COOK TIME: 20 MINS SERVINGS: 4
EQUIPMENT NEEDED:
Deep Fryer
Food Thermometer
Let’s talk Fried Chicken! More specifically, Buttermilk Fried Chicken. Today, we are making wings. Not the traditional Buffalo Wing variety (where the wings are fried without breading) – these beauties are soaked in a buttermilk marinade, then breaded with seasoned flour, and fried until golden brown. I also made a super simple and delicious Honey Sriracha Sauce to coat these with.
Why Buttermilk? Buttermilk helps achieve two things when used for fried chicken. For starters, it is slightly acidic, which helps tenderize the meat via the enzymes present in the buttermilk. This results in a tender and flavorful fried chicken. It also helps us achieve a perfectly crispy wing when paired with our seasoned flour. Let’s get started.
*TIP TO SAVE MONEY
*One other tip I have for you is to purchase the wings whole. You can save yourself some money by sectioning your wings yourself, as the whole wings are often much cheaper than the “party wings” at the grocery store. You can save those wing tips for making stock later. Vacuum seal and freeze them.*
Place the blade between the joints and separate the wing tips and then the drum from the flat. It may take 1 or 2 wings worth of practice before you are able to easily find the joint, but it is worth it.
Now that your wings are sectioned, give them a rinse and get ready to prep your marinade.
In a mixing bowl, pour in your buttermilk, along with the seasonings above and mix. Then we are going to pour the marinade over our wings.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 4.
Next, fill your deep fryer up with oil and set the temperature for 350 degrees. While the oil is heating up, prep your flour.
You can season the flour with whatever flavors you prefer. Today, I went with some sazon, old bay, seasoned salt, and adobo. Always taste your flour prior to breading your chicken to ensure the flavor is where you want it to be.
Next, take your chicken directly from the buttermilk marinade and toss them into the seasoned flour. Make sure that each piece is adequately coated with flour and then place on a wire rack to rest for a few minutes while your oil comes up to temp. This step is important because it allows the flour time to adhere to the meat. This helps form a deliciously crunchy texture and prevents all of the flour from burning at the bottom of your fryer.
Don’t overcrowd your fryer. Drop the chicken wings and check them after about 5 minutes. Move the wings around a bit to ensure they are not sticking together or to the bottom.
Once they begin to float and are beautifully golden brown, check them with a thermometer and be sure that they are cooked to about 175 degrees internal.
Now it’s time for the sauce. If you’re here for good old fashioned fried chicken, then you can simply skip this last step and enjoy.
I made a super simple and delicious Honey Sriracha sauce for these wings. Simply mix the ingredients in a sauce pot and whisk everything together. Warm the sauce over medium heat right before applying to your chicken.
Toss the wings to coat in the sauce and enjoy!
RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
1 gallon peanut or vegetable oil
4 cups all purpose flour
20-25 sectioned chicken wings
1 packet sazon
old bay
casero adobo (optional)
seasoned salt (flour seasoning to taste!)
MARINADE
1/2 gallon buttermilk
1/4 cup salt
1 tbs hot sauce
1 tbs worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
1 packet Sazon
1 tsp Poultry seasoning
1 tsp seasoned salt
1 tbs chicken base
HONEY SRIRACHA SAUCEA
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup sriracha (adjust based on how spicy you want the sauce)
2 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs melted butter
INSTRUCTIONS
Prep your buttermilk brine by mixing together buttermilk with other marinade ingredients and pour over your sectioned chicken wings. Soak for 1 hour or up to 4 hours
Pour oil into deep fryer (you can shallow pan fry these if you like, but I prefer to deep fry) Set your oil temperature to 350.
Season your flour generously. Taste for seasoning prior to coating your chicken wings. If the flour does not taste seasoned, your chicken won't either!
Take your wings directly from the buttermilk marinade and toss them into the seasoned flour. Coat each wing and then place on a wire rack to rest until your oil comes up to temp. (This step helps the flour adhere to the wings and gives you a nice crunchy end product)
Without overcrowding your fryer, fry your wings for about 5 minutes and then move them around a bit to ensure they are not sticking together. After about 8-10 minutes they should begin to float and be a nice golden brown color. Once they reach 175 degrees internal temp, they are done.
Mix your sauce ingredients in a small sauce pot, over medium heat. Adjust the spice level by tweaking the honey/sriracha ratio. Once your wings are done cooking, pour the warm sauce over them and toss to coat.