Crispy Restaurant-Style Chicken Wings (Printer-Friendly)

Perfectly seasoned, golden-fried wings with three delicious sauce options. Restaurant quality at home.

# 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 - 0.5 teaspoon black pepper
05 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder
06 - 1 teaspoon onion powder
07 - 0.5 teaspoon paprika
08 - 0.5 teaspoon cayenne pepper
09 - 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
10 - 0.5 cup cornstarch
11 - 1 teaspoon baking powder

→ For Frying

12 - Sunflower or peanut oil for deep frying

→ Buffalo Sauce

13 - 0.33 cup hot sauce
14 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
15 - 1 teaspoon honey

→ Thai Sweet Chili Sauce

16 - 0.5 cup Thai sweet chili sauce
17 - 1 tablespoon lime juice
18 - 1 teaspoon fish sauce

→ BBQ Sauce

19 - 0.5 cup BBQ sauce

→ Garnish

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

# How-To Steps:

01 - In a large bowl, combine chicken wings with buttermilk, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Toss until evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, preferably overnight for optimal flavor development.
02 - In a separate bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, cornstarch, and baking powder until well combined and uniform.
03 - Remove wings from marinade, allowing excess buttermilk to drip away. Dredge each wing thoroughly in the flour mixture, pressing gently to ensure even coating. 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 degrees Fahrenheit, 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 or a slotted spoon, until golden brown and crispy. Transfer finished 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. For Thai sweet chili sauce, combine sweet chili sauce, lime juice, and fish sauce. For BBQ sauce, use purchased sauce as prepared.
07 - Divide fried wings into three equal portions. Coat each portion with desired sauce or arrange sauce in bowls for dipping. Garnish with fresh chives and serve alongside celery sticks and blue cheese or ranch dressing.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The buttermilk marinade keeps the chicken tender while the cornstarch in the coating guarantees shatter-crisp skin that stays crunchy even after tossing in sauce.
  • Three sauce options mean everyone at the table gets exactly what they want without you having to choose sides.
  • These taste like restaurant wings but cost a fraction of the price and you control every ingredient that goes in.
  • Theyre just as good pulled straight from the fryer with a sprinkle of salt as they are drenched in Buffalo sauce and blue cheese.
02 -
  • Don't skip the resting time after coating the wings, I used to fry them immediately and half the crust would fall off into the oil.
  • If your oil isn't hot enough, the wings absorb grease and turn soggy, so always check the temperature with a thermometer before you start frying.
  • For extra-crispy wings, double-fry them by cooking once at 150°C (300°F) for 7 minutes, letting them cool, then frying again at 190°C (375°F) for 2 to 3 minutes until they shatter when you bite.
03 -
  • Pat the wings dry with paper towels before marinating so the buttermilk clings better and the coating doesn't get watery.
  • Fry in small batches even if it takes longer, because overcrowding drops the oil temperature and you end up with greasy, pale wings instead of golden, crispy ones.
  • Toss the wings in sauce right before serving so the coating stays as crisp as possible, or serve sauce on the side if you want maximum crunch.
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