Crispy Restaurant-Style Chicken Wings (Printable)

Perfectly seasoned, golden-fried chicken wings with your choice of three delicious sauces for any occasion.

# What You'll Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 2.5 lbs chicken wings, separated at joints with 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 barbecue sauce

→ Garnish

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

# Directions:

01 - In a large bowl, combine chicken wings with buttermilk, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Toss to coat evenly, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight for optimal flavor development.
02 - In a separate large bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, cornstarch, and baking powder until thoroughly combined.
03 - Remove marinated wings from refrigerator and allow excess buttermilk to drip off. Working in batches, dredge each wing thoroughly in the flour mixture, pressing gently to ensure coating adheres properly. Arrange coated wings on a wire rack and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
04 - Fill a large heavy-bottomed pot or deep fryer with sunflower or peanut oil to a depth of 2 inches. Heat oil to 350°F, monitoring temperature with a cooking thermometer.
05 - Working in batches to avoid crowding the pot, carefully place coated wings into hot oil. Fry for 8 to 10 minutes, turning occasionally with a slotted spoon or tongs, until golden brown and crispy throughout. Transfer cooked 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 until emulsified. For Thai sweet chili sauce, combine sweet chili sauce, lime juice, and fish sauce in a bowl. For BBQ sauce, use store-bought variety as prepared.
07 - Divide fried wings into three equal portions. Toss each portion with desired sauce, or arrange wings on serving platter and offer sauces for dipping. Garnish with fresh chives or scallions and serve alongside celery sticks and blue cheese or ranch dressing.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The double coating technique creates an audible crunch that rivals any sports bar you've ever been to.
  • Three sauce options mean you can please the heat seekers and the sweet tooth crowd in one go.
  • Buttermilk tenderizes the meat so thoroughly that even the drummettes stay juicy under all that crispness.
  • Frying at home costs a fraction of takeout and tastes twice as good when they're still hot from the oil.
02 -
  • If your oil isn't hot enough, the wings will absorb grease and turn out heavy instead of crispy, so always use a thermometer.
  • Letting the coated wings rest for 10 minutes before frying makes the coating stick better and creates a thicker, crunchier crust.
  • Frying in batches is annoying but essential because overcrowding drops the oil temperature fast and ruins the texture.
03 -
  • Pat the wings completely dry after marinating and before coating to help the flour mixture stick better and fry up crunchier.
  • If you don't have a thermometer, test the oil by dropping in a small piece of bread, it should sizzle and brown in about 60 seconds when the oil is ready.
  • Toss wings in sauce immediately after frying while they're still hot so the sauce clings and caramelizes slightly from the residual heat.
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