wing sauce
Also known as: Wings Sauce
A tangy, buttery hot sauce -- classic Buffalo style is cayenne pepper sauce whisked with melted butter -- tossed with fried or baked chicken wings just before serving so the coating stays glossy instead of baking dry.
Buying guidance
Bottled wing sauce is already blended with butter or oil, so check the label if a recipe expects extra butter added separately -- doubling up makes the sauce greasy rather than glossy. Toss wings with sauce right before serving rather than while they're still very hot, since sauce tends to slide off wings straight out of the fryer or oven.
Substitutions
- Hot sauce plus melted butter, whisked together in roughly equal parts -- classic homemade Buffalo sauce, adjustable for heat and richness.
- Barbecue sauce -- a completely different flavor direction, sweeter and smokier rather than tangy and hot.
Tips & common mistakes
Because it already contains butter or oil, a bottle that's been chilled can separate and turn thick or grainy -- warm it gently and whisk before tossing it with anything, rather than pouring it on cold.
Storage
A wing sauce that contains butter needs refrigeration after opening, unlike a plain vinegar-based hot sauce -- check the label, since not every bottled version is butter-based, but the ones that are should go in the fridge rather than the pantry.