Crazy Good Fried Buffalo Chicken Wings
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When going out to eat, I’m always a sucker for chicken wings, particularly a good hot plate of buffalo chicken wings.
I’m not quite sure what it is, but buffalo wings are my all-time favourite. I just love that hot sauce and the satisfaction of eating wings with your hands! Finger foods are always the most fun, right!
If you’re looking for a new challenge in the new year and some motivation to make your restaurant favourites, I give more details in my free motivational guide to explore your potential in the kitchen, Make Cooking Fun!!, that going out to eat can inspire you! Back in my days working as a line cook, we made chicken wings this way, and I guarantee you that it is much easier than it seems!
If you’re a buffalo wing lover and/or your loved ones are, then throw the most epic game day party by putting your heart on a plate with these Restaurant-Style Fried Buffalo Chicken Wings as part of your Live to Cook one-month challenge! You can start your cooking journey for free by signing up to my free email newsletter, plus you’ll receive plenty of delicious appetizer ideas right in your inbox!
if deep frying is new to you, then I’ll walk through the process visually step-by-step with the video at the bottom of this post! Please subscribe to my YouTube channel if you have not already, and don’t forget to press the bell button so you’re notified when all of my new video recipes are live! Let’s get frying!
Why You’ll Love this Fried Chicken Wing Recipe
Fun to make: I’m always looking forward to deep frying, it’s such an enjoyable experience! Even if you’ve never done it before, I guarantee that you’ll want to keep going after this first try! Although you do indeed need to be careful and have proper technique, I’m sure you’ll be hooked and you’ll want to be deep fry again in the future!
Crisp and golden: These fried chicken wings are as crispy as you can get, just like from the restaurant! You’ll get a good crunch in every bite and you’ll love the inviting colour of the crispy chicken wings!
Saucy and delicious: I love the buffalo sauce here, and I really load it up! Dry wings just aren’t my thing, and you won’t find a bare centimetre on these chicken wings!
Gluten-free: We don’t need any flour here for a coating. Believe it or not, this step is totally unnecessary unless you’re looking for breaded chicken wings, which is not what we will be doing here. The wings themselves are all you need to get them good and crispy for typical restaurant hot wings!
Why Are they called “Buffalo Wings?”
Buffalo Wings are definitely not wings from buffalos, and they are indeed chicken wings! Buffalo wings actually originate from the Anchor Bar, located in Buffalo, New York. They were invented in 1964 when the co-owner at the time Teressa Bellissimo served her son and his friends a late-night snack of leftover wings in hot sauce! The boys were so hooked that these wings had made it to the menu on the next day! The typical serving is with blue cheese dressing and celery sticks.
Are Buffalo wings hot and spicy?
I don’t think buffalo wings are particularly spicy, but they are indeed hot! After all, the sauce is called “Frank’s hot sauce!” While there is indeed heat, when I show you how to make the buffalo sauce later on in this post, you can adjust the heat level based on the ratio of butter to Frank’s hot sauce you’re using.
Why Do We Refrigerate the wings before frying?
I know you have to allocate some extra time before eating, but this time is really worth it! You really want to dry out the skin before frying. The dryer the chicken wing skin is, the crispier the wings will be overall after deep frying. Furthermore, this will result in less splatter when you add the wings into the hot oil!
How Do I Know That the oil is ready for Frying?
The easiest way is to check the temperature of the oil with an instant ready thermometer. The oil should hit 350 F when it is ready to fry. If you are experienced with deep frying however, then these are some signs you can look for and do a test run with the wings:
Heat oil on medium heat and when you see it shimmering, add a tester wing to the oil. The wing should start to sizzle all around gently and then eventually start to sizzle louder.
The wings need to cook gently and at a temperature that’s not to hot to prevent it from cooking unevenly - browned outside but raw inside.
The test wing should take 8-10 minutes to get to a golden brown colour and the skin should be crisp when scraped with a fork.
WHAT Tools WILL I NEED to make Crispy Buffalo Chicken Wings?
Ingredients for Fried Buffalo Chicken Wings
Refer to the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD by scrolling to the bottom of this post or by pressing the “Jump to Recipe” button for all ingredient quantities and to save the recipe for later. You can also scale the recipe so you know how much buffalo sauce you’ll need to really coat up all the wings you want to make, either for two or for a big game day party!
Chicken wings: Look for the freshest chicken wings there are. Ask your local butcher or the grocery store about the quality of the chicken wings, and perhaps even opt out for organic chicken wings if you have the budget to do so.
Frank's buffalo sauce: This is a vinegar-based hot sauce. You could technically use any type of buffalo sauce for this recipe, but Frank’s is my personal favourite and it is typically iconic!
Unsalted butter: Adds creaminess and a nice glossiness to your buffalo sauce.
Sour cream: This is what I’ll be using for dipping. Or of course you could serve with ranch sauce!
Oil: I’m using vegetable oil for frying. Feel free to use a neutral oil, such as peanut oil, canola oil, or grape-seed oil.
How to Make Crazy Good Fried Buffalo Chicken Wings
Pat the chicken wings dry and then lay out on a baking sheet. Dry for 1-2 hours in the fridge uncovered on the bottom most shelf of the fridge, away from any ready-to-eat items.
Heat oil in a wok or pot on medium heat until it reaches 350F. In the meanwhile, remove the chicken from the fridge and pat dry again.
Depending on the size of your frying wok or pot, add the wings in batches and fry for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown and crispy outside.
Strain the chicken from the oil and transfer to a bowl. You can pat out any excess oil.
Season with salt and pepper and then pour the prepared hot sauce.
Toss well and serve immediately.
To Make the Sauce
For Hot Wings - use a ratio of 1:3 of butter and Frank’s hot sauce.
For Medium Hot Wings - use a ratio of 1:2 of butter and Frank’s hot sauce.
For Mild Hot Wings - use a ratio of 1:1 of butter and Frank’s hot sauce.
Once you have picked the heat level of the wings, add the sauce and butter to a sauce pan and turn the heat to Low. Gently melt the butter while the wings cook.
Once the butter is molten and the sauce is warm, mix well until homogenous. Avoid bringing the sauce to a simmer.
How Do I Know buffalo chicken Wings Are Ready?
The wings are ready when they have a crisp golden brown crust on the outside. If you really want to be sure that they are cooked, they should reach an internal temperature of 165 F or 75 degrees Celsius. Without using a meat thermometer, the batter will be golden brown and the meat will be white with no visible pink. The juices from the chicken will run clear.
Can I Cook the Wings from Frozen?
I do not suggest you do that.
I don’t like to cook frozen meat because there are too many variables that can affect the end product - not to mention it can be dangerous while deep frying. Frozen wings will contain lots of frost and ice all around and we all know oil and water do not mix. And if you are able to dodge the oil splatter, some parts may still be frozen while others are not, thus you cannot use a standard cook time to know when the wings have finished cooking. Furthermore, this can result in some areas getting too dry while others are perfectly cooked.
If you are on a time crunch, then consider air frying or baking the wings instead.
Can I make these Fried Chicken Wings ahead of time?
Again, I really do not recommend this! The Buffalo Chicken Wings will be at their crispiest and most delicious when they are freshly fried! No use doing it in advance! To save some time, you could make the buffalo sauce in advance and reheat it when you’re ready to fry and serve the chicken wings.
Tips & Tricks For restaurant-style Buffalo Chicken Wings
Dry out the wings by leaving them uncovered in the fridge on a baking sheet. Always make sure to keep chicken separate from ready-to-eat foods and always place it on the bottom shelf of the fridge to prevent cross-contamination.
Before cooking, pat each side dry again to ensure you get any leftover moisture. This will help get the crispiest wings
Test a piece of wing in the oil to ensure it is at the right temperature or use an instant-read thermometer. You may have to manage the heat to ensure the oil temperature remains uniform while cooking a batch of wings.
Avoid overcrowding the pot/wok of oil with wings since that can reduce the oil temperature too much.
Serving Suggestions
These Fried Buffalo Chicken Wings make for a versatile appetizer or party snack! For dipping sauce, in my opinion, your ultimate choice would be Ranch Sauce or blue cheese dressing. Of course, celery sticks are a staple, but I actually don’t like celery!
If you want mix and match buffalo wings to create a meal, then here are only a handful of ideas:
Fries: Since you’re already deep frying, you could make Classic Restaurant-Style Deep Fried Fries or Curly Fries, perhaps even Pizza Fries! You could also make deep fried fries and try Garlic-Parmesan Fries or Loaded Bacon & Cheese Fries. Perhaps even pair with a Classic Poutine or a Mexican-Style Poutine!
Other appetizers: Deep Fried Mozzarella Sticks, Paneer Pakora Nachos, Easy Cheesy Jalapeño Poppers, or Baked Ham and Cheese Pinwheels.
Ribs: I have yet to post a rib recipe, but wings and ribs truly go hand in hand!
Pizza: You can’t go wrong by having a nice Simple Margherita Napoletana Pizza along with your chicken wings. Otherwise, some other excellent pizzas would be a BBQ Chicken Naan Pizza or a Cheesy Stuffed Crust Pizza will be excellent!
Burgers: A good old American Cheeseburger, Smash Burger Sliders, California Grilled Chicken Burger, or a Power Bean Burger would all pair really well with these chicken wings!
Can I Bake These Buffalo Chicken Wings?
If you don’t want the trouble of deep frying and/or just want to save the calories from deep frying, that’s no problem! If you have an air fryer, you can refer to my Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Wings recipe. For those without an air fryer, see how to make Oven-Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings. In my opinion, nothing is better than the results you get from frying your chicken wings, but I understand not everyone has the time or inclination to do so! However, if you do want a special treat, then this recipe will give you the most restaurant-style results!
More Delicious Fried Chicken Recipes!
Watch how to make Crazy Good Fried Buffalo Chicken wings here:
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cooking.with.anadi. Thank you!