Wings

Wings come in two basic styles. There’s dry wings, which means the meat has been rubbed down with spices and herbs before being cooked, resulting in a crisper exterior. There’s also wet wings, which are coated or tossed in a sauce either before or after cooking. If you want to serve both wet and dry wings, consider cooking your wings uncoated and then glazing half after the wings are done. If desired, put the coated wings back in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes to make sure the sauce clings to the wings. You can also serve the glaze as an optional dipping sauce. Make sure to rub complementary spices on the dry and wet wings, so that your guests can get a mouthful of flavor in every bite. In some cases, it may be best to rub down the meat, place in a casserole dish or tupperware container, and then allow to rest in the fridge overnight. That way, the spice rub will have even more time to work its magic on the chicken.

You might think you can’t get crispy wings in the oven, but you’d be wrong. The trick is to cook the wings at a high temperature, and to coat them with baking powder after patting them dry and seasoning them. A wire rack placed within a lined baking sheet is also a handy combination for those who prefer-oven baked wings. This allows the hot air to circulate fully around your wings. At 425°F, the wings will be ready in 40 to 45 minutes.

How to Cook Wings In an Instant Pot

Get the Recipes: Instant Pot Chicken Wings

This recipe also speeds the process of cooking wings by starting with the Instant Pot and then using the oven broiler to finish the job. Arrange your wings on the rack insert in the Instant Pot after pouring at least a cup of water in the bottom of the pan. Preheat your oven’s broiler, and then pressure cook the wings on high in the Instant Pot for three minutes. After safely releasing the steam, transfer the wings to a greased baking sheet and broil for six minutes, turning once. The Instant Pot and broiler combined will create the perfect chicken wing.

Grilling is a delicious way to impart some backyard flavors into your wings. To make grilled wings, heat the grill to between 300°F to 500°F. Some recipes call for cooks to start at a lower temperature before turning up the heat, but 400°F serves as a good medium temperature if you don’t want to fidget with the dial while you’re cooking. Cook the wings for 25 to 30 minutes, flipping occasionally, or until cooked through. If you’d like, feel free to coat your wings with sauce before placing on the grill, so that the coating can really sink into the meat.

Deep-frying may seem intimidating, but it’s pretty simple if you take a few precautions. To start, make sure your wings are patted dry first (you don’t want the excess water to make the hot oil pop out of the pan). Then, in a deep pan or pot, add at least two inches of vegetable oil and heat to 350°F. (An instant read thermometer really comes in handy here.) Once you get your oil heated, add your chicken to the oil and turn occasionally, until the wings are golden-brown. Feel free to coat your wings in flour first, or to fry them twice, if you really love a crisp exterior.

Rather avoid all that oil in deep frying? Use an air fryer to do the job. Heat the air fryer to 400°F, and then put up to 10 flats or drums into your air fryer’s basket. After cooking for at least 25 minutes, your air fried wings will be ready to serve. Feel free to leave this in a little longer than the recommended cooking time; the longer they cook, the crispier the skin will be.

If you happen to be lucky enough to have a smoker, then you should definitely use it to make some wings. Coat your wings in whichever rub you like best, heat your smoker to an internal temperature of 215°F and then set your chicken over low heat. After an hour or two, your smoked wings will be ready to serve.