Recipe(tried): Hooters (Copycat) Wing Sauce Medium and Hot Varieties Plus Breading

I see a lot of really bad Hooters Wing and Sauce Recipes which simply call for Frank's Red Hot and Butter. That's a Buffalo Wing Recipe, not what Hooters uses in their stores or what's in the bottled sauces they sell. This copycat recipe is a copy of their bottled Wing Sauce, Medium and Hot varieties. You don't need to spend $5 to $7 for a 12 oz. bottle or several dollars for their breading mix.

Hooters makes four different wing sauces. They are: Medium, Hot, 3 Mile Island and Bold and Spicy which is a barbecue sauce. The Daytona wings are a mixture of Bold and Spicy with 3 Mile Island Sauce.

I experimented to come up with this recipe and it is really close. I had a bottle of their Hot Wing sauce on hand to make direct taste comparisons. Hooters is too cheap to actually use Franks Red Hot so they make their own version of it, but using Frank's here will save time. It's basically just cayenne and vinegar. In the future I plan to post recipes for 3 mile island sauce and bold and spicy barbecue sauce.

BREADING INGREDIENTS (for about 3 lbs wings):
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon baking powder

SAUCE INGREDIENTS:
6 Tablespoons Franks Red Hot
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
3 teaspoons ground cayenne pepper powder (leave out if making medium variety)
2 teaspoons cornstarch plus 2 Tablespoons cold water (thickener)
5 Tablespoons sour cream
4 Tablespoons white vinegar

Melt butter in sauce pan over medium low heat. Add the Franks Red Hot, cayenne pepper (if making hot variety) and white vinegar. Whisk the ingredients together in the pan. Whisk in the sour cream. In a bowl, thoroughly mix together the cornstarch and cold water and add to the sauce to thicken. The sauce should be over 160 degrees F when added. Whisk vigorously until the sauce is thickened, then remove from the heat to cool. Use 2.4 ounces of sauce for every pound of breaded wings.

When it comes to wings, do not buy the wings that come in large plastic bags. Those wings are low quality and are classified as "seconds". Get fresh Purdue or Tyson wings. Cut the wings at the joint but leave the wing flap on like hooters does. Pat the wings dry with paper towels and set aside. Mix together the breading ingredients in a large bowl. Add the wings to the breading mixture, add lid and shake to coat the wings. Most importantly, refrigerate the wings after breading for 30 minutes to make sure the breading stick when deep fried.

Deep fry the wings in vegetable oil for 12 minutes until golden brown. I use a cast iron Le Creuset Dutch Oven and heat the oil over medium heat until about 350F using a thermometer, then add the wings and cover, checking the wings every couple of minutes to turn with tongs. If they are cooking too fast, reduce the heat to medium low. Drain on paper towels and add to a large bowl with the sauce. Add lid and shake until the wings are well coated in sauce. Serve immediately. Alternately serve with blue cheese or ranch dressing carrots and/or celery.