Crispy Fried Chicken Wings (Printable)

Crispy fried chicken wings with three sauce options: Buffalo, Thai sweet chili, or BBQ. Restaurant-quality at home.

# What You'll Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 2.5 lbs chicken wings, separated at joints, 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
21 - Celery sticks
22 - Blue cheese or ranch dressing, optional

# How to Make It:

01 - In a large bowl, combine chicken wings with buttermilk, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Toss until all wings are evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or overnight for optimal flavor development.
02 - In a separate bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, cornstarch, and baking powder until evenly combined.
03 - Remove wings from marinade, allowing excess liquid to drip off. Working with one wing at a time, dredge thoroughly in the flour mixture, pressing gently to ensure complete adhesion. Arrange coated wings on a wire rack and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
04 - Fill a large heavy pot or deep fryer with sunflower or peanut oil to a depth of 2 inches. Using a thermometer, heat oil to 350°F.
05 - Working in batches to avoid overcrowding, carefully add wings to hot oil. Fry for 8 to 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden brown and crispy. Using a slotted spoon, transfer wings to a wire rack lined with paper towels to drain.
06 - For Buffalo sauce: whisk together hot sauce, melted butter, and honey. For Thai sweet chili sauce: combine sweet chili sauce, lime juice, and fish sauce if using. BBQ sauce may be used directly from the jar.
07 - Divide fried wings into three portions. Toss each portion with desired sauce, or arrange on a serving platter with sauces offered separately for dipping. Garnish with fresh chives or scallions. Serve with celery sticks and blue cheese or ranch dressing as accompaniments.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The double coating technique creates an impossibly crispy crust that holds up to any sauce you throw at it.
  • Three sauce options mean everyone at the table gets exactly what they crave without you making three separate batches.
  • The buttermilk marinade keeps the meat juicy even if you accidentally fry them a minute too long.
  • These taste like your favorite wing spot but cost half as much and you control exactly what goes into them.
02 -
  • Do not skip the resting time after coating, it lets the flour hydrate and stick so your crust does not fall off in the oil.
  • Crowding the pot drops the oil temperature and makes the wings greasy instead of crisp, fry in small batches even if it takes longer.
  • If your oil starts smoking, it is too hot, lower the heat immediately and let it cool a bit before continuing.
  • Toss the wings in sauce right after frying while they are still hot, the heat helps the sauce coat evenly and soak into all the crevices.
03 -
  • Use a splatter screen over the pot to contain the mess without trapping steam that would soften your crust.
  • Keep the fried wings warm in a low oven while you finish the batches, this way everyone eats hot food at the same time.
  • Invest in a good oil thermometer, guessing the temperature is the fastest way to end up with greasy or burnt wings.
  • Save and strain your frying oil after it cools, you can reuse it once or twice for another batch of wings.
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