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.
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
- Use an oil with a high smoke point. You’ll need the oil heated to 350-375°F, so make sure you’re working with an oil that can handle that temperature. Vegetable or canola oil work well, or try peanut oil.
- Work in batches. If you’re making a large amount of wings, avoid the temptation to cook them all as quickly as possible. The temperature of the oil drops when the wings are added, so adding too many at once will affect the cooking time. Plus, you want them to have some space to cook evenly.
- Keep them crisp and warm. Transfer the chicken wings to a wire rack on a baking sheet after frying. If working in batches, you can keep them warm in a 200°F oven.
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.
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.
The oil may sputter and spatter. Be careful. The oil temperature will drop when the wings are added.
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.
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.
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.
Step #6
Toss with sauce.
Step #7
Eat!
More Chicken Wing Recipes
- Baked BBQ Chicken Wings
- Crispy Brined Chicken Wing Recipe
- Oven-Fried Breaded Chicken Wings
- Breaded Boneless Chicken Wings
- Air Fryer Crispy 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.
Print How to Fry Chicken Wings at Home
Go ahead and splurge. Deep fry those chicken wings. Here’s a handy guide showing you how.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 serving 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Deep Fry
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- Vegetable or canola oil, enough to fill a pot by 1 and 1/2 inches
- 4 chicken wings
- Sauce (like Buffalo)
Instructions
- 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.
- Meanwhile, cut wings into two pieces each. Learn how here.
- 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.
- 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.
- Toss with sauce. Serve immediately.
Love this recipe? I’d appreciate it if you could scroll down and add a *5 star rating* to help others know they’ll love it as well!
This post originally appeared in January 2016 and was revised and republished in October 2022.
The fry time was perfect. I cooked flats for eight minutes, drumettes for ten minutes, turning half way. I used vegetable shortening. I also set the wings out for a half hour before cooking, so they would be about room temperature before frying. I used a wooden spoon to determine the oil temperature.
That’s wonderful, Cici! I’m glad it worked so well for you. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Thank u they came out great
You’re welcome, Margaret! Glad you enjoyed.
They turned out great
So happy to hear that, Richard!
I am loving this website. Such a wide variety of excellent recipes, tips and techniques.
My grandson has a growing interest in making chicken wings at home so I was excited to find the free download of Chicken Wings, Fully. Unfortunately it seems the links to the recipes are not active in the PDF download. I think he would really get a kick out of trying some of these recipes. Is there another file 9r destination available?
I appreciate your prompt reply and I appreciate all you do.
Thanx, Greg Preston
Greg, I’m so happy to hear that you’re loving our site! I apologize about the pdf. That is actually quite old and the links were removed for a variety of reasons. The only thing I can think of is that we do have a chicken wing section of the site that has some of those still remaining, it is here https://thecookful.com/category/ingredient/chicken/wings/ If I think of anything else that could help, I’ll let you know. Thank you for the kind comment!
I like this recipe, i do the same thing except I use a bit of oil, lemon peper and paprika as a mixture in biwl as a topping.
Cheers
That sounds great, Carl! Thanks for taking the time to rate the recipe.
Thanks for the recipe 😋
You’re welcome, Audrey!
Awesome