Crispy Restaurant-Style Chicken Wings (Printable Version)

Crispy buttermilk-marinated wings served with Buffalo, Thai sweet chili, or BBQ sauce. Ready in 45 minutes.

# 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, combine chicken wings with buttermilk, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Toss until wings are evenly coated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight for maximum flavor development.
02 - In a separate large bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, cornstarch, and baking powder until fully incorporated.
03 - Remove wings from marinade, allowing excess buttermilk to drain. 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 allow to rest for 10 minutes before frying.
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, using a thermometer to monitor temperature accurately.
05 - Working in batches to avoid overcrowding, carefully place wings into hot oil. Fry for 8 to 10 minutes, turning occasionally with tongs, until golden brown and crispy throughout. Transfer fried wings to a wire rack placed over paper towels to drain excess oil.
06 - For Buffalo sauce: whisk together hot sauce, melted butter, and honey until smooth. For Thai sweet chili sauce: combine sweet chili sauce, lime juice, and fish sauce if using. BBQ sauce can be used as prepared.
07 - Divide fried wings into three portions. Toss each portion with desired sauce or arrange on serving platter with sauces on the side for dipping. Garnish with fresh chives or scallions. Serve alongside celery sticks and blue cheese or ranch dressing.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The double coating method creates an audible crunch that makes everyone at the table go quiet for the first bite.
  • Three sauce options mean you can please the heat seekers, the sweet lovers, and the BBQ purists all in one go.
  • Once you nail the oil temperature, these wings come out better than any sports bar version, and you control every ingredient.
  • Buttermilk does something magic to the meat, keeping it juicy even under all that crispy armor.
02 -
  • Do not skip the resting time after coating, it's the difference between a crust that sticks and one that falls off in the oil.
  • Crowding the pot drops the oil temperature fast, giving you greasy, pale wings instead of crispy golden ones.
  • If you want next-level crunch, double fry them: once at 150 degrees for 7 minutes, let them cool, then again at 190 degrees for 2 to 3 minutes.
03 -
  • Pat the wings dry after marinating if you want an even crispier crust, the drier the surface, the better the fry.
  • Add a tablespoon of vodka to the coating mixture, it evaporates faster than water and creates an extra-light, crispy texture.
  • If you don't have buttermilk, mix 1 cup of milk with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and let it sit for 5 minutes.
  • Always fry with the exhaust fan on and a window cracked, unless you want your house to smell like a diner for two days.
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