Crispy Restaurant-Style Chicken Wings (Print version)

Golden, crispy chicken wings with your choice of Buffalo, Thai sweet chili, or BBQ sauce. Perfect appetizer.

# What you’ll need:

→ Chicken

01 - 2.5 lbs chicken wings, separated at joint, wing tips removed

→ Marinade and Coating

02 - 1 cup buttermilk
03 - 1 teaspoon salt
04 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
05 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder
06 - 1 teaspoon onion powder
07 - 1/2 teaspoon paprika
08 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
09 - 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
10 - 1/2 cup cornstarch
11 - 1 teaspoon baking powder

→ For Frying

12 - Sunflower or peanut oil for deep frying

→ Buffalo Sauce

13 - 1/3 cup hot sauce
14 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
15 - 1 teaspoon honey

→ Thai Sweet Chili Sauce

16 - 1/2 cup Thai sweet chili sauce
17 - 1 tablespoon lime juice
18 - 1 teaspoon fish sauce, optional

→ BBQ Sauce

19 - 1/2 cup BBQ sauce

→ Garnish

20 - Fresh chives or scallions, sliced, optional
21 - Celery sticks, optional
22 - Blue cheese or ranch dressing, optional

# Steps:

01 - In a large bowl, toss chicken wings with buttermilk, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight for optimal flavor development.
02 - In a separate bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, and baking powder. Mix thoroughly to ensure even distribution of leavening agents.
03 - Remove wings from marinade, allowing excess liquid to drip off. Dredge each wing thoroughly in the flour mixture, pressing gently to ensure coating adheres. Place coated wings on a wire rack and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
04 - Fill a large heavy-bottomed pot or deep fryer with oil to a depth of 2 inches. Heat to 350°F using a thermometer to ensure precise temperature control.
05 - Working in batches to avoid overcrowding, fry wings for 8 to 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden brown and crispy throughout. Transfer fried wings to a wire rack set over paper towels to drain excess oil.
06 - For Buffalo sauce, whisk together hot sauce, melted butter, and honey. For Thai sauce, combine sweet chili sauce, lime juice, and fish sauce. BBQ sauce can be used directly without modification.
07 - Divide fried wings into three portions. Toss each group with one sauce, or arrange sauces separately for dipping. Garnish with sliced chives or scallions and serve alongside celery sticks and blue cheese or ranch dressing if desired.

# Cooking tips:

01 -
  • The double seasoning in both the marinade and coating means flavor in every bite, not just on the surface.
  • You can make three different sauces from one batch and let everyone pick their favorite without starting arguments.
  • These wings stay crispy even after tossing in sauce, thanks to the cornstarch and baking powder trick.
  • Theyre cheaper than takeout and you control the heat level, the salt, and the quality of every ingredient.
02 -
  • Let the coated wings rest on the rack before frying or the breading will slide right off into the oil and leave you with naked chicken.
  • Dont skip the thermometer, oil that is too cool makes them soggy and oil that is too hot burns the outside while leaving the inside raw.
  • If you want them even crispier, fry them twice: once at 150 degrees Celsius for 7 minutes, let them cool, then fry again at 190 degrees Celsius for 2 to 3 minutes.
03 -
  • Pat the wings dry with paper towels after marinating if you want an even crispier crust, excess moisture is the enemy of crunch.
  • Save your frying oil by straining it through a fine mesh sieve after it cools, you can reuse it two or three times if you store it in a sealed container.
  • If you dont have a thermometer, test the oil by dropping in a small piece of bread, it should sizzle and turn golden in about 60 seconds when the temperature is right.
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