Crispy Restaurant-Style Chicken Wings (Print Version)

Golden, crispy chicken wings with three signature sauces: Buffalo, Thai sweet chili, and BBQ. 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
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

→ 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, combine chicken wings with buttermilk, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Toss until evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, preferably overnight.
02 - In a separate bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, cornstarch, and baking powder until well 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. Place coated wings on a wire rack and let rest for 10 minutes.
04 - Fill a large heavy pot or deep fryer with sunflower or peanut oil to a depth of 2 inches. Heat oil to 350°F, using a thermometer to maintain accurate temperature.
05 - Fry wings in batches without crowding the pan for 8 to 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden brown and crispy. Drain on a wire rack lined with paper towels.
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 three portions. Toss each portion with one sauce variety, 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.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • The double coating technique creates an audible crunch that holds up even after tossing in sauce.
  • Three sauce options mean you can please the heat seeker, the sweet tooth, and the traditionalist all at once.
  • Buttermilk marinade keeps the meat juicy no matter how golden you fry the outside.
  • Once you nail the oil temperature, these come together faster than delivery and taste twice as good.
02 -
  • Resting the coated wings for 10 minutes before frying is not optional, it lets the flour absorb moisture and become paste-like, which creates that craggy, extra-crispy surface.
  • Overcrowding the pot drops the oil temperature too fast, resulting in greasy wings that absorb oil instead of crisping up.
  • If the oil starts smoking, it is too hot, pull it off the heat for a moment and let it cool slightly before continuing.
03 -
  • Pat the wings dry after marinating and before coating, excess moisture makes the crust gummy instead of crisp.
  • Keep your frying oil clean by skimming out stray bits of coating between batches, burnt flour tastes bitter and ruins the next round.
  • If you do not have a thermometer, drop a small piece of bread into the oil, it should sizzle and turn golden in about 60 seconds when the temperature is right.
  • Leftover wings reheat beautifully in an air fryer or hot oven at 200°C for 5 to 7 minutes, they crisp right back up.
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