Extra Crispy Fried Chicken Wings with Moroccan BBQ Sauce

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Extra Crispy Fried Chicken Wings is a gluten-free appetizer that will turn everyone into chicken wing fans. Tossed with a fragrant bbq sauce, this is the best fried chicken wings recipe out there.

Do you ever want to love something so much because others do but no matter what you do, you just can’t?

That’s how it was with me and chicken wings all the way. I loved the idea of fried chicken being tossed in a delicious sauce and just eating an obscene amount of them. But the texture of fried chicken wings got the best of me.

That is until I figured out how to make an extra crispy chicken wings recipe. With the help of Argo® Corn Starch, delicious crispy chicken wings are a reality. So, if the texture of regular chicken wings were a hang-up for you, this recipe is dedicated to you.

How to Get Crispy Fried Chicken Wings

You have to understand that a lot of research and trial and error went into making this recipe for the crispiest chicken wings a reality.

When I told my husband my goal, he totally geeked out, made a spreadsheet for me and helped me find common things that people claimed made “crispy” chicken wings.

Among our research and my R&D, I have found the 3 things that help get the crispiest fried chicken wings found anywhere

• Salting and drying chicken wings
• Argo® Corn Starch
• Double frying

First things first, let’s talk about prepping chicken wings to get them extra crispy.

Salting and Drying Chicken Wings

When I worked in restaurants, it was pretty common knowledge that if you want a meat to have nice crispy skin, whether roasting, smoking, or frying, you need to salt and dry the meat overnight.

Chicken wings come in three parts: the tip, the paddle, and the drumette (my favorite!).

We really don’t fry the tips so they’re good to be removed and saved for chicken stock later.

When I take apart the paddle and drumette, I like to attack it from two angles. First making the cut right where the elbow would be, and then flipping the wing around to finish detaching them.

Once the wings are separated, pat them dry with a towel (one on the bottom and one on top). After the wings are patted dry, transfer them to a wire rack and sprinkle salt on top. Placing the wings on a wire rack ensures that there is plenty of airflow, drying out the wings before frying.

What is Fried Chicken Batter Made of

I’m not a huge fan of breading on fried chicken wings. Fried chicken thighs, sure… but not the wings.

I ran across this super helpful article about making the crispiest chicken wings and her suggestion was making a really thin batter.

When I thought about Argo® Corn Starch how it’s naturally gluten-free, I wanted to make sure that this recipe was able to be enjoyed by all. I chose to use rice flour along with Argo® Corn Starch to help these chicken wings have the most audible crunch when bitten into!

I mentioned in my apple pie filling post how cornstarch provides a great medium when mixed with water to thicken the filling. It’s also used to thicken popular Asian sauces and some gravies.

Argo® Corn Starch provides not only a super airy texture for a fried chicken batter, but it also helps the chicken to brown beautifully and provides an even coating. Argo® Corn Starch is the leading corn starch brand with over 100 years of quality and trust over multiple generations. Be sure to check out Argo’s website for more delicious recipe ideas.

After tossing the chicken wings into this thin batter, you are well on your way to making super delicious chicken wings.

How to Fry Chicken Wings at Home

Typically, chicken wings are fried once and then tossed in sauce.

But we are on a mission to make the crispiest chicken wings! So we’re frying these wings twice, but don’t worry it’s well worth the extra effort.

I love using a dutch oven to dry my foods because cast iron retains heat so well and evenly. Please also invest in a fryer thermometer. This is super important as we’re double frying these chicken wings. They’re being fried at two completely different temperatures so a thermometer is a must.

You need a good oil that can withstand the change in temperature. I used Mazola® Corn Oil to help me in the frying. And lastly, you need a tool to help get the wings out without removing the oil. I like to use a spider strainer to help with that.

The first round of frying, the oil needs to be a cool 275 degrees. This temperature will cook the chicken wings a bit but it’s more for setting the cornstarch batter that the wings were tossed in. Once the batter is set, about 5 minutes, I removed the chicken wings from the hot oil onto a wire rack to drip off any excess oil.

Then I cranked up the heat on my oil, all the way up to 375 degrees. It’s important to let the chicken wings rest for a bit before the second round of frying as it helps the crispy skin to set. Letting the chicken wings rest while your oil comes up to temperature is plenty of time.

Once the oil is up to 375 degrees, it’s time to fry them again. This time the chicken wings will get their delicious golden-brown color and be uber crispy, about 5 minutes. Salt the wings once they’re done in the oil and you’re set.

How Do I Make A TON of Wings In Less Time

These super crispy fried chicken wings would be perfect to serve if you have people over for a big game (Super Bowl, Stanley Cup, World Series, etc) but standing in front of a fryer would be damper on you having fun with your friends.

Here is what I would do to make a lot of chicken wings that are still the crispiest without you spending all of your time frying.

Two days before your party, salt and dry your wings. They’re best to sit in the fridge for about 4-8 hours anyway so I would do this part a few days ahead that way you don’t have to worry about them.

The next day, I would par fry (partially fry, or do the first low fry) all of the chicken wings.  Place them on a wire rack and then I would freeze them. I came across this article that talked about how freezing can help with crispy wings because freezing breaks down the water molecules within the skin. Less moisture equals super crispy skin.

The day of the party, I would pull the wings from the freezer and let them thaw in the fridge for about 3 hours. When you’re ready to fry, crank up that oil and fry away!

If you’re making a ton, preheat your oven to 200 degrees and keep the chicken wings in the oven after they’re done frying. This will keep them hot until you’re ready to toss them in the sauce.

What Goes with Crispy Fried Chicken Wings

Now you may be like my husband and love sauces that are a bit sweet and super hot. That’s fantastic. Or you may be like me and love sweet wings with a little heat.

If you fall into the latter group, you will love pairing these wings with my Moroccan Honey BBQ Sauce. It’s full of strong flavors, sweet, and well rounded. It really helps make these crispy fried chicken wings one of a kind!

I hope that you enjoy this recipe; it will honestly become your go-to wing recipe! Let me know how much you loved the recipe down below with a rating!

Happy eating!

For more delicious fried recipes, check these out:

• Roasted Corn Fritter Recipe with Sriracha Mayo
• Fried Okra with Sriacha Mayo
• Homemade Apple Butter Filled Donut Holes
• Fried Mac and Cheese Balls with Bacon Jam
• Fried Risotto (Suppli di Riso)
• Southwestern Fried Green Tomatoes
• Roasted Corn and Sweet Potato Fritters with Green Chile Aioli
• Mexican Fried Ice Cream
• Gourmet Fried Chicken and Waffles

Be sure to check out these Roasted Chicken Wings with Orange and Pepper Sauce

See more Appetizers

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Extra Crispy Fried Chicken Wings with Moroccan BBQ Sauce

Yield: 4 pounds

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Additional Time: 4 hours

Total Time: 4 hours 25 minutes

Extra Crispy Fried ChickenWings is a gluten-free appetizer that will turn everyone into chicken wing fans. Tossed with a fragrant bbq sauce, this is the best fried chicken wings recipe out there.

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Ingredients

• 4 pounds chicken wings, broken down and tips removed
• 1 tablespoon salt, for drying chicken wings
• 1 batch Moroccan BBQ Sauce
• ½ gallon Mazola Corn Oil

Chicken Wing Batter

• 1 1/2 cup rice flour
• 3 tablespoons Argo® Corn Starch
• 2 cups water

Garnish

• 1 bunch scallions, sliced
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

Instructions

1. Breakdown wings by removing tips (save to make chicken stock), and
   removing paddles and drumettes from each other. Pat dry with paper towels. Place on a wire rack over a sheet pan and sprinkle salt over chicken wings. Place at the bottom of the fridge and allow to “dry” for 4-8 hours.
2. Preheat oil in a heavy bottom pan to 275 degrees. Mix together
   chicken wing batter ingredients and place ¼ of wings into the batter. Make sure to evenly coat wings.
3. Once the oil reaches temperature, place wings in oil and stir with a spider
   strainer. Allow the oil to come back up to temperature. Place a clean wire rack over a clean sheet pan and set it next to the oil. After wings have formed a firm skin, about 5 minutes, remove from oil onto a wire rack and allow to drain. Continue until all wings have been fried.
4. Turn heat up on oil until oil reaches 375 degrees. Working in
   batches, place wings in oil (be sure not to crowd the pot and drop the temperature too much), and fry until wings are golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from oil onto a wire rack and sprinkle with salt.
5. Heat BBQ sauce in a small saucepan until hot, about 10 minutes
   (you can do this anytime during the par frying and second fry), then transfer to a large bowl. When ready to serve, toss wings in sauce and garnish with scallions and sesame seeds.
   
   

Notes

These wings are incredibly crispy when out of the oil. If you like super crispy wings, hold off on tossing the wings in the sauce until you are ready to serve them all. If you don’t mind the wings sitting in sauce, they’ll still be incredibly crunching even sitting in sauce for about 30 minutes.

The Moroccan BBQ Sauce isn't gluten-free because of the soy sauce within the recipe. However, you can easily make it gluten-free by substitute it with gluten-free soy sauce to enjoy these wings!

Nutrition Information

Yield 32 Serving Size 6 wings
Amount Per ServingCalories 710Total Fat 69gSaturated Fat 12gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 53gCholesterol 47mgSodium 436mgCarbohydrates 13gFiber 0gSugar 1gProtein 10g

This nutrition information is just an estimate.