Hooters wings stand out from other chicken wings with their deliciously crispy battered coating. Enjoy them at home for gamedays, parties, and delicious snacks with this simple copycat recipe.
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Hooters hot wings
Hooter is well-known for a few things — but the chain’s incredible wings are undoubtedly one of the most popular (not to mention family-friendly) offerings. Fortunately, home cooks can enjoy them without leaving the house, thanks to this recipe that’s nearly indistinguishable from the real thing.
What makes Hooters hot wings so good?
Unlike many hot wings, Hooters takes the extra step of coating the chicken in a simple, lightly spiced batter before frying instead of tossing them into the fryer “naked.” The result is an ultra-crunchy coating that brings to mind the best parts of fried chicken in miniature size.
This crust also allows the mouthwatering sauce to cling better to the wings, ensuring an unbelievable amount of flavor in every bite.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Whether you’re looking for finger food for gameday, a delicious appetizer, or a hearty meal on its own, chicken wings are the perfect affordable, versatile protein to pick. While many people are intimidated by deep frying, there’s no need to be with a recipe as straightforward as this one.
The batter comes together in seconds from pantry staples, and there’s no technique required other than monitoring the temperature of the oil and the color of the wings while they fry.
Ingredients you’ll need
Hooters keeps it simple with its famous wing recipe. All you’ll need for the wings themselves is:
- Chicken wings
- Whole wheat flour
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Paprika
- Cayenne pepper
It’s easy to make these wings suitable for gluten-free diners or those with celiac disease. Just swap out the regular flour for a cup-for-cup gluten-free blend.
Those who want to enjoy a wing sauce just like they serve at Hooters will also need:
- Unsalted butter
- Tabasco hot sauce
- Brown sugar
- Paprika
- Balsamic vinegar
- Cayenne pepper
- Chili sauce
- Salt
How to make Hooters wings
Frying up a batch of copycat Hooters wings is a straightforward process for anyone who’d deep-fried before:
- Combine flour, salt, and spices in a large bowl.
- Cut chicken into flats and drummettes.
- Coat the wings in the flour mixture and refrigerate for 90 minutes.
- Heat oil in a pot or deep fryer to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Fry a few pieces of chicken at a time until they’re golden brown. Remove them from the oil, drain them, and repeat with the next batch.
- Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add the remaining wing sauce ingredients and stir until mixed.
- Place the wings and sauce in a large bowl.
- Toss the wings with the sauce until thoroughly coated.
Serve them immediately with your favorite dipping sauce. Bleu cheese dressing or ranch dressing are popular dipping sauces for wings.
While a dedicated deep fryer is the easiest way to create consistently good chicken wings, home cooks can also use a heavy-bottomed pot and deep-fry thermometer to ensure the temperature stays in the proper range.
Recipe variations
Those who want a truly authentic Hooters experience should use the buffalo wing sauce recipe above, but home cooks can swap it out for whatever sauce they prefer. Some ideas include barbecue sauce, honey mustard, teriyaki or sweet and sour sauces, or various dry rubs. With perfectly spiced breading, they’re even delicious “naked” without any sauces or rubs.
What to serve with Hooters wings
For a traditional appetizer-style snack, serve your freshly fried Hooters wings with crunchy, refreshing veggies like celery sticks or carrot sticks. Or, make it a more substantial meal by pairing them with french fries or a fresh, green salad.
How to store leftovers
If you don’t end up devouring all of these addicting wings, don’t worry — they’re easy to store. First, ensure they’ve cooled to room temperature. Then, store them in an airtight container or plastic bag in the refrigerator. They’re best eaten within a week.
What’s the best way to reheat wings?
One of the best things about fresh Hooters wings is that crispy coating. So when reheating them, don’t use the microwave, which can result in soggy, unsatisfying wings.
Instead, bake them in a 350°F Fahrenheit oven for 5 to 10 minutes until fully heated through. Keep a close eye on them so they don’t burn.
Love Hooters? Check out these copycat recipes!
Ever wonder how to make Hooter’s food at home? Here are some of their most popular recipes so now you can make them yourself.
- Hooters Fried Pickles – This is a family favorite.
- Hooters Wing Sauce – Perfect for these chicken wings!
Popular hot wing recipes
- Wingstop Garlic Parmesan
- How to Make Good Lemon Pepper Wings
- Pluckers Wings
- Garlic Buffalo Wings and Things
- Air Fryer Chicken Wings
- Honey Habanero Wings
- Juniors Chicken Wings
- Best Boneless Buffalo Wings
- How to Make Buffalo Wings on the Grill
There’s more! Take a look at my easy appetizer recipes and famous copycat casual dining restaurant recipes.
Share this Hooters recipe with your friends. Pin it to Pinterest or share it on Facebook. Everyone will love it!
Hooters Wings
Ingredients
Wings
- 5 pounds chicken wings cut into two pieces the drumette, and the wing portion
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Wing Sauce
- 1 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup Tabasco Sauce
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 3/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons chili sauce
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, mix flours, salt, paprika, and cayenne pepper together, and blend well.
- Cut chicken wings into drumettes and flappers. Wash and drain chicken.
- Coat chicken in flour mixture; refrigerate chicken wings for 90 minutes.
- Make the sauce while the wings are refrigerating. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Once it is melted remove it from the heat. Add the remaining sauce ingredients and stir until well combined.
- When ready to deep fry chicken wings, heat oil to 375°F. Place chicken pieces in hot oil, but do not crowd. Fry chicken wings until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet.
- When all wings have been fried, place them in a large bowl. Add wing sauce and toss to coat the wings with sauce. Use a fork or tongs to place chicken pieces on a serving platter. Serve immediately and with lots of paper towels.
Great recipe, honestly tasted just like Hooters breading. I threw the wings into a second dose of the flour mix after refrigeration to make sure the breading was nice and thick. Can’t wait to use this recipe and make some Hooters shrimp! Thanks for your continued efforts!
Is there to make the wings mild instead of spicy??
You can increase the amount of butter in the sauce, and decrease the amount of hot sauce.
I make my own sauce. I’ll melt one stick of butter then add one bottle of Louisiana Hot Sauce plus the juice of one lemon. I bring this to a rolling boil and that’s it. I like to use peanut oil for frying. I like to let the wings sit in buttermilk for a dew hours. Then, I’ll coat the wings, spread them out on some parchment paper and let them sit in the fridge overnight. Maybe a little bit extra work but the results really pay off. At least, that’s what the “eaters” tell me.
We love wings and Hooters definitely has some tasty ones. Now we can enjoy them at home!
I’ve never tried Hooters hot wings. They do look delicious
I use “Hooters” breading found in the baking isle by the bread crumbs with the hooters wing sauce found by the BBQ and hot sauce.
I have seen it for sale too.
I don’t own a fryer,could I use over?
I use a large saucepan with oil on the cooker top. Use a slotted spoon to drop wings/drumsticks in and to take them out again.
If you can find cotton seed oil its cheaper and better than peanut oil
Great tip, I never tried cotton seed oil before.
i used olive oil and cooked for 10 minutes
Excellent, AMAZING recipe. I made this for my family, and they keep begging for more and more! Thanks!
Use equal parts butter and Frank’s Hot Sauce. This is excellent on the wings!
Frank’s Red Hot sauce is my favorite!
My wife and I have been doing this for 10 years! Franks now makes a Buffalo Wing Sauce but I still heat it up in a small pot on the stove and add the butter.
Also, if it’s a little too spicy for your liking, add a little milk in there to tone down the heat.
I didn’t know you could add a little milk to the dish to make it less hot. Great suggestion Casper.
I use a mixture of bloody mary mix and Franks. The bloody mary mix has all of the ingredients used in traditional buffalo wing recipes, celery salt ect.
Hooters Hot wing sauce, purchased at any good food store.
I love these chicken wings! they are so exilirating! Ecpecially the fact that i can maek them at home and i don’t have to go to hooters!
Hey! great recipe! it was really fun making this with my family, and enjoying our creation watching an episode of star wars 🙂 really got my stomach going.