This classic hot buffalo wing sauce recipe is literally finger-licking good. It’s the perfect blend of spice and flavor with that special tang that is unique to buffalo sauce.

Last year it was sometimes difficult to find buffalo wings available on any menu because of a wing shortage. But there were still a lot of options for the home cook, as long as you have a good buffalo sauce of your own. If you can’t find buffalo wings on the menu at your favorite restaurant, this recipe will turn you into a master wing maker.

Every once in a while my wife and I will have friends and family over for what we call a “wing party.” With everyone over, we fry up some chicken and then sauce it all up with 6 or 7 different flavors. Without fail we always have a classic buffalo sauce to serve.

The best part is how simple this sauce actually is to make.

When you make hot buffalo wings, you really want to make sure that the sauce is on point. Sure, it’s all about the chicken and you really want that smoky hot flavor to be the star of the show, but without a proper wing sauce, you’re really missing out on some serious flavor.

You can use this recipe for chicken wings or as a sauce for all sorts of things: pizza, nachos, fries, salads, burgers, grilled cheese, etc. So let’s dig in.

Buffalo Wing Sauce Ingredients

There are a few ways to mix up the ingredients in a buffalo wing sauce, but it always starts with a base of hot sauce and butter. Vinegar, ground peppers, garlic powder, and Worcestershire sauce are then commonly added to help round out the flavor of the sauce.

For the hot sauce, the true classic original is Frank’s RedHot Original. This is a vinegary hot sauce that is a bit milder than most other hot sauces. This is the hot sauce I typically use for making buffalo wing sauce at home. However, you can use any hot sauce that you prefer.

The next step is to add some butter. The amount of butter will affect the heat and thickness of your final sauce. A lot of people like their hot sauces on the spicy side, but I tend to prefer a more balanced mix especially since my wife doesn’t love things too spicy. I like to use 1/2 cup of butter.

Once you’ve got the butter in the sauce, you can add some spices for more flavor. This is where you can get creative. You can add any spice that you’d like. I like to add some garlic powder and various ground peppers. These spices really round out the flavor of the sauce.

For the ground peppers, the most commonly used is cayenne powder. However, I also like to add in some ancho and chipotle powders to give even more mix of flavors.

How Spicy Is It?

Buffalo wing sauce doesn’t have to be extremely spicy. The best sauces are subtle with layers of flavor. I still want to be able to taste everything else, rather than having an inferno in my mouth. A good wing sauce can add heat without being overwhelming.

What makes a spicy wing sauce hot? Peppers. It starts with the hot sauce used, where I call for Frank’s RedHot Original. You can choose a spicier or milder hot sauce to use as the base of this sauce. The Frank’s sauce is the one originally used in the first buffalo sauce, so it is the one I still use today.

The second part that affects the spice levels is the ground peppers added. If you aren’t into spicy foods, just omit all of the added peppers. On the other hand, if you are into that sweet burning sensation, be a little more generous when adding the cayenne, ancho, or chipotle powders.

The best way to determine if your wing sauce is hot enough is to taste it. Remember, though, that it is much easier to add more spice to the sauce and much more difficult to tone it down. So start on the lower side of things and then add more hot sauce or ground peppers until you’re satisfied.

And remember, you can always tame it down with a bit of ranch dressing.

How to Make the Buffalo Wing Sauce

The sauce starts with butter melting in a base of Frank’s RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce. Just add them both to a saucepan over medium-low heat. It is important not to heat the sauce on high, because it will be more likely to split.

While the butter is melting, measure and add in all of the remaining ingredients. Whisk it all together to mix everything well. Then stir occasionally and let the sauce come to a simmer. If needed, you can turn the temperature up slightly higher to medium heat. But be careful and make sure to watch it well.

As the sauce heats up, it will thicken ever so slightly. But remember that this is still a fairly runny sauce.

Once the sauce just begins to simmer, remove it from the heat and continue to stir it for about a minute. Then you can either use it right away or let it cool and store it in the fridge for up to a week.

For different ideas on serving the sauce, make sure to check out the next section.

Ways to Use Your Sauce

Coat, dip, or drizzle.

If you’re a fan of buffalo wing sauce, there are plenty of ways to use it. You can simply enjoy it on the side or top of your pizza, and use it in dips, stir-fry, salads, or pasta. It’s a versatile condiment that you can add to a variety of dishes. Or if you’re feeling creative, you can even experiment with it.

Now, it’s time to put the sauce to good use. Marinades, basting, aiolis, salad dressings. Let your buffalo-coated imagination run wild.

I love using this sauce as a base for buffalo chicken pizza. It is one of my all-time favorite dishes. My wife can attest that if that is an option on the menu, I will almost always order it to try out their creation. But, it is that much better to make your own homemade pizza with buffalo chicken on top.

Try out the following recipes:

• Fried Buffalo Chicken Wings
• Hot Honey Biscuit Buffalo Chicken Sandwich
• Buffalo Smoked Chicken Drumsticks
• Homemade Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Share your favorite way to use this sauce in the comments below.

Top Tips

Always keep an eye on your sauce. The sauce should only be heated up just to a simmer and then removed from the heat.

You can use your buffalo sauce in a variety of ways. Try it on fried chicken, as a salad dressing, marinade, dip, and on top of popcorn.

Store your sauce in a refrigerator when it has cooled off. It’ll keep for up to 2 weeks.

How did yours turn out?

I’d love to hear when you try out this buffalo sauce! Take a pic of your food and share your success with me by adding it to your Instagram stories or feed, and tagging me @doyouroux, or by using #doyouroux.

Plus, leave a rating to let me know how you liked the recipe. It helps me out a lot to know how things worked out… or didn’t.

Classic Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: SauceDifficulty: Easy

Servings

5

servings

Prep time

2

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Total time

12

minutes

Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce is a spicy, tangy sauce that is relatively simple to make at home. So try making your own homemade buffalo sauce to spice things up.

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup Frank’s red hot sauce

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter

• 2 tablespoons white vinegar

• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon ancho or chipotle powder

• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions

• Add the hot sauce and butter to a saucepan over medium-low heat
• As the butter is melting add in all remaining ingredients
• Whisk everything together to combine and continue whisking as the butter melts
• Bring the sauce just to a simmer, then remove it from heat and continue to stir for a minute
• Use the sauce immediately or let it cool and store it in the fridge

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I love chipotle peppers. (Note my chipotle hot honey, chipotle crema, blackened seasoning, and bbq sauce recipes…) I also love alliteration. And so here is my chocolate chipotle chili con carne.

All of the C’s.

It is the time of year for a nice hearty, warm meal and chili fits the bill. The chipotle peppers and adobo sauce add a whole lot of smoky flavor with an added kick of heat to the pot. Warning, there is some spice to this recipe.

Just make sure to consistently stir the pot so that nothing burns to the bottom of your pan. Even though it is stuck at the bottom of the pan, it can ruin the rest of the chili with that burnt flavor.

Also, please do not let the long list of ingredients scare you away from this recipe. A lot of the recipe is simply dumping things into the pot (gently, so there’s no splashing) and stirring them together.

So get to dumping and bring this chili to a table near you.

Chocolate and Chipotle in a Chili?

So I guess chipotle peppers aren’t too strange to add into a chili since peppers are a common ingredient. Though a lot of times plain chile powder, jalapenos, or cayenne are the ones included in recipes. As I stated above, my main pepper of choice here is the chipotle pepper for its smoky flavor. Along with some ancho powder and poblano.

But chocolate is on the more interesting side of ingredients in a chili.

Honestly, not much cocoa powder is actually added to the chili. It is used more like a seasoning. And I think it adds a subtle depth of flavor and helps round out some of the heat from the peppers.

Also, it isn’t like we’re adding a milk chocolate bar to the chili. It is just a bit of unsweetened cocoa powder. So it will not make the entire pot of chili taste like a weird chocolate soup with meat and beans.

Together the chocolate and chipotle add smoky, roasted, and bitter flavors to the chili. But they aren’t overwhelming. And they complement the meat, beans, and tomatoes.

The goal is a single cohesive dish where all of the flavors work together.

What to Put in Your Chili

I debated with myself before making this recipe on whether I would use dried or canned beans and fresh or canned tomatoes. In the end, the quality, consistency, and ease of the canned goods won out.

In the recipe, I call for one large can of crushed tomatoes. I would also suggest potentially subbing out for canned fire-roasted tomatoes. It will lend even more smoky flavors to the chili. Fire-roasted tomatoes will complement the smoky chipotle peppers.

I think it is important to use a good quality cocoa powder. Higher-quality cocoa will have a lot more depth of flavor. For this chili, I ended up using a Valhrona cocoa powder.

Besides what to put inside your chili, you may want to put some thought into what you put on top of your chili.

Try topping your hot bowl of chili with shredded cheddar cheese, crumbled cotija cheese, chopped cilantro, pickled jalapeno or red onion, sour cream, avocado, and/or chives. It is great to have your toppings set out so that everyone can add their own toppings.

Add more sour cream and stir it in to help temper the spiciness of the chipotle peppers.

Serve this chili with some cornbread or tortillas on the side to make it a full meal.

Chocolate Chipotle Chili con Carne

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: SoupsDifficulty: Intermediate

Servings

10

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

2

hours 

Total time

2

hours 

20

minutes

Peppers, spices, beans, and meat combine in this chocolate chipotle chili con carne for a deeply smoky, roasted, and spicy stew

Ingredients

• 1 large poblano pepper

• 2 large shallots

• 5 cloves garlic

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 1 pound ground beef

• 1 and 1/2 to 2 pounds beef chuck roast

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• 1 cup beef broth

• 1 can (7.5 ounces) chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

• 1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika

• 1 teaspoon cumin powder

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

• 1 teaspoon chipotle powder

• 1/2 teaspoon ancho powder

• 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 2 tablespoons honey

• 1 large can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes

• 2 cans (15.5 ounces) kidney beans

• 2 cans (15.5 ounces) black beans

• 1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder

• For serving: cheddar cheese, cotija cheese, cilantro, jalapeno, sour cream, avocado, cornbread, tortillas, and/or chives

Directions

• Seed and chop the poblano, chop the shallot, and mince the garlic
• Add the oil, the chopped poblano and onion, and the minced garlic to a large Dutch oven (if using a Dutch oven) or a large frying pan (if using a slow cooker)
• Sauté them over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes until the shallot becomes translucent
• While the poblano, shallot, and garlic are cooking, cut the chuck roast into 1/2-inch cubes and cut away any extra fat
• When the shallots are cooked, add the chuck roast into the pot/pan and crumble in the ground beef
• Brown the meat on medium heat, stirring until all sides are browned
• While the meat is browning, combine the vinegar, broth, chipotle peppers with adobo sauce, paprika, cumin, cloves, chipotle powder, and ancho powder in a blender and mix together until smooth
• Dutch Oven Instructions
• Pour the blended mixture into the Dutch oven and stir to combine
• Add in the tomato paste, bay leaves, salt, pepper, honey, crushed tomato, kidney beans, black beans, Worcestershire sauce, and cocoa powder to the pot and stir thoroughly
• Cook with the lid on at medium-low heat for at least 90 minutes, stirring frequently enough to make sure nothing burns to the bottom of the Dutch oven
• Once the cubed chuck roast is fork-tender, remove the pot from the heat and serve the chili with your choice of toppings
• Slow Cooker Instructions
• Add the mixture of browned meats, blended peppers/spices, tomato paste, bay leaves, salt, pepper, honey, crushed tomato, kidney beans, black beans, Worcestershire sauce, and cocoa powder to the slow cooker
• Stir everything together until it is thoroughly combined
• Set the slow cooker on low for 4 hours, or high for 2 hours
• Once the cubed chuck roast is fork-tender, turn the slow cooker off and serve the chili with your choice of toppings

Notes

• If the chili ever gets too thick, then add beef broth a half-cup at a time and stir it together until it reaches the desired consistency

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This recipe comes loosely based on the grilled shrimp burrito I used to get from a lesser-known chain restaurant called Rubio’s. It was a favorite growing up, was really close to our house, and mom liked it. So it was one of the more common places to go if we went out to eat. At one point they changed how they made the burrito though and it was never the same…

While my fried shrimp burrito isn’t a true attempt to copy that original burrito, it was an inspiration. Just like Taco Bell inspired my quesarito copycat recipe. Turning the chipotle crema into more of a chipotle dressing might hew closer to the original recipe.

I decided to fry the shrimp for my recipe, cause why not. If you don’t feel like the extra effort of frying shrimp, then you can use grilled shrimp instead. But the added crunch from the fried shrimp is amazing.

So let’s go ahead and prep all these delicious ingredients to make the filling for these burritos.

Shrimp Burrito Recipe

In preparation for this recipe, I made posts for spicy chipotle crema and how to fold a burrito. Those ones help set the stage for making this recipe.

You will need some kind of chipotle crema for the burrito. I may be a bit biased, but I would highly recommend my recipe. However, you can use one of your own or buy some if you want to skip this step.

The most difficult part of the recipe is the coating and frying of the shrimp.

To do this, set up three different plates or bowls. Put the flour in the first one, beaten eggs in the second one, and panko bread crumbs in the third. Then take the shrimp and dip them through each bowl, making sure that they are fully coated in each one.

After coating the shrimp, heat them up in some oil or in an air fryer. And you’re ready to go.

Make sure that you use large tortillas. These are burritos, so they should be large and take two hands to eat.

And if you are feeling a bit fancier, you can make your own cilantro-lime rice to infuse extra flavor into the burritos. Or mix it up with Mexican rice.

Mix or Match

When making burritos at home, I have typically served it as a build-your-own kind of open meal. Bowls of ingredients are set out and each person can make their own exactly how they want it.

You can certainly serve these burritos as make your own.

But you can also pre-mix the filling.

When I approached this recipe, I premixed all of the fillings except for the chipotle crema and lime wedges. Then I built the burritos by adding the filling to the tortilla, drizzling on the chipotle crema, and folding the burrito up.

This way I was able to kind of assembly-line build the burritos. It is quicker, takes fewer bowls, and everyone can eat at once instead of waiting in line to make a shrimp burrito. You can also include Mexican rice, elotes, bean dip, or salsa either on the side or included as filling.

Baja Shrimp Burrito with Chipotle Crema

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: DinnerDifficulty: Intermediate

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

45

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

Spicy, creamy, and crunchy, try a fried shrimp burrito to bring it all to the table

Ingredients

• 1 pound peeled, deveined, and shelled shrimp

• 1/2 cup flour

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper

• 2 eggs

• 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs

• 1 large avocado

• 1/2 cup chopped red onion

• 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes

• 1 lime

• 2/3 cup green cabbage

• 1 cup cooked black beans (or canned)

• 2 cups cooked rice

• 1/2 cup crumbled cotija cheese

• 8 large burrito tortillas

• 2/3 cup chipotle crema

Directions

• Set up the dredge for the shrimp by combining the flour, salt, garlic powder, and chipotle powder on one plate, whisk the eggs together into a bowl, and spread the breadcrumbs onto another plate
• Bread the shrimp by dunking them into the flour, then the eggs, and then the breadcrumbs and setting them aside until all shrimp are fully coated
• Deep fry the shrimp in oil at 375°F (190°C) in a fryer, a large pan on the stove, or an air fryer for 3 to 5 minutes until the shrimp are golden-brown (air frying will take about twice as long)
• Chop the avocado, red onion, and tomatoes into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces, slice the lime into wedges, and chop the cabbage up into shreds
• If you are letting people make their own burritos, then set all of the ingredients out in separate bowls, or combine the shrimp, avocado, red onion, tomatoes, cabbage, black beans, rice, and cotija cheese in one large bowl together
• Add the filling to the tortillas, drizzle them with chipotle crema, fold them up, and serve

Notes

• You may want extra chipotle crema to serve for dipping on the side

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I have long loved a good fish or shrimp taco. And after ordering so many of them, I noticed that a lot of those dishes were served drizzled with a creamy red-orange sauce. Eventually, I learned that was a chipotle crema, used to pack a punch of creamy, sweet, smoky flavor with a hint of lingering spice.

I love a simple recipe, and this one is hard to beat. Toss everything in a blender or food processor and let it rip. I tend to use my Nutribullet because it has smaller attachments that are a perfect fit for this.

Just make sure to let it blend until it is smooth.

Don’t worry too much about the spiciness of the peppers. The crema helps tame the heat a bit and shifts the focus to the flavor of the peppers more than anything.

Fun fact – jalapeño peppers turn red when left on the plant to ripen. I found that out when I grew them myself for the first time and wasn’t super vigilant in picking them while they were still green. But it turns out that was a fairly fortuitous discovery.

What are Chipotle’s in Adobo?

First of all, chipotle itself is a jalapeño pepper that had been smoked and dried. This gives it that unique smoky flavor that I love. I use ground chipotle powder all the time in my cooking. It adds a little bit of heat and a whole lot of smoky flavor to any dish.

The smoked and dried peppers are then stewed in adobo sauce and canned or jarred. Adobo is a vinegar and ground pepper/paprika-based sauce. It adds another depth of flavor, and usually even more smokiness to the mix.

For this chipotle crema, you will need less than one can from the store. I like to store any leftovers in a Ziploc in the freezer to use in later recipes.

Once you open the can, you’ll see the small peppers in a deep red sauce. We will use both the peppers and the sauce from the can for this crema.

Note – I have even tried my own hand at this whole process. I let my jalapeños stay on the plant long enough to turn red. Then I used my Traeger grill to smoke them. And finally made a homemade adobo sauce to put them in.

Unfortunately, I did not have a dehydrator. But it was a very fun process that I will have to try again someday.

Using Your Chipotle Crema

Chipotle crema is typically paired with Mexican or Tex-Mex dishes. Use it as a dip, a drizzle, or a sauce. But try it on or with anything that could use a punch of smoky flavor and a bit of heat.

Try it with tacos, nachos, tostadas, chilaquiles, or fajitas.

I like to use it with the following recipes:

• Fried Baja Shrimp Burrito
• Meat and Cheese Quesarito (Taco Bell Copycat)
• Fully Loaded Breakfast Burrito

I find that it pairs especially well with seafood. Any shrimp and white fish will pair well – especially with it drizzled as a taco topping.

Even use it as a dip for fries. Or use it as a dip for what is currently the most popular recipe on the site: fried potato and onion strings. Or use it in place of tartar sauce as a dip for fish and chips!

Basically, I think you could use it on anything. But you can make it yourself to test out the flavor and let me know what you think pairs with it best.

Simple and Spicy Chipotle Crema

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: SauceDifficulty: Easy

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Total time

5

minutes

Drizzled over tacos, nachos, burritos, and any Tex-Mex dish, chipotle crema gives creamy, sweet, smoky flavor with a hint of lingering spice

Ingredients

• 1 cup Mexican crema (can sub sour cream)

• 1/3 cup mayonnaise

• 1 clove garlic

• 2 chipotle peppers in adobo

• 1/2 tablespoon adobo sauce

• 1 tablespoon lime juice

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

• Add all ingredients into a food processor or blender
• Pulse on high for about 30 seconds until it is smooth
• Use immediately or store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 10 days

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Sweet and heat are always a delicious combination. And some of my favorite peppers – chipotles – also add smoky notes into the mix. So for this hot honey recipe, we’ll infuse some chipotles into the honey to get a smoky, sweet, and spicy condiment.

For me, this honey concoction gives a ton of flavor with a spice that comes on a little slow. It takes a few seconds, but then your tongue and the back of your throat will feel the burn. It is not quite enough to give the spicy sweats, so judge for yourself whether the spice is right for you. Also, note that its spiciness doesn’t linger.

Make sure to keep the heat low and stir occasionally when simmering it together. We don’t want to burn or caramelize the sugar, just infuse it with some spice and flavor. We also don’t want to lose too much moisture from the honey, because then it will be too thick to pour later once it has cooled. Luckily, because we add some of the adobo sauce to the mix, I don’t think it will thicken too much.

Note that you can make a super-quick version of this by just heating the honey for 45 seconds in the microwave and mixing with 3 tablespoons of ground, dried chipotle pepper. It doesn’t have quite as robust a flavor, but it gets the job done with no need to heat anything on the stove.

How to Use the Hot Honey

Though you could eat some of this hot honey all by itself, that is not its intended purpose. It is meant to be used as a condiment to dip, drizzle, and drench its unique flavor on everything you want to eat.

You can honestly try this hot honey out in combination with your favorite recipes. The honey does help tame some of the heat of the peppers. So don’t be afraid to experiment. Use a beautiful olive wood honey dipper to easily spread it around.

Pizza, fried chicken, buttermilk biscuits, wings, cheese and crackers, ice cream, corn on the cob, BBQ sauce. All of them pair wonderfully with this hot honey recipe. Your imagination is truly the limit. Just try to think of anything that would go well with a spicy-sweet combo.

Recipes to try with hot honey:

• Buffalo Hot Honey Biscuit Sandwich
• Honey, Watermelon, and Feta Salad
• Honey-Glazed Salmon
• Chicken and Waffles

Chipotle Hot Honey Recipe

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: SaucesDifficulty: Easy

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Total time

40

minutes

Smoky, spicy, and sweet, this chipotle hot honey recipe makes a perfect dip or drizzle to add some extra zing to your favorite dish.

Ingredients

• 1 cup honey

• 1 can chipotle peppers in adobo

• 1 teaspoon ground dried chipotle pepper

Directions

• Open the can of chipotle peppers, take two peppers out, and chop them
• Take 1 tablespoon of the adobo sauce from the can of peppers – store leftovers from the can in the fridge for other recipes
• Add honey, chopped peppers, and dried pepper to the saucepan and stir to combine
• Simmer on low for 30 to 60 minutes, stirring occasionally
• Strain it through a fine mesh strainer while it is still hot
• Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 months

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