Crispy Restaurant-Style Chicken Wings (Printable)

Perfectly crispy restaurant-style wings with buttermilk marinade, served with three delicious sauce options.

# Ingredient List:

→ Chicken

01 - 2.5 lbs chicken wings, separated at joints with 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 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 such as Frank's RedHot
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 of your choice

→ Garnish

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

# Steps:

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, or up to overnight for maximum flavor development.
02 - In a separate bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, cornstarch, and baking powder until well combined and no lumps remain.
03 - Remove wings from marinade, allowing excess buttermilk to drip off. Working in batches, dredge each wing thoroughly in the flour mixture, pressing gently to ensure the coating adheres completely. Place coated wings on a wire rack and allow to rest for 10 minutes before frying.
04 - Fill a large heavy pot or deep fryer with sunflower or peanut oil to a depth of 2 inches. Insert a thermometer and heat oil to 350°F, maintaining consistent temperature throughout the frying process.
05 - Working in batches to avoid crowding, carefully lower wings into hot oil. Fry for 8 to 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until the coating becomes golden brown and crispy. Transfer fried 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 until smooth. For Thai sweet chili sauce: combine sweet chili sauce, lime juice, and fish sauce if using. For BBQ sauce: use your preferred variety as prepared.
07 - Divide fried wings into three equal portions. Toss each portion with one sauce variety, or arrange wings on a platter and serve sauces on the side for dipping. Garnish with fresh chives and scallions, arrange celery sticks alongside, and provide blue cheese or ranch dressing for accompaniment.

# Tips from the Pros:

01 -
  • The double coating trick gives you that shatteringly crisp shell that stays crunchy even after tossing in sauce.
  • You can make three different flavor profiles from one batch, so picky eaters and spice lovers both walk away happy.
  • Buttermilk marinade keeps the meat juicy inside while the outside crisps up like restaurant quality.
  • Frying at home is faster than delivery and tastes twice as good when theyre straight out of the oil.
02 -
  • Do not skip the resting time after coating, it lets the flour hydrate and stick so you dont lose half your breading in the oil.
  • Use a thermometer for the oil, too hot and the outside burns before the inside cooks, too cool and they absorb grease and turn limp.
  • Fry in small batches even if it takes longer, crowding drops the temperature and you end up with sad, pale wings instead of crispy golden ones.
03 -
  • Pat the wings dry with paper towels after marinating and before coating, excess moisture prevents the flour from sticking properly.
  • Add a tablespoon of the marinade into your flour mixture and rub it between your fingers to create little crispy bits that cling to the wings.
  • Always fry a test wing first to check your oil temperature and timing, better to sacrifice one than ruin a whole batch.
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