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How To Fry Chicken Wings At Home

Go ahead and splurge. Deep fry those chicken wings. Here’s a handy guide showing you how.

Deep-frying is the standard way that wings are cooked in restaurants. While we stand by ourselves totally when we say our method for baking chicken wings is just as crispy and way easier, if you really want to go for it, you’ve gotta deep-fry restaurant-style.

It’s actually not very hard to do. If you already own a deep-fryer, well, I’m guessing you know how to use it. If not, you can follow the instructions below for frying wings using your stovetop with a large pot, some oil, and a candy thermometer.

Plate of fried chicken wings.

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Video: Frying Chicken Wings

Do I Need To Dredge Chicken Wings In Flour?

I’ve kept my fried chicken wings recipe as simple as possible, so I skip the flour coating. I think the wings get plenty crispy without that extra step, but some people love it. 

If you wanted to dredge them first, you could mix up about half a cup of all-purpose flour with a couple teaspoons of seasonings. Try a combination of garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika or use one of our fabulous seasoning blends. Toss your wings in the flour mixture before putting them in the hot oil.

Or, be like me, and add the flavor at the end with a great Buffalo sauce.

Tips For Frying Wings

How To Fry Chicken Wings

Here’s how to deep-fry chicken wings at home without a home deep-fryer:

Step #1

In a large pot, pour in 1 and 1/2 inches of vegetable or canola oil. Attach candy thermometer so it’s in the oil, but not touching the pot. Heat on medium to 350°F.

Pour oil in pan

Step #2

Cut 4 wings into drumettes and flaps, if they aren’t already cut. Learn how to cut wings here. Then, once oil is heated, use tongs to lower wings carefully into the oil.

Place wings in oil

The oil may sputter and spatter. Be careful. The oil temperature will drop when the wings are added.

Keep temperature of oil stable.

Step #3

Place a maximum of 8 wing pieces in oil at one time. Try to keep oil at 350-375°F or if temperature keeps rising, take off heat to a cool element for 1 minute. Monitor.

Cook wings.

Step #4

Flip wings occasionally until well-browned and internal temperature as read on an instant read thermometer is at 165ºF, about 8-10 minutes.

Check the internal temperature of the wings.

Step #5

Use tongs to remove wings from oil. Transfer them to wire rack on a baking sheet or a plate with a paper towel to remove excess oil.

Place done chicken wings on paper towel

Step #6

Toss with sauce.

Toss chicken wings with sauce.

Step #7

Eat!

Fried Chicken Wings

Podcast Episode About Frying Chicken Wings

Listen to me explain briefly about how to make this recipe, with some great tips along the way, by clicking the play button below:

Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.

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How to Fry Chicken Wings

How to Fry Chicken Wings at Home

Contributor: Christine Pittman

Go ahead and splurge. Deep fry those chicken wings. Here’s a handy guide showing you how.

  • Author: Christine Pittman
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 1 serving 1x
  • Category: Appetizer
  • Method: Deep Fry
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • Vegetable or canola oil, enough to fill a pot by 1 and 1/2 inches
  • 4 chicken wings
  • Sauce (like Buffalo)

Instructions

  1. In a large pot, pour in 1 and 1/2 inches of vegetable or canola oil. Attach candy thermometer so it’s in the oil, but not touching the pot. Heat on medium to 350°F.
  2. Meanwhile, cut wings into two pieces each. Learn how here.
  3. Use tongs to carefully lower the 8 wing pieces into the oil. The oil temperature may drop when the wings are added. Try to keep oil at 350-375°F. If it drops too low, increase heat. If temperature rises, reduce heat. If it keeps rising, take the pot off of heat and transfer to a cool element for 1 minute. Monitor.
  4. Flip wings occasionally until well browned and the chicken’s internal temperature reaches 165° F on an instant-read thermometer, 8-10 minutes. Place on a plate with a paper towel to remove excess oil.
  5. Toss with sauce. Serve immediately.

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This post originally appeared in January 2016 and was revised and republished in October 2022.