Crispy Restaurant-Style Chicken Wings (Print)

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

# 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 - 1.5 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

# How To Make It:

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 another bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, and baking powder until evenly combined.
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 rack and let rest for 10 minutes.
04 - Fill a large heavy pot or deep fryer with oil to a depth of 2 inches. Heat oil to 350°F using a thermometer to ensure accuracy.
05 - Working in batches to avoid overcrowding, fry wings for 8 to 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden brown and crispy. Transfer 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 sweet chili sauce, combine sweet chili sauce, lime juice, and fish sauce. For BBQ sauce, use as prepared.
07 - Divide fried wings into portions. Toss each portion with desired sauce or serve sauces on the side for dipping. Garnish with fresh chives or scallions and serve with celery sticks and blue cheese or ranch dressing.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The buttermilk marinade keeps the meat juicy even after frying, so you get crispy skin with tender, flavorful chicken every single time.
  • Three different sauces mean everyone at the table gets their favorite, and you look like a wing bar without the crowd or the noise.
02 -
  • Letting the coated wings rest for 10 minutes before frying is not optional, it allows the flour to hydrate and stick properly so your coating does not slide off in the oil.
  • Do not skip the thermometer, oil that is too cool makes greasy wings and oil that is too hot burns the outside before the inside cooks through.
03 -
  • Pat the wings dry with paper towels before marinating, excess moisture dilutes the buttermilk and makes the coating soggy.
  • Fry in small batches even if it takes longer, crowding the pot drops the oil temperature and you end up with greasy, pale wings instead of crispy golden ones.
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