve given such a wide range in my cooking time estimate.) Even just cooking two minutes longer than the recipe suggests isn’t enough to ensure crispiness. The key is to use your eyes and your judgment. Does it look tan and flabby or brown and crispy? If the former, wait; if the latter, give it one more minute and pull it out.
At what point are you going from tan and flabby to brown and crispy to dried and tough?
I made some “pepper sauce” in a blender once. You used a tablespoon or so of this stuff in other sauces. I thought, “Boy that smells good!”, bent over and took a whiff.
My face looked sunburned.
When they turn golden brown, but aren’t quite reddish-brown, that’s about right. I give them an extra minute at that point. You usually have about two minutes of leeway. I admit, there is a little bit of skill to be developed here, but after the first couple of batches, you’ll figure it out.
Hoisin sauce. Scoop over wings. Mix up a bit. Put in oven until done. Delicious.
I’ve made wings in the past by oven frying: put butter (or a butter/oil mixture) in a baking pan and heat to 375. Toss the chicken in a flour/spice mixture. Drop it in the pan and roast for about 30 minutes or so, turning once. Then empty into a bag with the sauce and shake it.
Mmm, yum!
I don’t have a recipe on hand, but I’ve had the sauceless hot wings at KFC about 6 times in the last few weeks. No mess, can eat while driving, and quite good!
Hoisin sauce sounds awesome for home, though.