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This is where it all starts. Once you’ve got your heart set making a meal out of the delicious wings of a chicken, you must first choose your sauce. Of course, you can choose a few different ones, but which are the best?
If you take a look at The Food Network’s list of 50 wing recipes, you’ll see everything from Vietnamese Style to Chipotle to Curry-Chutney. But, 50 is just too many. Here are my Top 10 Best Wing Sauces:
10) Honey BBQ
A delicious go-to sauce for wing eaters who don’t want to brave the spicy heat of typical wing sauces. The mix of sweet and savory is perfect for eating a mound of wings. Great for kids too!
9) Tandoori
These Indian-inspired wings are marinated in yogurt and Indian spices for a moist, creamy and spicy combination that makes for delicious wings. A tandoor is a kind of clay oven typically used in Indian restaurants to roast meats, fish and breads. The best part are the crispy charred bits that take the flavor to the next level!
8) Teriyaki
This is another great sweet and savory sauce that goes great with scallions. Teriyaki is kind of an all-purpose sauce for fish, beef, chicken and pork. You can’t really go wrong with a plate of teriyaki chicken wings.
7) Sweet Chili
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This sauce is a basic adaptation from egg roll and spring roll sauces. It blends chilis, garlic, vinegar, sugar and ginger. The end result is a perfectly sweet and spicy sauce that is definitely worth licking your fingers clean. You can find this stuff bottled in your grocery store’s international foods aisle.
6) Atomic (or some variation)
Atomic sauce is basically your extra-extra-extra-EXTRA hot buffalo sauce. Not for the wimpy wing fans, that’s for sure. But, if you’re brave enough to order the atomic sauce, your taste buds will love you forever (right after they’re done hurting.) Some places do this as a dry rub, which is a whole different kind of spicy. One that you might need a glass of milk, or better yet ice cream, to cool off that burning tongue.
5) Chinese Honey-Hoisin
Oh, the delicious wonder of hoisin. It’s a little sweet, it’s a little salty and it’s a little sour. The perfect three-way flavor for chicken wings. You usually have to order these at a Chinese restaurant, but that’s no reason you can’t make them at home. Here’s a recipe!
4) Garlic Parmesan
This is one of those: Is it a sauce or just a seasoning? Actually, it can be both, but my favorite is a buttery, cheesy sauce. The best part about these wings is the variety of dipping sauces you can use. I enjoy marinara or pesto, but, really, a side of buffalo sauce is a tantalizing combination.
3) Caribbean/Jamaican Jerk
This unique sauce of citrus and sultry spices is a definite game changer. Typically, a Caribbean-style sauce uses orange and pineapple to balance some cinnamon and nutmeg. The end result is something that tastes like an island getaway. Goes great with a fruity beer!
2) Hot Buffalo
Not what you expected, huh? This ‘Godfather’ of wing sauces is staple at any wing restaurant, tailgate party or late-night snack-a-thon. The tangy blend of butter and hot sauce is the perfect counter to a cool ranch or blue cheese dipping sauce. Check out Alton Brown’s “Good Eats” episode about the genesis of this amazing sauce.
1) Lemon-Pepper
My favorite wing sauce of all time is the peppery-sour deliciousness known as lemon-pepper. The citrus from the lemon brings out a moistness in the wing and finishes with a punch to the gut of black pepper. In fact, my ultimate favorite way to eat wings is ordering a fat stack of lemon-pepper wings with a side of buffalo sauce. The spicy, sour mix will make you forget about the other nine sauces on this list.
Well that’s it. My Top 10 Best Wing Sauces. Hope it served you well for next time you’re having difficulty picking the perfect sauce to liven up your night.
-Roberto Aguilar
crazy 4 wings 