Outback Kookaburra Wings Recipe

There’s something irresistibly addictive about Outback Steakhouse’s famous Kookaburra wings – that perfectly crispy exterior, the tangy buffalo coating, and the cooling blue cheese dip on the side.

If you’ve been craving that signature flavor without leaving your kitchen, this copycat Outback Kookaburra wings recipe delivers everything you love about the original, but even better. Using a few secret techniques and flavor boosters like chicken bouillon powder and the option of pork lard for frying, you’ll create restaurant-quality Outback Kookaburra wings that might just surpass the real deal.

Whether it’s game day, a family gathering, or just a serious wing craving, this recipe brings that iconic Aussie-inspired taste straight to your home.

What Does It Taste Like?

These Outback Kookaburra wings deliver an incredible balance of flavors and textures. The exterior is shatteringly crispy with a well-seasoned flour coating that’s been enhanced with cumin, poultry seasoning, and savory chicken bouillon powder.

Each bite offers a satisfying crunch before you reach the juicy, tender meat inside. The buffalo-style wing sauce provides a tangy, buttery heat that’s bold but not overwhelming, coating every crevice of the crispy skin.

When paired with the creamy, tangy homemade blue cheese dressing, you get that classic flavor combination that makes these wings utterly crave-worthy – savory, spicy, creamy, and absolutely addictive.

Outback Kookaburra Wings Recipe Ingredients

Ingredients

For the Chicken Wings:

• 2–3 lbs chicken wings (flats and drums), cleaned and patted dry
• 2 tsp all-purpose seasoning (or salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder blend)
• 2 tsp poultry seasoning

Seasoned Flour Mixture:

• 2–3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp all-purpose seasoning
• 2 tsp poultry seasoning
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp chicken bouillon powder (MSG-enhanced variety recommended)

For Frying:

• Pork lard (preferred) or neutral oil (vegetable, canola, or peanut oil) – enough for deep frying

Buffalo-Style Wing Sauce:

• 2–3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1–2 tsp chicken bouillon powder
• ¼–½ cup hot sauce (Frank’s RedHot recommended)

Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing:

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ½ cup sour cream
• ¼ cup buttermilk (plus more for thinning)
• 1–2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 4–6 oz quality blue cheese crumbles
• Salt and pepper to taste

For Serving:

• Celery sticks
• Carrot sticks

Kitchen Utensils

• Large mixing bowls (2–3)
• Kitchen shears
• Paper towels
• Wire whisk
• Foil-lined baking sheet
• Dutch oven, deep fryer, or heavy-bottomed pot
• Deep-fry/candy thermometer
• Wire cooling rack
• Tongs or spider strainer
• Small saucepan
• Large serving bowl

Preparation and Cooking Time

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Resting Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25–30 minutes (frying in batches)

Total Time: 60–65 minutes

Servings: 4–6 people

Copycat Outback Kookaburra Wings Recipe

Step 1: Clean and Prepare the Wings

Rinse your chicken wings under cold running water and inspect them carefully. Use kitchen shears to remove any stray feathers, bone fragments, or excess cartilage. Pat the wings completely dry with paper towels – this step is absolutely crucial for achieving that signature crispy texture on your copycat Outback Kookaburra wings.

Step 2: Season the Wings

Transfer the dried wings to a large mixing bowl. Generously sprinkle with all-purpose seasoning and poultry seasoning. Use your hands to massage the seasonings into every wing, ensuring even coverage. Set aside while you prepare the seasoned flour mixture.

Step 3: Create the Seasoned Flour

In a separate large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour with all-purpose seasoning, poultry seasoning, ground cumin, and chicken bouillon powder. Whisk thoroughly until all seasonings are evenly distributed throughout the flour. The chicken bouillon powder is the secret ingredient that gives these wings their addictive, umami-rich flavor.

Step 4: Dredge the Wings

About 15 minutes before you plan to start frying, toss the seasoned wings in the flour mixture. Work in batches if needed, ensuring each wing is thoroughly coated. Place the dredged wings on a foil-lined baking sheet and let them rest. This resting period allows the flour coating to hydrate and adhere properly, preventing it from falling off during frying.

Step 5: Prepare the Blue Cheese Dressing

While the wings rest, make your homemade blue cheese dressing. In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, buttermilk, Worcestershire sauce, and apple cider vinegar. Stir until smooth, then gently fold in the blue cheese crumbles. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Adjust the consistency with additional buttermilk if needed. Refrigerate until serving time.

Step 6: Heat the Oil

Fill your Dutch oven or deep fryer with pork lard or your chosen neutral oil to a depth of at least 3 inches. Heat to exactly 350°F, monitoring with a thermometer. Maintaining the correct temperature is essential for crispy Outback Kookaburra wings that aren’t greasy.

Step 7: Fry the Wings

Working in batches to avoid overcrowding, carefully lower the dredged wings into the hot oil. Fry for 7–8 minutes, flipping them halfway through, until they’re deep golden brown and reach an internal temperature of 165–175°F. Remove with tongs or a spider strainer and place on a wire rack (never paper towels, which make them soggy). Let the oil return to 350°F between batches.

Step 8: Make the Buffalo Sauce

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Stir in the chicken bouillon powder until completely dissolved. Add the hot sauce, starting with ¼ cup and adjusting based on your heat preference. Warm the sauce gently – never pour cold sauce on hot wings.

Step 9: Toss and Serve

Transfer all fried wings to a large serving bowl. Pour the warm buffalo sauce over the wings and toss vigorously to coat every piece. Serve immediately with the homemade blue cheese dressing, celery sticks, and carrot sticks for the complete copycat Outback Kookaburra wings recipe experience.

7 Customization and Pairing for Serving Ideas

1. Asian-Fusion Kookaburra Wings

Transform your Outback Kookaburra wings with an Asian twist by tossing them in a sauce made from honey, soy sauce, sriracha, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and sliced green onions. Serve with a wasabi-mayo dipping sauce instead of blue cheese for a completely different but equally delicious experience.

2. Dry-Rub Variation

Skip the buffalo sauce entirely and create a dry-rub version. After frying, toss the wings in a mixture of smoked paprika, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. This gives you that crispy, seasoned exterior without the saucy mess – perfect for eating on the go or serving at outdoor gatherings.

3. Loaded Kookaburra Wing Nachos

Take your leftover copycat Outback Kookaburra wings and chop them into bite-sized pieces. Layer them over tortilla chips with shredded cheddar, jalapeños, black olives, and tomatoes. Bake until the cheese melts, then drizzle with your blue cheese dressing and buffalo sauce. It’s the ultimate game-day appetizer that combines two favorites.

4. Sweet Heat Version

Mix equal parts buffalo sauce and honey, then add a tablespoon of butter and a pinch of cayenne. This sweet-and-spicy coating offers a different flavor profile that appeals to those who find traditional buffalo sauce too tangy. The honey caramelizes slightly on the hot wings, creating delicious sticky spots.

5. Ranch Instead of Blue Cheese

Not everyone loves blue cheese, so prepare a homemade ranch dressing using buttermilk, mayo, sour cream, fresh dill, chives, garlic powder, and onion powder. The creamy, herbaceous ranch pairs beautifully with these wings and is more universally loved, especially by kids.

6. Kookaburra Wing Tacos

Chop your sauced Outback Kookaburra wings and pile them into warm flour tortillas with shredded cabbage, diced tomatoes, and a drizzle of blue cheese dressing. Add pickled red onions for acidity and crunch. These buffalo wing tacos bring restaurant-quality flavor to taco night.

7. Beer and Wing Pairings

Elevate your wing experience by pairing with the right beverage. A cold IPA cuts through the richness with its hoppy bitterness, while a wheat beer’s citrus notes complement the tangy buffalo sauce. For non-beer drinkers, try a crisp lemonade or an Arnold Palmer – the acidity refreshes your palate between bites of these rich, flavorful wings.

7 Essential Tips for Perfect Kookaburra Wings

1. The Dry Wing Secret

The single most important step for crispy Outback Kookaburra wings is ensuring your wings are completely dry before seasoning and dredging. After patting with paper towels, let them air-dry in the refrigerator uncovered for 1–2 hours if you have time. Surface moisture is the enemy of crispiness, and this extra step creates an even better texture that stays crispy longer.

2. Why Pork Lard Makes a Difference

While vegetable oil works perfectly fine, pork lard (as recommended in the authentic copycat Outback Kookaburra wings recipe) creates an incomparable flavor and crispiness. Lard has a higher smoke point than butter and renders a golden, shatteringly crisp coating that vegetable oils can’t quite match. Find it in the baking aisle or at butcher shops, and don’t be afraid to experiment with it.

3. Temperature Control is Everything

Use a quality thermometer and maintain your oil at exactly 350°F throughout the frying process. If the temperature drops too low (below 325°F), your wings absorb excess oil and become greasy. If it’s too high (above 375°F), the coating burns before the meat cooks through. Monitor constantly and adjust your heat accordingly, allowing the oil to return to temperature between batches.

4. Don’t Skip the Resting Period

After dredging your wings in the seasoned flour, that 15-minute rest on the baking sheet isn’t optional. This allows the flour coating to hydrate from the moisture in the chicken, creating a paste-like layer that adheres during frying. Wings that go straight from dredging to oil often lose their coating, leaving you with naked wings and a mess in your fryer.

5. The Wire Rack Difference

Always drain fried wings on a wire rack, never paper towels. Paper towels trap steam underneath the wings, which softens that perfectly crispy coating you worked so hard to achieve. A wire rack allows air circulation on all sides, keeping the exterior crispy while excess oil drips away. This simple switch dramatically improves the final texture.

6. Sauce Temperature Matters

Your buffalo sauce should be warm (not hot, not cold) when you toss the wings. Cold sauce will cause the coating to seize up and become gummy, while sauce that’s too hot can make the coating slip off. Warm sauce at about 120–130°F coats evenly and maintains that crispy texture underneath. Make the sauce while the wings fry so it’s ready at the perfect temperature.

7. Batch Frying Strategy

Resist the temptation to crowd your pot or fryer. Frying too many wings at once drops the oil temperature dramatically, resulting in greasy, soggy wings. Fry no more than 6–8 wings at a time depending on your pot size. Yes, it takes longer, but the superior texture is absolutely worth the extra time. Keep finished wings warm in a 200°F oven on a wire rack while you complete the remaining batches.

Storage and Reheating Guidance

Store leftover Outback Kookaburra wings in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 375°F oven on a wire rack for 10–12 minutes until crispy and heated through. Avoid microwaving, which makes the coating soggy and rubbery.