Better-Than-Restaurant Garlic Parmesan Wings

posted by divas can cook on Jan 22, 2023 (updated Mar 20, 2023) 4 comments »

5 from 4 ratings

Crispy garlic parmesan wings tossed in the ultimate, bold, flavorful sauce! Using fresh ingredients creates better-than-restaurant results!

Watch me make these garlic parmesan wings from start to finish!

Hubby and I have decided to use this year of homeschooling to do more educational traveling with our boys. I can hardly believe I have a nine and a 15-year-old; what the heck?

Man, they grow up so quickly, don’t they? They are at the perfect ages to appreciate educational traveling, and I love it! They love history, so we’re excited to tackle a few historical spots.

I’ve been knee-deep in planning our adventures (again!), and of course, I’ve added some iconic food stops. When we hit Connecticut, we’re headed to Timothy’s Tavern to try out the wings I keep hearing about.

Have you tried them? I sure hope it’s gonna be worth the hype because I sure love a good chicken wing!

I made these garlic parmesan wings for dinner, and they were gone in minutes!

Looking for the perfect game-day appetizer? This wing recipe is it!

You know the wings are good when it makes people go beast mode. It’s like they can’t get it off the bone fast enough.

That’s how my youngest was while devouring these wings before asking, “Are these on your site yet?”

Where are my manners?! Let me share them with ya because they are Uh-MAZING!

Simple, yet amazing.

What are garlic parmesan wings?

If this is your first time having/making garlic parmesan chicken wings, then you’re probably wondering what garlic parmesan wings taste like. They aren’t winning any beauty contests, but they are so delicious!

Get ready for some amazing garlic-parm flavor! If you’ve had them before at Wingstop or another restaurant, then the homemade version will completely spoil you.

They are not hot and spicy wings like buffalo wings. Instead, they are fried and then tossed in a flavorful garlic parmesan wing sauce consisting of butter, garlic, and spices.

After that, these wings are hit with fresh parmesan cheese, black pepper, and parsley.

It’s a beautiful thing with simple, fresh ingredients!

What is garlic parmesan sauce made of?

Ahhh that sauce! It’s so good! It starts with butter as the base. Once the butter is melted, we’re gonna add it lots of fresh minced garlic. Fresh garlic is the key to getting a really bold garlic flavor, but just to bump it up even more and really get a good garlic butter sauce, it also has garlic powder.

Next comes a little bit of freshly grated parmesan! We don’t need much for the sauce since we’re going to be hitting these wings with parmesan cheese again once we plate them.

Now that we have our two main flavors in the pan, it’s time to add some simple spices to complement them: onion powder, black pepper, salt, and dried parsley. Yep, that’s all we need for one amazing garlic parmesan wing sauce!

Ingredients for garlic parmesan wings

Chicken wings- Use flats, drummettes, or a mixture of both (I go for organic wings here)
Olive oil- for coating the wings
All-purpose flour- This will give the wings an amazing crunch when fried
Seasoning salt- Use your favorite all-purpose seasoning salt
Black pepper- A little goes a long way
Garlic powder- This will help add even more garlic flavor to wings
Unsalted butter- The base for our wing sauce
Minced garlic- Use fresh garlic for bold flavor and resist the urge to use the jarred variety.
Parmesan cheese- Use a block of fresh parmesan for ultimate flavor
Sea salt- This will help bring out all the flavor in the sauce
Onion powder- to complement the other spices
Parsley (dried and fresh)- This adds fantastic color and a pop of fresh flavor garnishes the wings.

How to make garlic parmesan wings

Wash and completely pat dry the wings with paper towels and place them in a large bowl. (I like to wash and scrub the wings in water and lemon juice.)
Coat the wings lightly in olive oil.
Mix together seasoning salt, black pepper, and garlic powder and sprinkle evenly over the chicken.
Mix together flour, seasoning salt, and garlic powder and coat the chicken in the flour mixture.
Place the chicken on a plate and cover it with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
To make the sauce, melt butter in a large saucepan.
Add garlic and saute just until the garlic is barely golden and fragrant. (careful not to burn the garlic)
Reduce heat and stir in the remaining sauce ingredients. Keep the sauce on low until the chicken is done.
When chicken is ready to be fried, add oil to a deep skillet and heat to 365 F.
Fry wings until golden.
Once the wings are done, remove them from the oil and place them on a plate lined with paper towels.
Immediately toss the wings in the garlic parmesan sauce. Allowing the sauce to coat the chicken and soak in a bit completely.
Place the chicken on a plate, and spoon on more of the garlic parmesan sauce (You don’t need to use all of the butter but make sure to spread plenty of those flavorful garlic bits all over the wings).
Immediately sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese, black pepper, and fresh parsley.
Serve immediately.

Best dipping sauce for parmesan garlic wings

These wings are flavorful enough to hold their own without needing a dipping sauce; however, ranch dressing and blue cheese dressing are a good match. I like to make garlic parmesan ranch by adding some leftover garlic from the pan to a bowl of ranch and stirring in garlic powder, parmesan cheese, and fresh parsley. Let your taste buds be your guide here.

Air-fryer garlic parmesan wings

These garlic parmesan wings can also be made in the air fryer.

Before placing the floured wings in the air fryer, coat them very lightly with cooking spray or oil and place them in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Air fry according to your air fryer’s directions for fresh wings. After the wings are done and crisp, proceed with the recipe.

Baked garlic parmesan wings

If you aren’t into frying the wings (which produces the crispiest wings, IMO), you can also bake them in the oven. Once you remove the flour wings from the fridge, coat them lightly in cooking spray or oil.

Place them on a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet. You can place aluminum foil on the bottom for easy clean-up. Preheat the oven to 400 F. and bake for about 35-40 minutes until golden and crisp. (timing will vary based on the size of your wings) After that, proceed with the recipe.

How to store garlic parmesan wings

If you happen to have some leftovers (we never do!), store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.

Questions?

Can I add other spices to these parmesan garlic wings? Sure can; I think these wings are always seasoned to perfection. But if you’re looking to add more, try using smoked paprika on the wings or dousing them wings in liquid smoke before seasoning them.

Can I add baking powder to the flour? Baking powder is supposed to help the chicken skin to crisp up more. If you are frying the wings in oil, this isn’t needed. However, you can add it if you are air frying or baking the wings, although I never do.

How do I get my wings dry? After washing them, use paper towels to dry them. I dry them individually by giving a squeeze in paper towels and patting them dry.

Can I use the wing tips? The wing tips are usually cut off at the joint using a sharp knife and discarded since this is mainly bone. I save and freeze my wing tips and use it to make broth.

Is this a keto recipe? No, this is not a keto-friendly recipe. It contains flour.

Get the Recipe: Better-Than-Restaurant Garlic Parmesan Wings

5 from 4 ratings

Crispy garlic parmesan wings tossed in the ultimate, bold and flavorful garlic parmesan sauce! Using fresh ingredients creates better-than-restaurant results!

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 15

Chill Time: 30

Total Time: 1

Servings: 4

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Leave a Review

Ingredients

1 lb chicken wings (I used 12 flats and drummettes)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon seasoning salt, divided (I used lawrys)
1¼ teaspoon course ground black pepper, divided
2½ teaspoons garlic powder, divided
¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup unsalted butter, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic (about 4-6 fresh cloves)
½ teaspoon onion powder, divided
1 teaspoon sea salt
6 teaspoons fresh grated parmesan cheese, divided
1 teaspoon dried parsley, divided
tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped (for garnish)

Instructions

Wash and completely pat dry the wings using paper towels and place them in a large bowl. (I like wash and scrub the wings in water and lemon juice.)
Coat the wings lightly in olive oil.
In a small bowl, combine ½ teaspoon seasoning salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, and 1 teaspoon garlic powder and sprinkle evenly over wings. Set aside.
In a shallow dish,combine flour, ½ teaspoon seasoning salt, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon black pepper,and ¼ teaspoon onion powder.
Coat chicken in the flour mixture.
Place the chicken on a plate and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
To make the sauce, melt butter in a pot over medium heat.
Add fresh garlic and saute just until the garlic is barely golden and fragrant. (careful not to burn the garlic)
Reduce heat and stir in 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 2 tablespoon parmesan cheese, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ¼ teaspoon onion powder, ¾ teaspoon dried parsley, and ¾ teaspoon sea salt. Keep the sauce on low until the chicken is done.
When chicken is ready to be fried, add oil to a deep skillet and heat to 365 F.
Fry wings until golden on both sides.
Once wings are done, remove them from the oil and toss them in the garlic parmesan sauce. Allowing the sauce to thoroughly coat the wings and soak in a bit.
Place the chicken on a plate, and spoon on more of the garlic parmesan sauce (You don't have to use all of the butter but make sure to spread plenty of those flavorful garlic bits all over the wings).
Immediately sprinkle generously with grated parmesan cheese, black pepper, and fresh parsley.
Serve immediately.