Buffalo Chicken Wings are crispy fried chicken wings coated in a spicy and buttery hot sauce. The wings stay juicy inside while the skin gets crunchy. The sauce uses hot sauce, melted butter, vinegar and a little seasoning to give a bold flavor. Serve with celery sticks and dipping sauce for a game day or party snack.
Buffalo Chicken Wings
Crispy fried chicken wings coated in spicy buttery Buffalo sauce
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Prep the Wings
- Take the chicken wings out of the package and place them on a plate. Use clean paper towels and press on each wing until the skin feels dry. Dry wings fry better and get crispy.
- Put all the wings into a big mixing bowl. Sprinkle salt, black pepper and garlic powder over the top. Add the tablespoon of vegetable oil. Use clean hands and turn the wings again and again. Make sure every wing looks a little shiny from the oil and has seasoning on all sides. Wash hands after touching raw chicken.
Heat the Oil
- Place a deep fryer bowl or a heavy deep pot on the stove. Pour oil into the pot until it is deep enough to cover the wings while cooking. Do not fill the pot all the way to the top. Leave space so hot oil does not spill out.
- Turn the stove to medium high heat. Let the oil heat up until it reaches 375℉. Use a food thermometer to check the temperature. If you do not have a thermometer, use a wooden spoon test. Dip the tip of a clean wooden spoon into the oil. If you see little bubbles around the wood, the oil is hot enough.
Fry the Wings
- Use tongs and pick up one wing. Slowly lower it into the hot oil. Be careful and move slowly so hot oil does not splash. Add wings one by one until the pot looks almost full. Do not pack the wings tight. They need space to fry.
- Fry each batch for 8 to 10 minutes until the wings look golden brown. Halfway through cooking, use tongs and flip every wing so both sides cook evenly.
- When the skin looks golden and crunchy, lift a wing with tongs. Touch the thermometer tip to the thickest part of the meat. The temperature must read 165℉ for safe eating.
- When the wings are cooked, lift them from the oil and place them on paper towels or a wire rack. This step lets extra oil drip away and keeps wings crispy.
Make the Sauce
- Place a small saucepan on the stove. Add the butter first. Turn the stove to low heat. Let the butter melt slowly until it turns liquid.
- Pour the hot sauce into the melted butter. Add the vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder. Mix with a small spoon until everything looks smooth and bright orange. When the sauce lightly bubbles around the edges, turn off the heat.
Toss the Wings
- Place all hot fried wings into a large clean bowl. Pour all the Buffalo sauce on top of the wings.
- Use two large spoons or toss the bowl in a gentle motion. Turn the wings again and again until every wing is fully coated in sauce. You should not see any dry spots. Every wing should look shiny and sauced up.
Serve
- Place wings on a plate. Put celery sticks on the side. Add a small container of blue cheese or ranch dipping sauce. Serve wings while they are still hot and crispy. Enjoy the spice and buttery flavor.
Notes
- For a milder sauce add one extra tablespoon of butter.
- For extra spice add one fourth teaspoon cayenne pepper to the sauce.
- If you do not want to fry, bake wings at 425℉ for 45 minutes and flip once. Sauce them after baking.
