Description
Inspired by your favorite wing place’s Cajun Dry Rub option.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 1/2 lbs party wings (drums and flats)
- 1 tbsp salted butter
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 2 tsp seasoned salt, to taste
- 1 1/2 tsp onion powder
- oil for frying
Cajun Seasoning Blend:
- 2 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp kosher salt, to taste
- 5 tsp garlic powder
- 4 tsp onion powder
- 4 tsp dark red chili powder
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper, optional
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp rubbed sage
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp granulated sugar
Instructions
- Add your wings to a large bowl and season liberally with the seasoned salt, paprika, and onion powder. Use your hands to rub the seasonings into the meat, making sure all the wings are well seasoned.
- Transfer the wings to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight. Make your Cajun seasoning by mixing all the listed ingredients together. Set it aside.
- Fill a large stockpot halfway up the sides with peanut oil. Affix a candy thermometer to the side, if needed. Cover with a lid and place the stockpot over medium-high heat. Pull the wings from the fridge and allow them to rest at room temperature while you wait for the oil to reach 365-370°F degrees.
- Add three tablespoons of the Cajun seasoning to a heatproof bowl, along with all the butter, broken up into small pieces.
- Once the oil has reached the right temperature, remove the lid and begin adding the wings. Cook in batches, making sure not to overcrowd: we want to avoid them sticking together, and bringing the temperature of the oil down too much. Let the wings fry for 10-12 minutes, until floating on top of the oil and deeply browned. The skin should be crispy. Remove and let the excess oil drip off, then transfer the wings directly to the bowl of seasoning and butter. Use a large back and forth sweeping motion to toss the wings together with the seasoning and butter, as it melts.
- Repeat until all the wings have been fried and seasoned, adding more of the Cajun seasoning as you see fit. The consistency of the seasoning and butter – it’ll be a bit like wet sand – might make it stick to some wings more than others. You can go in with a basting brush or your hands and fix that manually, disturbing the coating more evenly. Dassit!
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
