Crispy Fried Chicken Wings is a classic. It takes time to make but you don’t need a lot of ingredients, just several techniques to pull it off without a hitch.
If you’ve been following me, you know I’ve always used potato starch for an easy, crispy chicken. The starch creates a crunchy exterior that stays crispy even with sauces being coated all over it. Bonus, it also makes the wings gluten-free!
Even then, the number one question I still get asked is where to find potato starch or if they can use corn starch as a substitute. I gotchu fam! This recipe is going to be a truly crispy chicken using items that are available in your pantry!
The Chicken
For this recipe, I’ve only tested it on chicken wings. If using other parts, then cut it into smaller pieces. If using a bigger cut, then you would have to brine it and fry it for a longer period to ensure that the taste is through and through, and that it is cooked.
Brine and Seasoning for Fried Chicken Wings
Right off the bat, the seasoning I shared here is based on my years of experimenting with what good chicken tastes like. People come at me because I use measurements and I use certain spices that they don’t, but at the end of the day, you can simply use your preferred wet brine or dry rub. Give my recipe a go if you like, but you can freestyle this part according to your preference.
There’s no one perfect combination for this, but what’s more important is to follow my techniques below and you’ll be good to go! Just a tip though, don’t skip brining in salt, because this will help lessen the water content of your chicken which makes it easier to fry. Also, brine your chicken for at least one hour to ensure that the taste is through and through.
Batter for Fried Chicken Wings
For this fried chicken recipe, we are going to use a combination of flour, cornstarch, and baking powder. The combination of cornstarch and baking powder will keep gluten from forming, which ensures maximum crispiness.
From the dry batter, you will take 4-5 tablespoons and add some water to create your wet batter. We won’t be needing eggs anymore since that will only be added moisture. Rather, we want a wet batter that is not too runny and not too thick, just enough to stick to the chicken and help make the dry batter stick.
How to Make Crispy Fried Chicken Wings at Home?
When frying, there are so many things you need to keep an eye on to ensure that what you are doing is at an optimum such as…
- Only start frying when the oil is hot enough. It should be 350F.
- When you are multiplying this recipe, make sure to fry in batches and do not overcrowd your pot or fryer.
- In between batches, clean out any food debris as it can burn and stick to your next batches.
- Make sure that your oil comes up or comes back down to 350F before frying the next batch. This will ensure that your chicken won’t be submerged in oil that is warm or oil that is too hot. The former can make your chicken soggy, and the latter can burn the exterior without cooking the interior.
- After frying, place your chicken in a wire rack or a strainer. This will drain excess oil and the air circulation will help make the chicken crispier.
- Do a second fry at 375F for 2 minutes. While this recipe is already good to go with the first fry, an extra-crispy chicken won’t hurt anyone.
There is really no one secret to crispy fried chicken wings. Rather, it is a combination of using the right ingredients and the patience to fry evenly across all batches.
Serving and Sauce for Fried Chicken Wings
This fried chicken wings recipe is perfect for appetizers, game-day snacks, or just a plain old meal. You can take it up a notch by brushing or tossing it in sauces I previously shared:
- General Cho Chicken
- Spicy Garlic Fried Chicken
- Sriracha Chicken Wings
- Honey Garlic Chicken Wings
- Soy Garlic Chicken Wings
Make sure to leave a rating, a comment, or tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Tiktok when you chop them up! Yeobosayo!
Crispy Fried Chicken Wings
Equipment
- Deep Pot For frying
- Bowls
- Strainer or Wire Rack
Ingredients
- 420 grams Chicken Wings
- 1 tsp Garlic
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/8 tsp Black Pepper
- Vegetable or Canola Oil For frying
Batter & Seasoning
- 3/4 cup All Purpose Flour
- 1 tbsp Corn Starch
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
- 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/4 tsp Ginger Powder
- 1/4 tsp Paprika
- 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/4 tsp Sugar
- 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper or Capsaicin Powder Optional
- 1/3 cup Water
Instructions
- Mix 1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp black pepper. Add the garlic and sprinkle salt and pepper mixture in the chicken. Season evenly and set aside to brine for at least 1 hour.
- In the last 20 minutes of brining, start heating up your oil up to 350F for frying.
- For the dry batter: In a seperate bowl, mix flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, ginger powder, paprika, nutmeg, black pepper, sugar, and cayenne pepper. Mix thoroughly.
- For the wet batter: In a seperate bowl, take 4-5 tablespoons of your dry batter and mix it with 1/3 cup of water. Mix thoroughly. Make sure it is not too runny and not too thick, just enough to stick to the chicken.
- To fry, coat each wing with wet batter then dry batter then place it straight to your fryer. Place the chicken as close to the oil as possible then carefully drop it away from you so there will be no oil splatter. Otherwise, use a slotted spoon.
- Fry the chicken for 8-10 minutes then remove from oil and place on a wire rack or strainer.
- Let the chicken rest for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, let the oil come up to 375F.
- Do a second fry in the hotter oil for another 2 minutes.
- Remove the chicken from fryer and plate.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
- Bonus: Toss them in any of the sauces I shared above, serve, and enjoy!
Can you airfry theses wings if so ,what temp and how long
Hi Kimbereley, I haven’t personally tried but try 375F for 12 minutes on each side. Make sure to spray some oil in the chicken before air frying them~
FAI~YA~!! These are so incredibly good. Making a second batch tonight for my kids. I am omitting the nutmeg. And marinating the chicken with some heavy garlic and soy. Thanks for this technique. It’s amazing.
AYYYY so glad you guys enjoyed it!! Love the owned the recipe!!
Made these for dinner tonight, addictive!! Perfectly seasoned and crunchy. I found a gochujang sauce recipe to go with which just elevated them to the next level.
Ooooh!!! Love to hear that!!!
Hi! I tried the recipe with the wet & dry…delish! I was skeptical of the ginger powder/nutmeg maybe I’ll try it next time…Thanks!
Oooh! As long as you enjoyed, then I am happy! Yeobosayo!
I’m going to try these very shortly. EXCITED! When you do the second fry, do you batter the wings again or just drop them straight in? Thanks for the recipe! Much appreciated. 😁
Just drop them straight in~ Hope you enjoyed the recipe!
Great recipe. Wings came out very crispy with a perfect shell. I made 80ish wings so If you are making a large amount you don’t need to multiply the batter too much. I ended up multiplying it by 4 for what I needed and I still had some left over. Salting the wings in advance by at least an hour and salting them as soon as I pulled them out is very important. Thanks for a great recipe.
Glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for the additional tip!