There are so many ways to make delicious wings. Whether it's the way you cook them, how long you marinade them, which seasonings you use, or even what sauce you decide to douse them in, you can always get creative with some chicken wings in front of you.

Today we're going to give you the best tips in tricks to cooking chicken wings in different ways, and which seasonings and sauces you should use. We're even going to include a super secret sauce recipe that will blow your tastebuds!

How to Cook Chicken Wings?

Regardless if you're deep frying, baking, air frying, grilling, or smoking your chicken wings, you're always going to want to do these 2 things!

1. Pat Dry your Wings

Before you season and cook your chicken, you always want to pat it dry with some paper towels. This also applies for any and all chicken, especially if it has been marinading or brining. By doing this you are removing excess moisture from the skin which would've led to soggy skin. You have now ensured that your chicken skin ends up crispier than it originally would have!

2. Season your Wings

You always want to season your chicken! Even after marinading or brining it, you at least want to season it with your favorite rub mix. And if you did not get a chance to marinade or brine your chicken, you do not want to skip out on the salt & pepper! Only time you want to be weary about your chicken ending up too salty is if you're injecting it, but that's another conversation for another time. 

Now that you have done the last two steps, it's time to pick your method of cooking your chicken!

Deep Fried Chicken Wings

Fried chicken, of any part of the chicken, will always be a classic! There are so many ways to go about this process. There is your buttermilk method, your flour method, and a simple seasoning method. Regardless, your wings are going to come out delicious, just remember to heat up your frying oil to 375 degrees F, and it should only take your wings 9-12 minutes to be ready! But always make sure that they have reached 165 degrees F internally before serving and eating.

Baked Chicken Wings

You can go about baking your chicken wings in two ways: low and slow, or high and fast. Both will get the job done but the consistency will vary differently. We're talking about one batch being extremely tender and juicy, and the other not so much. At the end of the day, what matters is how much time you want to put into the cooking process. You can either bake them at 250 degrees F for 3-4 hours or at 425 degrees F for an hour, and any temp between those will vary as such. Regardless, you want to cook them until they have internally reached 165 degrees F.

We believe that low and slow will always be best for flavor, so if you have time, go for it, and if you don't, don't worry about it. At the end of the day, regardless of how they were cooked, chicken wings are delicious! Oh, and for crispier wings, cover them in some baking powder! You won't regret it!

Air Fryer Chicken Wings

This method of cooking has received a lot more popularity these past couple years, and I totally agree, I use my air fryer almost every day! With such a simple contraption, you could be avoiding such harmful oils and getting the same result. If I weren't to smoke or grill my chickens I'd most likely resort to using my air fryer. 

The process is similar to that of baking your chicken wings. You throw them in at 400 degrees F for 8-10 minutes, just make sure each individual win has their space. You then flip them and air fry them for another 8-10 minutes at 400 degrees F, let them rest, and voila, you have yourself some crispy, delicious chicken wings! And again, for crispier wings, cover them in some baking powder!

Grilled Chicken Wings

This is where it starts getting exciting! Time to go outside and start your charcoal or propane. The grill grates are getting hot, it's about that time you hear the sizzle of the chicken wings touching the grill. The beautiful odors that come from the grease hitting the hot charcoal. 

There are a couple ways you can go about grilling them. You can start by placing them over the fire, finish them over the fire, or keep them over the fire the ENTIRE time. Each way will result in delicious chicken wings but keeping them over the fire the entire time will be the quickest method but will result in your wings being not as tender and juicy as the other methods. But hey, if you don't have the time, go for it, just remember to make sure that they have reached 165 degrees F internally before serving and eating. 

If you were to try any of the other two methods, you'd mainly want them over the fire to develop the char that you want. Other than that, you'd be hitting them with indirect heat that would result in a slower cook, but not too slow given the fire should be real close. If your charcoal and fire was in a separate box known as a fire box, that would be a whole different delicious situation that I am about to get into. 

Smoked Chicken Wings

This is by far my favorite method of cooking chicken wings. It will take longer, but the tenderness, juiciness, and flavor of the chicken is incomparable. I even made a video showing the process and explaining the beauty of it. If you're interested in this process, all you have to do is watch the video below.

Our Favorite BBQ Chicken Wing Recipe

Prep Time:   5 Minutes

Cook Time:   25 Minutes

Total Time:   30 Minutes

Servings:  4

Ingredients

• Loubier Gourmet Hot or Mild Chipotle Seasoning
• Loubier Gourmet Italian Topper
• Loubier Gourmet Hot or Mild BBQ Sauce
• As Many Chicken Wings as You Want

Directions

• Step 1
  Season 2/3 of the Chicken Wings with Loubier Gourmet Hot or Mild Chipotle Seasoning
• Step 2
  Season the rest (remaining 1/3) of the Chicken Wings with Italian Topper
• Step 3
  Preheat grill to medium-high heat, and place Chicken Wings on the grill.
• Step 4
  Occasionally flip until both sides have grill marks and they are up to temp internally (165 degrees F).

• Step 4
  Toss half of the Chicken Wings that were seasoned with Loubier Gourmet Chipotle Seasoning in Loubier Gourmet BBQ Sauce. Now you have three wing flavors.
• Step 5
  Enjoy :)

Our Secret Chicken Wing Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

• Loubier Gourmet Italian Topper
• 6 Cloves of Garlic (Chopped)
• Olive Oil
• Mayo (I used KP Mayo)
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Parmesan
• Honey
• Salt & Pepper
• Chili Flakes
• Lemon

Directions for Sauce

• Step 1
  Brown your chopped garlic in olive oil over low heat, don't let the garlic burn!
• Step 2
  Mix together your mayo, apple cider vinegar, browned garlic, honey, parmesan, Loubier Gourmet Italian Topper, Chili Flakes, Lemon, and Salt & Pepper to taste. If you want your sauce a little thinner, add in some olive oil to your preference.
• Step 3
  Toss your wings in this sauce and enjoy :)