Smoked/fried wings Copy Cat Wingstop Fries and Copy Cat Wingstop Ranch

HOW TO SMOKE CHICKEN WINGS

The key to making these wings the best ever is the low and slow smoke they get in this first step. Smoke the chicken wings at 225 degrees F over a fairly strong flavored wood like oak or hickory since they won’t be in the smoke for an extended period of time. Smoke until the wings reach the internal temperature of 145 degrees F, usually about an hour to and hour and a half.

Before you smoke these chicken wings, feel free to add any seasoning blend you like. Always start by tossing in a little olive oil and then seasoning all over with your spices.

THEN FRIED CHICKEN WINGS

Once your wings hit 145 degrees F, it’s time for the second step, frying in hot oil. Fill the pan with the oil, about 1/2 inch deep. Preheat your favorite cooking oil (I prefer vegetable, canola, or peanut oil) to 375 degrees F in a large, shallow pan.

You don’t need to deep fry the wings, just fry each side for 2-3 minutes and then flip. Keep frying and flipping until the skin is golden brown and the internal temperature of the wings reads 175 degrees F. You may need to do this step in batches so you don’t overcrowd your pan.

SMOKED CHICKEN WING SAUCE (OPTIONAL)

Now, this step is totally optional. If you like naked wings, remove the fried chicken wings from the cast iron skillet and serve immediately. If you like your wings sauced, you can get creative here. Toss in a mixture of 1 cup Frank’s Buffalo sauce with 2 Tablespoons melted butter, 1 Tablespoon white vinegar, 1 Tablespoon garlic powder for the perfect Buffalo wings. 

 

HOW TO MAKE WINGSTOP FRIES 

This recipe is really quite simple. All you’ll need for the fries themselves is a potato or two, some oil, and a pinch of salt. Let’s run through how I like to cut potatoes for fries.

Start by washing the potatoes and drying off with a paper towel. Then cut one end (just the tip) of the potato off so you can stand it up vertically without it rolling all over the place. After the potato is upright, slice from top to bottom 4-5 times depending on how thin you’d like your fries to be.

Once you’ve cut the potato vertically, split the potato in half (2-3 layers per side) and place the middle of the potato face down. 

Then it’s as easy as slicing from one end to the other to create thin strips. And that’s it—fries.

You know how they say the secret to really great fries is the fact that you have to fry them twice? You’re supposed to fry them at a lower temperature first, to cook the actual potato, and then again, in really hot oil, to crisp them up. Well, I’m here to tell you that you can do that in one pan, with a single cooking process, by starting off with cold oil. The genius to this method is that as the oil slowly heats up, the potatoes cook all the way through. Then, by the time the oil is boiling hot and spattering, the inside of the potatoes is cooked, so they are ready to be crisped up. So easy! So good! The only downside is that you are a bit limited by the size of your pan, and since these take a good 15-20 minutes to cook, making batch after batch isn’t really ideal. But if you’re willing to have multiple pans going at once… then totally go for it. These fries are worth it! Turn heat onto medium-low, and let the potatoes cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep them from sticking together. The fries are ready when they are golden brown and crisp on the outside.

Drain the fries on paper towels and then you are ready to season them in the wingstop seasoning that is OMG amazing.

WINGSTOP FRIES SEASONING RECIPE (MY VERSION)

Ah, the real magic. I’ve tried, let’s say, five different combos and I feel this is the closest blend to the real deal. 

• Granular Sugar 1T
• Brown Sugar 1/2 T
• Salt 1/4 t
• Black Pepper 1/4 t
• Paprika 1/2 t
• Garlic Powder 1/4 t
• Chili Powder 1/4 t

Add ’em to a bowl, mix ’em up, and toss the finished fries in the blend. And there you have it, Wingstop fries.

WINGSTOP Ranch dRESSING RECIPE (MY VERSION)

And to dip all your deliciousness you need the perfect ranch dressing that is super easy.

2 packets dry ranch seasoning

1 1/3 cup buttermilk

1 1/3 cup mayonnaise

Mix it all together well and you are good to go. Make sure you store this in the fridge.