Put the fork down: Wing edition: Wings you gotta try

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it 1,000 times, if it doesn’t have a bone in it, it’s not a wing. This month, we are talking about wings, of the saucy, spicy, sometimes sweet, but always flavorful variety. In the OKC area, there are a lot of options when it comes to wings and it is difficult to narrow down the best of the best. I set out to write about that one spot that did wings the best, but find myself torn between two absolutely amazing wing spots. If you are a wing fan, you probably know these two amazing spots and have heard them raved about, but just in case you haven’t, let’s get saucy.

The first on the list is an Edmond favorite with a long history of pushing out amazing wings, under one brand or another. You guessed it, we’re talking about Hott Wings, which launched out into the Railyard in Edmond after Eddie’s Bar & Grill decided it was time to create a place solely focused on the thing on their menu that had everyone around licking their fingers. I first experienced Eddie’s Wings in their old restaurant across the street from UCO, and I was instantly in love. The wing selection was enough to make that wild place blush. When Eddie made the decision to open Hott Wings, it was a game-changer in the Buffalo wing world.

Let’s talk about the wings. To begin with you have the choice of preparation styles, Traditional which are smoked and grilled to absolute perfection. Boneless (AKA Chicken nuggets, buffalo style chicken tenders, wet tenders or saucy nugs) breaded and flash-fried until perfectly crisp. Premier Pickle Wings, marinated in pickle juice then tossed in salt and vinegar breading just like your mom never even thought of doing, but oh my. Then there is the Chupacabra WIngs, brined and smoked wings tossed in Hott Wings own Chupacabra sauce.

Once you have chosen a style, you now have to choose a sauce or sauces. This is no easy feat with around 25 sauce choices from fit for a baby mild to scorch your soul hot. The good news is the sauces are organized by heat level and also several fry rub options. Some of the stars of the show include Bourbon Barrel in the mild category, Hott Honey and Mango Habanero in some heat category, Reaper and Scorpion in the Hott Heat category, and Chipotle BBQ and 7 Pepper in the Dry rub category. Now that my mouth is watering, I am going to need some wings in my life.

The second place that just will not stop with their amazing wing creations is in the heart of Uptown in OKC, Chick N Beer. These wings launched onto the stage in 2016 with a bang and really good beer. These wings come in three different styles, Boneless lightly breaded (again, saucy nugs), Traditional double-fried Gluten-Free potato flour wings, and Fried Cauliflower dipped in beer batter for our vegetarian friends. With Chicken N Beer, you are not getting a ton of options because they chose to focus on making a few things amazing rather than a lot of things really good.

The sauces at Chicken N Beer are on the legendary side with a few show stoppers that keep OKC coming back. Not to mention a little visit from Food Network’s Guy Fieri from DDD (Diner’s Drive-ins and Dives).

We can do all day talking about the amazing sauces on these wings. The Rootbeer BBQ, yeah I said Rootbeer, provides a sweet and tangy love coating that begs for more wings. The Gochjujang comes in mild or hot and you know I am going hot with this savory spicy Korean chili sauce that has just the right amount of heat to flavor combination. The Szechuan Garlic Parmesan is the definition of love with all the notes that make your tastebuds explode in a glorious happy dance. If you like spicy, you gotta try the Peppers Galore which combines their BBQ Honey Red Curry sauce with the Hot Gochujang then is topped with habanero peppers and garlic tabasco for an otherworldly flavor experience.

We can’t talk about wings without mentioning the thing that goes best with them, beer. Both Hott Wings and Chick N Beer have amazing beer selections and pride themselves on their local craft beer selection. It’s nice to be able to pair amazing beer with amazing wings and there aren’t two better places in the OKC area to do than these. So, what do you say, want to get your sauce on?