This sweet, spicy and sticky chicken wing sauce is absolutely incredible! Super easy to make, only three ingredients and also serves as a great dipping sauce for other appetizers including pizza! I will go down in battle to defend the awesomeness of this chicken wing sauce!
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Why This Recipe Works
- It is super easy to make!
- Only 3 ingredients necessary.
- Great on chicken wings and as a dipping sauce for all different foods, including my personal favorite, pizza!
What is the best hot sauce to use?
Hot sauce is typically a mixture of chili peppers and some type of liquid, most common being vinegar. This recipe will work with most hot sauce brands but Frank’s Red Hot Sauce is my personal favorite. I have also used the Safeway brand of this sauce which also works well.
How can I make this recipe more spicy?
Add 1-2 tsp. of crushed red pepper or cayenne to give it a little extra kick. You could also use a different variation of extra hot sauce instead of a basic Frank’s Red Hot Sauce. This is an example of a hotter hot sauce version for sale on Amazon.
What else can I dip in this sauce besides chicken wings?
The thing that I love about this sauce is that it is not just good on chicken wings! Here is a list of other great foods that are delicious with this sauce:
- Pizza!!!
- Mozzarella sticks
- French fries
- Potato chips
- Spruce up a boring chicken breast
- Veggies! Celery, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower – you name it!
- Flatbread
- Sandwich or sliders
My trick for super crispy oven baked chicken wings!
My trick to super crispy oven baked wings is boiling them first. Sounds weird but it renders out a lot of the fat which shortens oven time and makes them more crispy.
- Preheat oven to 450 degree.
- Bring pot of water of water to boil. Add 1-2 tablespoon salt (should taste like salt water).
- Add chicken to pot, lower heat to simmer for about 5-8 minutes depending on how big wings are.
- Dry wings thoroughly. This is important!
- Place wings on metal sheet pan (thicker side face down).
- Cook for 25 minutes.
- Flip and cook another 5-12 minutes. Cook time varies based on size of wings and oven (regular vs convection).
- Sauce wings hot out of oven. Make sure sauce is warm when you coat them.
What if my other guests want regular buffalo wing sauce?
Good news! You can make both wing sauce versions and you don’t need any additional ingredients! A basic buffalo wing sauce recipe consists of ⅓ cup butter to ½ cup hot sauce (such as Franks Red Hot).
The original buffalo wing recipe was made popular by the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York.
Some other variations of the traditional wing sauce recipe can include vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper or garlic powder, just to name a few.
How to make this recipe
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup hot sauce (Frank’s Red Hot Sauce is a great one).
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup butter spread
- 1-2 teaspoon crushed red pepper or cayenne pepper (OPTIONAL)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Combine butter and brown sugar in sauce pan.
- Cook on medium heat until all brown sugar is dissolved.
- Remove from heat and add hot sauce. Mix thoroughly.
- Pour into serving bowl.
How is this sauce different from buffalo wing sauce?
This recipe is very close to buffalo wing sauce but with a sweet and spicy twist. Buffalo wing sauce is typically a combination of butter and hot sauce. This wing sauce has the addition of brown sugar which adds a sweetness and complexity from the sugar and molasses.
FAQ and expert tips
Popular side dishes with buffalo wings include a variety of crunchy vegetables (carrots and celery), dipping sauces (blue cheese or ranch) and other fun appetizers like nachos or quesadillas are great choices.
Typically your wing sauce is going to be the thinnest when it is at its hottest. However, this recipe has brown sugar so as it cools, it will thicken naturally.
Related Recipes
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Best Chicken Wing Sauce
Equipment
- Sauce pan, serving bowl
Ingredients
- 1 cup Hot sauce (Ex: Frank's Red Hot Sauce)
- 1 cup Light brown sugar·
- ⅓ cup Butter spread
- 1-2 teaspoon Crushed red pepper or cayenne pepper OPTIONAL
Instructions
- Combine butter and brown sugar in sauce pan.
- Cook on medium heat until all brown sugar is dissolved.
- Remove from heat and add hot sauce. Mix thoroughly.
- Pour into serving bowl.
Notes
- Preheat oven to 450 degree.
- Bring pot of water of water to boil. Add 1-2 tablespoon salt (should taste like salt water).
- Add chicken to pot, lower heat to simmer for about 5-8 minutes depending on how big wings are.
- Dry wings thoroughly. This is important!
- Place wings on metal sheet pan (thicker side face down).
- Cook for 25 minutes.
- Flip and cook another 5-12 minutes. Cook time varies based on size of wings and oven (regular vs convection).
- Sauce wings hot out of oven. Make sure sauce is warm when you coat them.
Sarah K
I wish I have tried this sauce a long time ago. I did this last night and it was delish!!
Aubrey
So happy you enjoyed!
Darlene
This sauce was amazing! I made the best wings I’ve ever made. This sauce gave me everything I always want – and can never find – in a wing. Saucy, not too hot, and not to sweet. Just perfect! Thank you!
Aubrey
Thank you for your kind words. I am so happy you enjoyed!
Belinda
This is our new go-to wing sauce. Delicious and easy! Thank you.
Aubrey
So happy to hear!
Julia
Made these wings tonight and my husband and I will be making them again. Absolutely Awesome.
Aubrey
So happy to hear you enjoyed!
Pamela
Absolutely amazing!!!
Aubrey
So happy you enjoyed!
Karen
I now make this as a dipping sauce for chicken.
Alicia F
Hi Aubrey I made this wings today they are delicious and I change it a little I used my homemade salsa instead of the hot sauce but the reason im se dig this message is because I made the mistake of using foil paper on the pan and the wings got stuck to the foil and this was before I added the sauce ,still delicious
Jules
Do you think this would be good with Louisiana Hot Sauce? Ran out of Franks last night.
Aubrey
Louisiana hot sauce works as well! Just made a batch today using that. Good timing! Let me know how it turns out.