Creamy Parmesan Garlic Wings, Inspired by Buffalo Wild Wings
Inspired by, not official: plain fried wings tossed in a creamy sauce of roasted garlic, mayonnaise, Parmesan, lemon and dried herbs, in the style of the sports-bar chain's Parmesan Garlic flavor.
Buffalo Wild Wings was founded in 1982 in Columbus, Ohio, by James Disbrow and Scott Lowery as Buffalo Wild Wings & Weck, near Ohio State University, and has belonged to Inspire Brands since 2018 (Wikipedia:). Its Parmesan Garlic sauce is creamy rather than buttery, and the chain sells it bottled (Tasting Table, via search summary). The chain has never published its recipe. This home version follows a copycat from the food site Mashed; it is inspired by, not official.
🇺🇸 This one is American
Inspired by, not official: plain fried wings tossed in a creamy sauce of roasted garlic, mayonnaise, Parmesan, lemon and dried herbs, in the style of the sports-bar chain's Parmesan Garlic flavor.
🇺🇸 The original
The Buffalo original is plain: wings fried without any breading, tossed in a hot sauce and melted butter, served with celery and blue cheese dressing. See the Buffalo Wings (Anchor Bar Style) recipe.
Why it works the kitchen science
Roasted garlic
Roasting tames raw garlic's bite, turns it sweet and makes the cloves soft enough to mash into a smooth sauce.
A mayonnaise base
It clings to fried skin in a thick, even coat and stays creamy instead of separating the way melted butter can.
Step by step
- Step 1
Pat the wings dry, season with the salt and pepper and refrigerate while you make the sauce.
- Step 2
Heat the oven to 350°F. Cut 1/4 inch off the top of the garlic head, drizzle with the olive oil, wrap in foil and roast 30 to 40 minutes, until the cloves are soft. Cool slightly.
- Step 3
Squeeze the cloves into a bowl and mash smooth. Whisk in the mayonnaise, lemon juice, vinegar, sugar, Parmesan, herbs, pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Refrigerate until needed.
- Step 4
Heat the oil in a deep fryer or large Dutch oven to 375°F. Fry the wings in batches, without crowding, 8 to 10 minutes, until golden brown and crisp and the thickest drumette reads 165°F.
- Step 5
Drain on a wire rack or paper towels, and let the oil come back to 375°F between batches.
- Step 6
Toss the hot wings in the sauce and serve with carrot and celery sticks.
Creamy Parmesan Garlic Wings, Inspired by Buffalo Wild Wings
Serves 4 (as a main; 6 to 8 as a snack) · about 24 wing pieces and about 3/4 cup sauce · 1 hr 5 min total
Wings
- 3 lb chicken wings, drumettes and flats separated
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- Canola oil, for deep frying (about 2 quarts)
Creamy parmesan garlic sauce
- 1 head garlic
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar
- 3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 tsp each dried oregano, dried basil, dried thyme and crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
Method
- Pat the wings dry, season with the salt and pepper and refrigerate while you make the sauce.
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Cut 1/4 inch off the top of the garlic head, drizzle with the olive oil, wrap in foil and roast 30 to 40 minutes, until the cloves are soft. Cool slightly.
- Squeeze the cloves into a bowl and mash smooth. Whisk in the mayonnaise, lemon juice, vinegar, sugar, Parmesan, herbs, pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Refrigerate until needed.
- Heat the oil in a deep fryer or large Dutch oven to 375°F. Fry the wings in batches, without crowding, 8 to 10 minutes, until golden brown and crisp and the thickest drumette reads 165°F.
- Drain on a wire rack or paper towels, and let the oil come back to 375°F between batches.
- Toss the hot wings in the sauce and serve with carrot and celery sticks.
Adapted from Mashed, "Copycat Buffalo Wild Wings Parmesan Garlic Wings" by Feta Topalu and Mashed Staff (March 18, 2023), as written (serves 4). Mashed rinses the wings; we skip that, following USDA advice not to wash raw poultry (see Food safety). The 165°F check is from USDA FSIS. Inspired by, not official; not affiliated with or endorsed by Buffalo Wild Wings. mashed.com. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (2)
Tips
- The sauce can be made up to a day ahead (Mashed).
- Leftovers keep in the refrigerator up to 3 days; Mashed advises against freezing.
- For the butter-style version, see our Garlic Parmesan Wings recipe.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- This is Buffalo Wild Wings' recipe. Folklore: it is a copycat, inspired by, not official.
- Rinse wings before cooking. Disputed: the source recipe says to; USDA FSIS advises not washing raw poultry because it spreads bacteria (Food Safety Magazine, 2019).
- The chain began in Buffalo. Folklore: despite the name, it was founded in Columbus, Ohio (Wikipedia).
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