Growing up, we rarely had chicken wings. Fried chicken wings that is. But whenever we did, it was always perfect – crunchy skin and batter, moist chicken, and did I mention this: crunch. I always remembered the taste, and this weekend I decided to use my mom’s recipe, but tweaking it just a tad bit, based on all that I’ve learned over the years. I just added brining the chicken as an additional step to the process. Brining gives the meat more flavor; and makes a big difference.
Fried Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 3 dozen chicken wings, separated (wing tips and extra skin removed)
- Canola or peanut oil (for frying)
Brine
- 1 tablespoon ground sea salt
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
Batter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon ground sea salt
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon paprika
Directions
- In a small bowl, mix all dry seasoning together. Add the chicken and cover all pieces with the mix. Cover and chill overnight.
- Let chicken stand covered at room temperature for 1 hour.
- In a large bowl, add all the dry ingredients and 1/2 cup of water. Mix together.
- Add about 10 pieces of chicken to the batter. Mix with your hands and ensure all pieces are well coated. If the mixture is too dry, add more water, but make sure it doesn’t get too watery. You want a thick batter.
- As the pieces are coated, lay them out on a baking sheet. Repeat the process until all wings are coated.
- Preheat your oil to 375 degrees. Use a deep-fry thermometer to be sure.
- Add about 6-8 pieces to the oil, and fry for about 7 minutes.
- When browned, and cooked, drain the chicken wings on a rack.
- Serve hot.
The batter should be thick and sticks to the skin of the chicken.
Don’t forget to drain the chicken wings on a baking rack.
