How to Cook Chicken Wings

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

No-Fry Chicken Wings

You may think of chicken wings as bar food, but these saucy babies are great for, say, watching Monday Night Football. We ditched the standard deep-frying procedure in favor of a two-step steam-and-sauté method that maintains the plump, juicy goodness of the wings while curtailing the messy effects of oil in the kitchen and on the waistline. These crowd-pleasers are a breeze to prepare, and we offer three bold flavor variations for lots of weeknight wing fun.

View Recipe: Garlic-Buffalo Drumettes

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Step 1: Steam

Keep heat moderately low. If overcooked, chicken will dry out.

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Step 2: Crisp

Sauté the wings in a bit of oil in a hot pan. This crisps up the exterior.

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Step 3: Coat

Transfer the wings from the pan to a bowl, and douse with yummy sauce.

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Variation 1: Sticky Chile Drumettes

This recipe is similar to our Garlic-Buffalo Drumettes, but has a sweet-tangy flavor and a little more spice.

View Recipe: Sticky Chile Drumettes

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Variation 2: Mango-Serrano Drumettes

This variation of Garlic-Buffalo Drumettes uses spicy serranos. The recipe calls for two, but you can take it down to one if you can't handle the heat!

View Recipe: Mango-Serrano Drumettes