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.
Lyn
Yum! This sauce is soooooo good! I dipped the wings in the sauce before I put them in the oven and then again just before serving. Amazing! This is now my favorite go to sauce. I’m going to try it on ribs next. Thanks for this simple yet delicious recipe.
Aubrey
Thanks Lyn! So happy you enjoyed! 🙂
Amanda
Ok, I don’t usually leave reviews. I typically take the recipe and go but this sauce is EVERYTHING not to mention the amount of money I saved by opting out of going to my favorite wing spot. The best wings yet…makes me want to open my own wing joint! 😆
Aubrey
Thanks Amanda!!! I am so happy you enjoyed and thank you for your kind words. 🙂
Ang
Wing sauce was sooo good!! Definitely will keep this recipe around!!
Patrice
Can I use Valentine Mexican hot sauce?
Aubrey
Hey Patrice, I have not tried this recipe with Valentina hot sauce but I do love that hot sauce and use it often. It would not be the same flavor profile but it would probably still be yummy. I would recommend you do a test run with smaller ingredient ratios and see if you like the flavor. Let me know what you think!
Valerie
Amazing! I was web surfing for a recipe for party wings for Labor Day and I kept coming back to this one and I’m so glad I did! Folks don’t sleep on this one it’s a WINNER!!!
Aubrey
Thanks Valerie! I am so happy you enjoyed!
Nicole
The best sauce! Would be delicious on anything!
Aubrey
Thanks Nicole!
Michelle Montgomery
This was incredible! I was worried it would be really sweet but it was nicely balanced. Definitely my new go to for wing sauce.
Aubrey
Hello Michelle!!! Thank you so much! I am so happy you enjoyed! ☺️
Deanna
Can I use regular butter instead of butter spread
Aubrey
Hey Deanna! Yes you can use regular butter. Let me know how it turns out for you! 😁
Natasha
I only have thighs this time… should I double recipe??
Aubrey
How many chicken thighs are you cooking? This chicken wing sauce recipe makes about 1.5 cups of sauce.
Cindi
I have to agree that this is the “best” Chicken Wing sauce. It reminds me of the sauce we used to get back home at our favorite pizza place! Thank you Aubrey for keeping the dream alive. Now I can enjoyed my old favorite once again.
Aubrey
Thanks Cindi!!! 🙂
Yvonne Yeager
Wonderful
Aubrey
Thank you Yvonne! I am so happy you enjoyed. 🙂
Ryan
This recipe lives up to its name as the best chicken wing sauce! Think of a regular buffalo wing sauce but taken to the next level with a sweet and spicy combo. This will be my go-to wing sauce for sure.
Aubrey
Thanks Ryan!
James
There are a million wing sauce recipes out there but I wanted to try a sweeter sauce. This sauce was the perfect combo or sweet and savory. I also added the optional crushed red pepper because I like spicy and it was perfect.
Aubrey
Thanks James! There are definitely a ton of chicken wing sauces out there and I so glad you love this one! I am biased myself! 🙂
Morgan
This buffalo wing sauce is incredible. It is hands-down the BEST chicken wing sauce I have ever had. The sweetness makes it so much better than boring traditional wing sauce and it is so well balanced. My family went crazy and we dipped everything in it, especially the pizza!!!
Aubrey
Thank you Morgan! I am beyond excited to hear that. I am so happy your family enjoyed!
Lisa May
Yes! Yes! Yes!! This was so easy and delish! It was a fun app to make at home on the weekend. These wings were perfect & hit the spot! Sweet & spicy 🌶 is a favorite of mine! Thank you again Aubrey!
Aubrey
Thank you so much Lisa!!! I am so glad you enjoyed. I have to admit, I dip my pizza in this sauce too 😂