Flamin’ Hot Cheeto Chicken Wings
If there is such a thing as Junk Food Royalty, we’re thinking that somewhere in the salty side top 10 would be Kettle Chips, McDonald’s Fries, Movie Theater Popcorn and of course, Cheetos! They’ve been a household favorite for nearly seventy-five years, and while you can find a million ways to incorporate them into a recipe, no one’s figured out a way to keep that delicious orange dust from getting all over your fingers.
So we’re throwing our hats into this red hot ring and bringing you a recipe for Flamin’ Hot Cheeto Chicken Wings created by one of our own. As with all things spicy, if you feel too much of a burn from this recipe, the regular Cheetos also make a great substitute, or you can mix Flamin’ Hot style with classic style to your taste. Whatever’s easy, to keep it cheesy.
Who can resist snacking on a few Flamin’ Hot Cheetos while you bake your chicken wings? No fowl!
Flamin’ Hot Cheeto Chicken Wings Ingredients:
- 1 lb chicken wings
- 2 rounded cups Flamin’ Hot Cheetos (about 4-5 oz)
- ½ C all-purpose flour
- 1.5 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground pepper
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 egg
- ½ C whole milk
- 3 TBSP Parmesan powder (optional)
- Duck Fat, Beef Tallow or Oil spray
Don’t forget the Dipping Sauce! Chicken Wings beg to be dipped, but when the wings get this spicy, we usually recommend something cool or sweet to balance the burn, like Ranch Dressing, Blue Cheese Dressing, Tzatziki or Sweet Chili Sauce.
Flamin’ Hot Cheeto Chicken Wings Tools:
- Food Processor
- Baking Pan
- Quick Read Digital Thermometer
- Air Fryer (optional) – There is a risk of burning your Cheeto dust when using an air fryer, so watch your wings closely
Remember that air fryers can burn your batter of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos if you aren’t careful. It may be wise to use your conventional oven.
Flamin’ Hot Cheeto Chicken Wings Cooking Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350F.
While the oven comes up to temp, place Cheetos in your food processor and pulse until the Cheetos are bead sized crumbs. If there are larger pieces, don’t worry about it too much. You just don’t want to grind them all down to a fine powder that will make a mess and perhaps burn.
Set up three bowls to get your batter securely onto your chicken wings. First one will have flour, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, and any optional spices you might want for your flavor profile, like red pepper flakes, paprika or chili lime.
Remember: it’s better to have an assortment of sizes of Cheeto crumbs on your chicken wings, as over-ground powder tends to burn easier in air fryers.
Your second bowl will hold the egg and one cup of milk.
The third bowl will have the Flamin Hot Cheeto crumbs, and you can mix in some parmesan powder if you like.
Dredge the chicken wings in spices and flour, then in the egg wash, then in the Cheeto crumbs. Press it firmly into the Cheeto crumbs until it sticks to all the surfaces of the chicken wings.
Place on a baking sheet and bake at 350F for about 20 minutes, or until the chicken wings reach an internal temperature of 165F. You do this by using a quick read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part.
About the Duck Fat or Oil Spray: if you don’t feel like firing up your large oven to bake one pound of chicken wings, opting for your air fryer to save energy, a little time and avoid making your kitchen a sweatbox, we get it. However, air fryers are prone to burning the coating on your wings because of the direct air flow down onto the small pieces of chicken. So to avoid burning your batter and turning it bitter, just spray a misting of oil, beef tallow or duck fat on your wings right before they go under the heat.
