If you’re anything like me, you go through phases where you crave the same recipe: morning, noon, and night for months on end. Last semester, I took a liking to crockpot birria tacos, and before that, I was hooked on homemade rigatoni Bolognese!
I’ve recently entered my wing era, which surprises me because I’ve never liked wings that much. I love baby back ribs and don’t mind sucking the meat out of a lobster claw, but I always felt that eating bone-in chicken wings was a bit too animalistic for me…until now.
I don’t know what brought on this change, but I assume it was a particularly good wing I must’ve had over the summer. Nonetheless, I’ve decided to embrace my newfound appreciation for chicken wings head-on by finding a recipe that’ll sustain my cravings (for the time being).
When I latch on to a recipe, I’ll usually make it a few times a week, so it’s important that whatever I’m making doesn’t break the bank. I’ve been following this TikTok recipe that conveniently required ingredients I already had, plus the chicken:
After making this recipe a few times, these are my main takeaways:
- Patting the wings dry is a must. Your seasonings will stick better, and your chicken will cook more evenly.
- More is more when it comes to seasoning. If it looks like enough, add a little more.
- Adding too much baking powder won’t make your wings crispier. It’ll just make them taste gross.
I’ve been loving my wings in this dry rub situation, but my roommate swears by Sweet Baby Ray’s Buffalo Sauce, and she’s been in the wing game far longer than me.
Either way, I usually dip in both ranch and blue cheese because I can’t tell the difference between the two when I’m eating good wings.
Now, when it comes to shopping for poultry, I suggest finding a friend with a Costco membership or buying in bulk when you can. If you need to, divide the wings into Ziploc bags so you can store them in the freezer and take out the perfect amount each time.
Wings are also a great game-day appetizer, so when I host on the weekend, I’ll be leaning on those bigger packages and cooking in batches. If I want to meal prep a bigger batch, they usually stay good in the fridge for three to four days, and they’re easy to reheat in the air fryer.
To me, the key to fulfilling any craving is to eat it when I can and how I can. If I’m thinking about brownies all day at work and get home to find an eggless refrigerator, I’m going to look up an egg-free brownie recipe. If I’m on day 13 of my paycheck, but I’m dying to have hibachi, I’m cooking up some rice, frozen vegetables, and soy sauce, topping it with mayo and siracha, and calling it a day.
Whatever you’re craving, there’s sure to be a delicious, budget-friendly recipe online. If there’s not, check back here in a week. I might be on my next fixation by then!
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