Crispy Restaurant-Style Chicken Wings (Printable)

Golden crispy wings with buttermilk marinade, served with Buffalo, Thai sweet chili, or BBQ sauce options.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 2.5 lbs chicken wings, separated at joints, 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 Prepare:

01 - In a large bowl, combine chicken wings with buttermilk, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Toss until wings are 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.
03 - Remove marinated wings from refrigerator. Allow excess marinade to drip off each wing. Working in batches, dredge each wing thoroughly in the flour mixture, pressing gently to ensure even coating. Place 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 kitchen thermometer.
05 - Working in batches to avoid overcrowding, carefully lower coated wings into the hot oil. Fry for 8 to 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden brown and crispy. 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. For Thai sweet chili sauce, combine sweet chili sauce, lime juice, and fish sauce. BBQ sauce may be used directly from the bottle.
07 - Divide fried wings into three portions. Toss each portion with the desired sauce, or arrange wings on a serving platter with sauces on the side for individual dipping. Garnish with fresh chives or scallions. Serve alongside celery sticks and blue cheese or ranch dressing if desired.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The double coating gives you that crackling crust that stays crispy even after tossing in sauce.
  • Three sauce options mean everyone at the table finds their favorite without you making three separate recipes.
  • Buttermilk keeps the meat juicy inside while the cornstarch delivers restaurant-level crunch.
  • You can prep the marinade the night before and fry them right before guests arrive.
02 -
  • If you skip the resting time after coating, the breading will slide right off in the oil and leave you with naked wings and a mess.
  • Overcrowding the pot drops the oil temperature too fast, which means greasy wings instead of crispy ones, so fry in small batches even if it takes longer.
  • Use a thermometer instead of guessing the oil temperature, because 20 degrees too low and they'll absorb oil, 20 degrees too high and they'll burn outside while staying raw inside.
03 -
  • Pat the wings dry with paper towels after marinating and before coating, because excess moisture makes the breading soggy and prevents it from crisping properly.
  • Add a tablespoon of vodka to the buttermilk marinade, the alcohol evaporates faster than water during frying and leaves the crust even crunchier.
  • Taste your oil after a few batches, if it starts to smell off or gets too dark, strain it or swap it out because burnt oil ruins the flavor of everything you fry.
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