Cajun Butter Chicken Wings

Cajun seasoning typically combines common pantry ingredients with cayenne pepper.  Cajun Butter Chicken Wings is inspired by that particular seasoning blend with a few variations.  Oh, and there’s butter! Deliciously savoury, these wings will quickly become your new favourite!

Yes, Dear Reader, you did in fact see the word butter in the title of this recipe.  You might be thinking that butter with chicken wings is odd, but you might be surprised to learn that most buffalo wing recipes use butter as one of the main ingredients for the sauce and these Cajun Butter Chicken Wings are no different!

Now, if you combine the wholesome taste of butter with the flavours of Cajun spice, and toss perfectly cooked chicken wings in it, then you’ll have a wing that just might make you the wing go-to person on your street.  I’m serious, Dear Reader; be careful whom you share these wings with.  Word travels fast!

PESTLE AND MORTAR

One of my favourite things about making these particular wings is that I get to use my pestle and mortar.  John.e bought one for me quite some time ago when he used to moonlight in a kitchen supply store.  (God, I miss those days!  The discount was glorious!)

I never really use it enough, but whenever I do, the flavours that are released from the grinding and pounding action of a pestle and mortar are incomparable.  If you’ve never tried it, you certainly should.  It’s a very cheap investment and it will last forever!

If you do not have access to a pestle and mortar, or if you simply do not want another kitchen item to stuff somewhere into your cabinets once you’re done with this recipe, fear not! You can pretty much the same results by tossing all of the spices and seasonings into a food processor and pulsing them for a bit to break them up and combine them. A spice grinder works great as well!

My second favourite thing about this recipe is that I once again am employing the fry first, bake second method.  Trust me on this – the amount of moisture and flavour that is locked into the chicken by frying it first and then baking it to finish the cooking process is completely worth the effort.  Even with classic fried chicken, I do the same thing!

CAJUN SPICE BLEND

Now, let’s talk Cajun spice.  The spice blend is a major part of Cajun cuisine – yes, there’s a whole cuisine devoted to this type of seasoning blend and style! Named for the French-speaking Acadian people who were deported by the British from Canada to Louisiana, it is what could be called a rustic cuisine.  It’s basically local ingredients with a simple preparation.

An authentic Cajun meal is usually a three-plate affair, with one plate dedicated to the main dish, one plate dedicated to steamed rice made with sausages, or a seafood dish, and lastly, a third plate containing whatever vegetable is plentiful or available.

In terms of meats or fish, Crawfish, shrimp, and andouille sausage are the most common and staple varieties found in Cajun cooking. The vegetables are usually green bell peppers, onions, and celery.  These three veggies are usually called the holy trinity of Cajun cuisine.

The meats or fish and the holy trinity are often paired with aromatics such as parsley, bay leaf, green onion, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.   And, you’ll find most of those flavours are present in this Cajun Butter Chicken Wing recipe.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post. 

• Chicken Wings – This recipe is for 2 pounds of chicken wings. That should yield about 10-12 wings per pound. If you have whole wings, cut them so that the drumette and wingette are separate. I discarded the wing tip.
• Butter – Use unsalted butter here otherwise the wings may be too salty to enjoy.
• Dried Herbs and Spices – You will need dried thyme, dried onion flakes, dried minced garlic, celery seed, cayenne pepper, salt, ground black pepper, and paprika.
• Vegetable Oil – For frying.
• Parsley – For garnish.

HOW TO MAKE CAJUN BUTTER CHICKEN WINGS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper. Set aside. Place the following ingredients into a pestle and mortar: dried thyme, dried onion flakes, dried minced garlic, celery seed, and salt. Grind the ingredients together until well broken down. Toss in the cayenne pepper, black pepper, and paprika. Grind those three ingredients into the previously ground ingredients until well incorporated. Stir the ground ingredients into the butter until well combined. Set aside.

Heat enough vegetable oil in a skillet to cover the wings. I used a 12″ cast iron skillet filled halfway up with vegetable oil. Be sure to heat the oil to optimum chicken-frying temperature. Using a cooking thermometer, try to keep the oil between 350-375 degrees. Once the oil is ready, fry each wing for 3-4 minutes per side; just until they are golden brown and crispy. You will need to fry the wings in batches. Do not overcrowd the frying pan.

Remove the fried wings from the oil and place on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Once all the wings have been fried, toss the still-hot wings with the butter mixture. Using tongs, place each wing on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake the wings for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, toss the wings once again in the butter mixture, and bake once again for an additional 10 minutes. Garnish serve immediately!

IF YOU PREFER TO ONLY BAKE AND SKIP THE FRYING PART, READ ON!

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.  Line a large baking sheet with aluminium foil and set a cooling rack on it. Set that aside. Pat the wings dry with paper towels and transfer them to a mixing bowl with a little salt and ground black pepper. (Be sure to omit the amount of salt and pepper used here from the sauce mixture!) Toss the wings well until coated.

Next, coat the cooling rack with cooking spray and transfer the wings to it. It’s imperative to lay the wings out so that they are not overlapping or even touching for that matter. The space between the wings will encourage faster cooking and more browning.

Bake the wings for 30 minutes. Remove them from the oven and toss them into the Cajun butter sauce mixture. Use tongs to place the wings back onto the cooling rack. Place them back into the oven to bake for 10 more minutes. Once done, remove from oven and toss once more in the sauce mixture. Bake again for another 10 minutes. Plate, garnish, and serve!

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Cajun Butter Chicken Wings

Cajun seasoning typically combines common pantry ingredients with cayenne pepper.  Cajun Butter Chicken Wings is inspired by that particular seasoning blend with a few variations.  Oh, and there's butter! Deliciously savoury, these wings will quickly become your new favourite!

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Servings 6 servings

Calories 147kcal

Author Lord Byron’s Kitchen

Ingredients

• 24 pieces chicken wings, tips removed and discarded
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon dried onion flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon dried minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped, for garnish
• vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper. Set aside.
• Place the following ingredients into a pestle and mortar: dried thyme, dried onion flakes, dried minced garlic, celery seed, and salt. Grind the ingredients together until well broken down. Toss in the cayenne pepper, black pepper, and paprika. Grind those three ingredients into the previously ground ingredients until well incorporated.
• Stir the ground ingredients into the butter until well combined. Set aside.
• Heat enough vegetable oil in a skillet to cover the wings. I used a 12″ cast iron skillet filled half way up with vegetable oil. Be sure to heat the oil to optimum chicken-frying temperature. Using a cooking thermometer, try to keep the oil between 350-375 degrees.
• Once the oil is ready, fry each wing for 3-4 minutes per side; just until they are golden brown and crispy. You will need to fry the wings in batches. Do not overcrowd the frying pan.
• Remove the fried wings from the oil and place on the parchment lined baking sheet.
• Once all wings have been fried, toss the still hot wings with the butter mixture.
• Using tongs, place each wing on the parchment lined baking sheet. Bake the wings for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, toss the wings once again in the butter mixture, and bake once again for an additional 10 minutes.
• Garnish serve immediately!

Notes

One serving is 4 wings.

Nutrition

Calories: 147kcal | Protein: 1g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 235mg | Potassium: 13mg | Vitamin A: 660IU | Vitamin C: 1.9mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 0.2mg