6 Sauces To Dip Your Wings In Beyond Ranch

By this point, the buffalo wing meta is pretty firmly established. Whether you toss your wings in hot sauce, barbecue sauce, soy sauce, or some other kind of coating, you're likely to dip it into blue cheese or ranch dressing. There's some controversy as to whether ranch dressing is an acceptable dip, but other than that, there hasn't been much movement in the culture at large.

But phooey to that, we say! The same renegade spirit that led an Upstate New York bar owner to toss chicken wings in a mix of Frank's Red Hot and butter to create the Buffalo coating we know today drives us to find another dip — one that serves the same creamy, tangy purpose as blue cheese or ranch while bringing some more unique flavors to the table. You may try some of the following options and come away unimpressed, but that's part of the fun, isn't it? Unless you're experimenting with eating mushrooms off the forest floor (which you absolutely should not do), trying some funky new flavor combination isn't going to kill you. And it may just give you a fun topic of conversation once you're comfortable enough with your date to take them out for wings.

Aioli is a mixture of garlic and olive oil that originated in the Mediterranean, often emulsified until it has a creamy consistency like mayonnaise. (In fact, a lot of places here in the West use "aioli" to mean "fancy mayonnaise".) On paper, it already sounds like a good condiment for wing dipping, doesn't it? After all, it's creamy like blue cheese or ranch, and the addition of garlic lends it the funky bite necessary to cut through the spicy hot sauce.

But the fun doesn't end there, because you can add all sorts of different flavors to your aioli. Although purists will insist an aioli should be nothing more than garlic and olive oil with touches of salt and lemon, you can experiment to your heart's content. Want to stir in some sriracha or chipotle? Go right ahead. What about a touch of gochujang? Knock yourself out. Herbs like dill, chives, or cilantro? The world is your oyster, provided you don't have the cilantro soap gene.

Listen, we get why you might be skeptical. Hot honey is one of those trendy, buzzy ingredients that seems to show up everywhere, whether it's Mike's Hot Honey or some other brand. But let's not throw out the sweet, spicy baby with the bathwater, because there's more to hot honey than just hype — this isn't Dubai chocolate we're talking about, here. Anything that needs a hit of sweetness and a jolt of heat would benefit from its use, particularly wings.

This is probably the most unique application on this list, because it's not creamy or funky like most wing dips tend to be. It may not be ideal for a plate of buffalo wings, but if you're looking to enrich, say, some plain Korean fried chicken wings, it could be a great way to add an explosion of flavor. And if you'd rather not have a bottle of the stuff hanging out in your fridge afterward, you can always make your own hot honey at home.

It's absurdly easy to make your own tahini sauce — all you need is tahini paste, water, lemon juice, and garlic — and it's exactly what you need to serve as a chicken wing accoutrement. It's creamy, of course, which makes it perfect for sticking to your wing as you bring it to your mouth, and it has a wonderfully complex nutty flavor that will elevate your eating experience.

In fact, it elevates it so much that you might even want to make it the star of the show. You can work the tahini into a glaze that coats your chicken wings, with or without the addition of hot sauce to make things a little extra spicy. And if you bought a jar expressly for this purpose, don't worry so much about it going bad — tahini should last about six months in the fridge after being opened.

There are so many wonderful things you can dip in hummus, from pita chips to pretzel sticks to carrots and celery. But what about something meatier, something a little more substantial? Well, chicken wings happen to stand up wonderfully to hummus, and this tasty blend of chickpeas lends wings a certain nutty, funky appeal.

Best of all, there are so many different ways you can flavor hummus, not unlike aioli. You can blend it with tzatziki for something fresh and Mediterranean; you can mix it with chipotle and lime if you want a nice sour-spicy kick; you can even cut out the middleman and flavor hummus with Frank's Red Hot to give it a buffalo wing-esque flavor profile. You can go back to dunking pretzel sticks into this wonderful dip any time you want, but you'll be secure in the knowledge that a fun, tasty twist is waiting for you whenever you're ready.

If you've never had Thai food before, you may not know what prik nam pla is. Well, basically, it's a Thai dipping sauce made from chili peppers and fish sauce, mixed together into a satisfyingly chunky consistency. It definitely brings some heat to the table (which should come as no surprise if you've had Thai food), but it also adds umami funk and vegetal brightness, both of which make for welcome additions to your wing-eating experience. It's like eating your wings, your ranch dip, and your celery sticks all in one bite.

The "nam pla" of the name refers to the fish sauce, which is, well, pretty much exactly what it sounds like. It does sound a little more off-putting than it really is in practice, though — after all, Worcestershire sauce is technically a fish sauce, too. Unlike Worcestershire sauce, though, it's something you'll have to make at home, but luckily for you, it's pretty easy and deeply rewarding. All you need is some fish sauce, lime juice, a little bit of sugar, minced garlic, and some chili peppers.

If you're unfamiliar with the regional barbecue rivalries raging across the nation, you may not understand the hype around Alabama barbecue sauce. Simply put, it's a mixture of mayonnaise, vinegar, and assorted seasonings, invented by an Alabama pitmaster who wanted to add some more moisture to his smoked chicken. It's a polarizing condiment, but then again, pretty much every element of barbecue is divisive. Put all of that aside, and what you have is a rich, creamy sauce that's as good for non-smoked chicken as it is for smoked.

This is another one of those sauces you can use as a dip for already-sauced wings, or as the sauce itself. It's got a relatively mild flavor, so it won't necessarily overpower any other tastes in the mix (and if it does, that's what the saying "a little dab'll do ya" is for). If you want to make it the star of the show, it'll serve you as reliably as it has the Yellowhammer State for decades.