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This Hooters Daytona wings recipe is finger lickin’ good!
A saucy blend of tangy barbecue sauce, spicy hot sauce and sweet honey, Hooters Daytona sauce has all the good things and then some.
With this easy recipe you can make these famous wings right in your own kitchen!
We’re baking these saucy wings until they’re golden brown and crispy, which saves a ton of fat and calories. But trust me, you won’t know the difference.
You’ll love having this restaurant recipe to make at home anytime the craving hits!
What is a Daytona style wing?
One of the most iconic of all the Hooters wing varieties, Daytona wings, or Daytona Beach wings, are named after the famous beach town in Florida. They are naked wings (not breaded) that are cooked and then slathered in Hooters’ signature Daytona wing sauce.
The sauce is sticky, sweet, smoky, spicy and tangy all at once. No one flavor overpowers another. No wonder it’s such a popular menu item!
What’s in this Hooters Daytona Beach Sauce Recipe
Here’s what you’ll need to make this copycat recipe:
The Wings
- Chicken wings
- All purpose flour
- Paprika
- Salt
- Pepper
The Signature Sauce
How to Make the Hooters Daytona Wings recipe
Coat the wings in dry rub
First, combine the dry rub ingredients in a large bowl. The dry rub is a simple mixture of flour, paprika, salt and pepper.
Then, toss the uncooked wings in the dry coating and refrigerate them for at least 30 minutes. This will allow the dry rub to adhere to the wings and help them to crisp up faster when we bake them in the oven.
Bake the wings
Arrange the chilled wings on an ungreased baking sheet. You can line the baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper if you want to reduce the clean up time.
Bake the wings until they’re golden brown and crispy.
Make the Daytona sauce
About 10 minutes before the wings are finished in the oven, whip up the sweet and spicy sauce.
It’s so easy! Just put all of the sauce ingredients into a small saucepan.
Whisk the mixture together as you raise the heat to a boil. Once the sauce starts to boil and bubble, reduce the heat way down to a simmer. Keep whisking the sauce until it thickens slightly.
Coat the wings in sauce
Pour your Daytona sauce into a large mixing bowl. Toss in those wings, hot from the oven, and coat them in the sauce.
So good!
What to Eat with Daytona Wings
- Traditional Sidekicks: You simply can’t have wings without classic pairings like celery sticks and carrot strips. The cool crunch of fresh veggies complements the spicy heat of the wings.
- Ranch or Blue Cheese Dip: Be sure to have a creamy dip on the side to balance the heat. Whether you prefer ranch dressing or blue cheese, both options work well to mellow out the spiciness.
- Cooling Coleslaw: Pair your Daytona wings with a refreshing coleslaw to add a crisp and cold element to your meal. The cold crunchiness is a perfect balance to the hot sauciness.
- Fries or Onion Rings: For the full Hooters experience (minus the servers), enjoy these wings with a side of crispy fries or golden onion rings.
Variations
- Sauce Intensity: Adjust the heat level of your Daytona wings by varying the ratio of hot sauce to barbecue sauce. This recipe calls for equal amounts of each. If you prefer a milder taste, reduce the amount of hot sauce and increase the barbecue sauce. For more heat, try adding more hot sauce and reducing the BBQ sauce amount.
- Grilled Wings: If the weather permits, try grilling the wings instead of baking them. When these wings are made at Hooters restaurants, they’re finished on the grill! The smoky flavors from the grill add an extra layer of complexity to these wings that you’ll love.
- Air Fried Wings: To make this recipe in your air fryer, arrange the wings in a single layer in the air fryer basket and cook for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees, flipping halfway through cooking. Of course, cooking times will vary based on your air fryer.
- Vegetarian Option: Substitute chicken wings with cauliflower florets or tofu for a vegetarian twist. Coat them with the Daytona sauce for a flavorful, meatless alternative.
- Boneless Wings: Skip the bones and cut lean chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces. Then, simply follow the instructions in the recipe card.
Substitutions
1. Soy Sauce. For a similar umami flavor profile, you can substitute soy sauce with Worcestershire sauce, steak sauce, fish sauce or tamari.
2. Honey. Swap in agave syrup or maple syrup if you’re in need of a honey substitute. They’ve got a similar sweetness and syrupy texture.
3. Hot sauce. Go to any grocery store and you’ll have your choice of wing sauce, sometimes to the point of being overwhelming! I like classic Frank’s Red Hot, but you could opt for buffalo wing sauce, Mexican hot sauce or any other type of hot sauce that you like.
4. BBQ Sauce. Similar to the hot sauce situation, there are loads of options for barbecue sauces. Choose a Kansas City-style BBQ sauce like Sweet Baby Ray’s for this recipe. Kansas City sauces are tangy-sweet ketchup based sauces without much acidity. A sweeter type of BBQ sauce is the right complement to the spicy flavors of the hot sauce.
Can Daytona Wing Sauce be used for other things?
You can use Daytona wing sauce on any type of chicken, from grilled thighs to simple boneless skinless breasts.
Brush the sauce onto grilled meats and pork, or slather it onto fried or grilled shrimp. The options are endless!
And since this recipe will make a little extra, you can store the sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for future use.
How to Store Daytona Wings
Store any leftover Daytona wings in an airtight container or wrapped in aluminum foil. They’ll stay fresh in the refrigerator for several days. Reheat your wings in the oven for 2-4 minutes to revive their texture.
When you make this Hooters Daytona wings recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Drop a rating or leave a comment below. Enjoy!
For more wing recipes, try these:
- Teriyaki Chicken Wings Recipe
- Ginger Soy Chicken Wings with Garlic and Honey
- Baked Dry Rub Chicken Wings
For more bar food recipes, try these:
Super Saucy Daytona Wings Recipe (Hooters Copycat)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. chicken wings
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 2 1/2 tsp. paprika
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
Wing Sauce
- 2/3 cup BBQ sauce
- 3 Tbsp. hot sauce
- 3 Tbsp. honey
- 2 tsp. brown sugar
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. soy sauce
- 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Combine all the flour, paprika, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Toss the wings in the flour mixture to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Arrange the wings on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes, until golden brown.
- While the wings are in the oven, make the sauce: Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking constantly.
- Reduce heat to low and allow the sauce to thicken slightly, about 2-3 minutes. Place the baked wings and sauce in a large bowl. Toss to coat. Serve warm.
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