✔ Updated · rebuilt the card (real flour dredge, simple butter and hot sauce wing sauce), added safe temp, oven and air fryer methods
These copycat Hooters wings are the breaded kind: a seasoned flour coat, a quick chill, then a hot fry and a toss in buttery cayenne sauce. The crust holds the sauce in every little crag, and I can never stop at one.
At a glance
The one tip that matters: Chill the floured wings for an hour before frying. The flour hydrates into a coating that stays put in the oil instead of falling off in patches.
Why I Love These Hooters-Style Wings
- A crunchy breaded crust that grabs the sauce, not the slick naked-wing kind.
- Two-ingredient wing sauce, just butter and cayenne hot sauce, with heat you can dial up or down.
- Game-day friendly, with oven and air fryer options when you don't want a pot of oil.
- Pantry spices only, nothing fancy to hunt down.
What You Need for Copycat Hooters Wings
Exact amounts are in the recipe card below.
- Chicken wings: split into flats and drumettes. Buying them already split saves a lot of knife work.
- Seasoned flour: all-purpose flour with paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, salt and pepper. This is what makes them Hooters-style breaded wings.
- Cayenne pepper hot sauce: the classic tangy, vinegary buffalo base.
- Butter: softens the heat and makes the sauce cling and shine.
- Celery and blue cheese or ranch: cool and crunchy, the only sides I really need.
Step-by-Step Photos
Here's how it comes together. Exact amounts, times and temperatures are in the recipe card below.
Tips for Success
- Dry wings, crisp wings. Water is the enemy of crunch. I pat every wing dry, and if I have time I let them sit uncovered in the fridge before flouring.
- Use a thermometer twice. Once for the oil (375°F) and once for the chicken (at least 165°F in the thickest part, away from the bone). Guessing is how you get pale, greasy wings.
- Fry in small batches. Too many wings at once drop the oil temperature and the coating soaks up oil. I do about 8 to 10 pieces at a time.
- Sauce at the last second. Toss right before serving. Sauced wings that sit go soft, so I keep the sauce warm and the wings on the rack until everyone is at the table.
- Make it hotter or milder. More cayenne in the sauce for extra-hot wings, or extra butter for a mild, kid-friendly wing.
Copycat Hooters Wings
4
servings15
minutes25
minutes640
kcal1
hour40
minutesHooters-style breaded wings at home: wings tossed in seasoned flour, chilled so the coating sets, fried at 375°F until crisp and 165°F inside, then tossed in a buttery cayenne hot sauce. Serve with celery and blue cheese or ranch.
Ingredients
- For the Wings
3 pounds chicken wings, split into flats and drumettes, tips removed
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons fine salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 quarts neutral oil, such as canola or peanut, for frying
- For the Wing Sauce
1/2 cup cayenne pepper hot sauce
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, for extra heat (optional)
- To Serve
4 stalks celery sticks
1/2 cup blue cheese or ranch dressing
Directions
- Coat and Chill
- Pat the wings very dry with paper towels. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Toss the wings in the seasoned flour a handful at a time, pressing so every side is coated. Shake off the excess and set them on a wire rack over a sheet pan.
- Refrigerate the wings, uncovered, for 1 hour (up to 2 hours) so the coating sets and sticks during frying.
- Fry
- Heat the oil in a heavy pot or deep fryer to 375°F. Use enough oil to come at least 2 inches up the side, and never fill the pot more than halfway.
- Fry the wings in batches, without crowding, for 10 to 12 minutes, turning once, until deep golden and crisp and an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part reads at least 165°F. Drain on the wire rack and let the oil come back to 375°F between batches.
- Sauce and Serve
- While the wings fry, melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Whisk in the hot sauce, garlic powder and extra cayenne if you like it hotter. Keep warm.
- Put the hot wings in a large bowl, pour over the sauce and toss until every wing is glossy and coated. Serve right away with celery and blue cheese or ranch.
Notes
- If you don’t want the sauce to be as spicy and prefer something milder, then you should increase the portion of butter added to the sauce. You can also reduce the amount of hot sauce used.
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Oven and Air Fryer Hooters Wings
Oven: heat the oven to 425°F. Set the floured, chilled wings on an oiled wire rack over a foil-lined sheet pan, spray the coating lightly with oil and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, turning halfway, until golden and 165°F inside.
Air fryer: spray the floured wings with oil and air fry at 380°F for 20 to 24 minutes in a single layer, shaking the basket and spraying any dry floury spots halfway. Check for 165°F, then toss in the sauce.
Storing and Make-Ahead
You can flour the wings up to 2 hours ahead and keep them on the rack in the fridge. The sauce keeps for a week in a jar in the fridge; warm it gently before tossing.
Cooked wings keep 3 to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge. For freezing, I freeze them unsauced on a sheet pan, then bag them for up to 3 months and reheat from frozen at 400°F until 165°F inside.
[su_note note_color=”#fff39b” text_color=”#000000″ radius=”8″]Want some ideas on what to serve with chicken wings? Then we’ve collated some ideas that will give you some inspiration such as this coleslaw and these fries.[/su_note]
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Hooters deep fry their wings?
Hooters is known for breaded wings that are fried and then tossed in sauce, and that is the style this copycat recipe recreates. At home I fry them at 375°F, but you can also bake or air fry the floured wings for a lighter version.
What is Hooters wing sauce made of?
A classic buffalo-style wing sauce is cayenne pepper hot sauce mixed with melted butter. This copycat uses 1/2 cup hot sauce, 4 tablespoons butter and a little garlic powder, with extra cayenne if you want it hotter. It is not the restaurant's own recipe, just a close home version.
What temperature should chicken wings be cooked to?
Chicken wings are safe at 165°F, measured with an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part without touching the bone. Wings stay juicy even a little above that, so a few extra minutes for crispness is fine.
Can I make Hooters wings in the oven?
Yes. Bake the floured, chilled wings on an oiled rack over a sheet pan at 425°F for 40 to 45 minutes, turning once and spraying the coating with oil, until crisp and 165°F inside. Then toss in the sauce.
How do I reheat leftover wings?
Reheat wings in a 375°F oven or air fryer for 8 to 12 minutes until hot and crisp again and 165°F inside. The microwave works but makes the coating soft. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days.
