Hooters wing sauce strikes the perfect balance of sweet and heat, keeping you coming back for more. This beloved restaurant sauce combines the caramel sweetness of brown sugar with the fiery kick of cayenne pepper and Tabasco, creating a flavor profile that’s both familiar and irresistible. The best part? You can recreate this iconic sauce in your kitchen with just eight simple ingredients.
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Table of Contents
Why This Recipe Works
The magic in Hooters’ wing sauce lies in its balanced flavor profile. Brown sugar provides that signature sweetness that mellows the heat from cayenne pepper and Tabasco sauce. Balsamic vinegar adds subtle acidity that brightens the overall taste, while paprika contributes color and a mild smoky undertone. The butter creates a rich, glossy coating that clings perfectly to wings. Now, you can purchase this sauce in some grocery stores premade, or you can make this copycat version.
Ingredients
- Butter – Creates the rich, glossy base that helps sauce adhere to wings
- Tabasco Sauce – Provides tangy heat and that classic hot sauce flavor
- Brown Sugar – Adds caramel sweetness to balance the spicy elements
- Paprika – Contributes vibrant color and subtle smoky notes
- Salt – Enhances all flavors and balances sweetness
- Balsamic Vinegar – Adds bright acidity to cut through richness
- Cayenne Pepper – Delivers the signature heat level
- Chili Sauce – Provides depth and tomato-based richness
Chili sauce can be found in the condiment section at your grocery store. It is usually near ketchup and mustard.
Instructions
- Use immediately or store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
- Combine all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.
- Whisk thoroughly until brown sugar is completely dissolved and all ingredients are well incorporated.
- Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Add more brown sugar for sweetness or cayenne for heat.
How to Use Hooters Wing Sauce
This versatile sauce works perfectly with fried or baked chicken wings and tenders. For best results, toss hot wings in the sauce immediately after cooking to ensure maximum coating and flavor absorption.
Chef’s Notes
For the smoothest consistency, make sure your butter is at room temperature before mixing. If you prefer a spicier sauce, gradually increase the cayenne pepper by 1/4 teaspoon increments until you reach your desired heat level. The sauce will thicken slightly as it cools, so keep this in mind when determining consistency.
Storage & Reheating Instructions
- Freezing: Not recommended, as the butter base may separate when thawed.
- Refrigerator Storage: Store in airtight containers for up to 1 week. The sauce may solidify due to the butter content.
- Reheating Method: Gently warm in the microwave for 15-20 seconds, or let it come to room temperature naturally. Stir well before using.
More Chicken Wing Recipes
- Pluckers Wings
- Garlic Wing Sauce
- Lemon Pepper Wet Sauce Recipe
- Habanero Buffalo Wings
- Honey BBQ Boneless Wings Recipe
- Grilled Buffalo Chicken Wings
- Boneless Buffalo Wings
Great Game Day Recipes
- Bacon Wrapped Smokies
- Beefy Cheese Ball
- White Queso Dip
- Hot Cheetos Popcorn
- Pretzel Wrapped Sausage
- Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Chicken Dip
Be sure to check out more of my easy appetizer recipes and the best game day food to make for your next party or celebration.
Hooters Chicken Wing Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup Tabasco Sauce
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 3/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons chili sauce
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together. This will store well in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Serve this with the Hooter’s Hot Wings.
i worked at hooters in ft myers fl for 3 yrs, this is hooter “secret sauce” Louisana Crystal Hot Sauce and butter. Hot is straight sauce medium is 59/50, and mild is 75% hot sauce/ 25% butter. The flour used to be All-pupose flour, Cayanne pepper, accent salt, and I always throw some granulated garlic.
I agree Andyymann. I have been making these wings for years now. I don’t understand why all of the different recipes will say to use tobasco. I always use Louisiana, butter, garlic, and I will tweek a little as needed, and they tatse identical to the real sauce. I love all of Hooters wings. I prefer them over Buffalo Wild Wings anyday!
Does this make more sense?
Hot=straight louisana
Medium=50/50 with butter
Mild=25 hot sauce/75 butter
Hi guys im an ex hooters Chef, the exact recipe for the breading is 250g flour and 80g MSG. best oil to fry with is Palm oil
Wow, the package has whole what in it. But man, that is a lot of MSG.
Recently I was really, really low on cash and debts were eating me from all sides! That was UNTIL I decided to make money on the internet. I went to surveymoneymaker dot net, and started filling in surveys for cash, and surely I’ve been far more able to pay my bills! I’m so glad, I did this.. – jylm
Your sauce was delicious. I’ve been working years trying to duplicate the hooters sauce in taste and texture. I believe hooters sauce to be more of a paste Than a liquid. I’m getting closer all the time but am still not satisfied with my current recepie. I Defiantly enjoy the hunt of perfection but I believe my family and friends are enjoying it much more than me!
I think sometimes it is very difficult duplicating things in our own kitchens when they are prepared in corporate kitchens with ingredients that we don’t readily have.
Maybe you want to try adding some xantham gum.
A delicious wing sauce I agree but defiantly not a copy of the hooters sauce. Having consumed hundreds if not close to a thousand hooters wings from coast to coast I hold the hooter wing as the pinnacle of wings and this sauce does NOT replicate hooters.
Thank you for letting me know you think they sauce fell short. I appreciate the input.
Damn that was it!!! Right on the money 🙂
When we made our sauce, it was really thick, like a wing butter. How can we fix this? I’d think you’d encounter the same problem after refrigerating?
Guys don,t go to Hooters to eat wings..They go to see the Boobs hang out,and butt cheeks shining..As a wife this is disgusting..
abviosly you dont know guys as well as you think. do you watch tv as you eat, have you ever?
You have never ate there have ya? Jealous much? Love hooters and butts as much as the next guy but enjoy food sports and atmosphere there. Btw my wife loves it as much as I do!
I’m a girl and I love going to Hooters to eat! Nothing to do with the girls, just go foor the good.
I think Hooters makes decent food.
quite possibly the most ignorant response posted on this entire site
Well my wife is better looking than any Hooters girl I’ve seen. We BOTH go there for the wings and have a great time. It’s a fun atmosphere. You should really try it sometime. It might kill that bug up your butt. I feel for your husband.
jealous? if the guys are checking out the girls – why not check out the guys? it’s as simple as that.
by the way, this looks like a good recipe to try!
having been through two failed marriages. trying to make your partner Jealous is Never a good Idea. Talking and listening. Know the difference between a feeling and a thought and judgments. But Im here to get a extra mild wing sauce.
Jeff, I hope you were able to get the sauce you were looking for. It sounds like you know a lot about life.
Do you get out much? Guys can go to strip clubs for the boobs. As a wife of a man I can tell you Hooters is not going to ruin your marriage. Lighten up.
I am a wife and I love going to Hooters. Your disgust is more a reflection on your own insecurities than anything else.
Indeed
I will tell you what I think is disgusting, is a wife who tries to hold the reins to tight and makes a her husbands life miserable. You sound like one of them. My ex-wife tried that crap on me, that is why she is now my ex…
This type of woman posting this is precisely why Hillary Clinton will never be elected. Every time that woman speaks, men all across the country will be reminded of their ex-wives. All that will be missing, is flying ashtrays. Hooters used to have the best wings bar none. Now they have changed the recipe of their sauces and their wings suck. My wife and I have been going there for wings for nineteen years, and after tonight, i will never go back. And it isn’t because the broads were ugly. I can;t believe they would do something this stupid. This is as dumb as “New Coke” back in the eighties.
Yeah… “Thevic”, your an idiot and a generalizing one at that. You don’t have a clue. Maybe your life experience is different or you date guys that treat you like your crappy comment sounds, but don’t lump every guy together. Just like men should never lump every girl together. Your comment shows your narrow minded small thinking andbis just offensive.
I discovered hooters in the mid 80’s and even wanted to buy a franchise back then. Like others on this page, I think the wing is the example of what hot wings should be. They are not a wet, covered in sauce wing but more like little pieces of fried chicken in a spicy format. And take out orders deliver the same satisfaction as a dine in.. For me, like some men, it really is about the hot wings. And the girls aren’t that pretty. If I wanted to see boobs, I would just go to a strip club. Thanks posting the recipe. I hope to try them soon.
Hooters is dying! They use to have pretty women with pretty bodies, pretty faces, and nice boobs! Now they have fat women, skinny women, some have men. They suck!! The food hasn’t changed that much but their wings aren’t hot anymore and i love hot wings.Try Twin Peaks!! The scenery is a lot lot better and they have a larger selection of food!!
Stephanie thanks for putting this site up! I love it! I am going to have to buy your cookbook. My husband & I will love it! The foods we like without waiting in line or paying restaurant prices! Now I think I will invest in that deep fryer I have always wanted! Is there a deep fryer anyone would recomend?
I don’t have one I can recommend. I just use a regular cooking pot 😉 I used to have a fry daddy, but I don’t even know if they make those any longer.
I just purchased the Emeril deep fryer with the Oil Filtration System from hsn and I love it so much you save money on oil and it frys everything up perfect and its soo easy to clean and dishwasher safe. We have made two batches of hotwings/deep fried oreos and corndogs and everything has came out perfect.
Thanks for putting this recipe up! I love hot wings! I cook up a bunch & freeze them so I will have a snack when I want & something easy to heat up when my husband is not home. He does not like hot wings! If I could figure out Tyson’s recipe (I know it is not a restaurant) I would be in hot wing heaven! I think they are close to this recipe!
Chili sauce? Do I make my own or buy it of the shelf ? And if I do buy what brand?
You buy it, you buy the Heinz brand it is often sold next to the cocktail sauce.
what other brands you recommend for this? I ask because we do not have much variation here in Mexico
I can’t believe people don’t know what chili sauce is !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How about sriracha sauce? Or ponzu sauce? Or creme fraiche? Everyone should know everything? Dick.
Ppl are so nice in these comments! Bet author is so happy to have shared!
butter or margarine–salted or unsalted butter I do know what chili sauce is–Moron
If you want to eat somewhat healthy, always pick butter! It is a little more expensive, but butter is a natural food & better for you than oily margarine! Butter is richer & tastes so much better too!
I use to cook offshore and at a restaurant where they were always a big hit.
How many wings will this recipe cover?
I usually get a two pounds out of this sauce.
Do you have a milder version of the sauce receipe option?
This is the worst sauce ive ever tasted. The breading is really good though.
Wow, I am sorry you feel that was the worst sauce you ever tasted. I have received lots of good compliments over the hot wings over the years. I apologize that you had a bad experience.
Thank you Stephanie, I find that your recipes are all excellent.
what is chili sauce,
It is a condiment, it is often sold sitting right next to the cocktail sauce.
what is cocktail sauce?
Most simply it is a combination of Ketchup and Horseraddish that a lot of people use as a dip for seafood. Stephanie
It also normally has some lemon juice, and a dash of hot sauce such as cayenne or tabasco.
I will have to try it that way.
I have been making it this way for years and it is the best.