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 get one like this or follow the instructions below for frying wings using your stove top, a large pot, some oil and a candy thermometer.
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 drummettes 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 a plate with a paper towel to remove excess oil.
Step#6
Toss with sauce.
Step#7
Eat!
How to Fry Chicken Wings at Home
Go ahead and splurge. Deep fry those chicken wings. Here’s a handy guide showing you how.
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.
Video by Leigh Olson.
[tweet “Who knew it was soooo easy to fry chicken wings at home? #thecookful]
This post originally appeared in January, 2016 and was revised and republished in March, 2017.
your recipes sound tasty and easy
I think 13 to 15 minutes for a crispy wing is more the time frame… Also don’t sauce right after pulling out the oil… Let them stand for a few minutes to allow the pores to close and that keep wings crispy
Thanks for the tips, Shawn!
All these years it never occured to me to use a deep pot. That tip saved a large cleanup tonight and will in the future. Thanks much.
You’re welcome, Clarence!
1) Eliminate splattering by DRYING the wings before putting them into the hot oil.
2) Deep fry them twice – 1st. @ 275-280 degrees / remove wings from oil.
3) increase oil temperature to 375
4) Once temperature has reached 375 degrees – put the wings back into the oil for
the final fry which should take a few minutes.
This method will ensure the wings will be cooked and crispy just like the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, N.Y.
How long for step 2? @Montreal Jack
Nelson, do you mean how long the wings cook for? It says 8-10 minutes.
Usually a restaurant will bake the wings first for a few hours on low and then fry them. This makes the meat really juicy. And easier to fry. If you’re making quite a bit it’s quite helpful
Actually no restaurants will not bake them first, I managed restaurants for 27 years and have “never” seen them do that, they are cooked per order to cut down on food cost and waste.
What they will do however just as I do at home is they will place the wings in a deep fryer and then use the basket to trap the wings underneath, which avoids the need to flip them keeping them totally submerged in the oil and then use tongs to remove them.
Thanks for sharing, Manny!
@Nelson I’ve been doing this recipe a couple nights in a row now. I find that the first fry should be around 8-10 mins, and the second, super-hot fry about 3-4
Thanks for letting us know what works for you! What temperatures are you using, Chris?
@Christine Pittman first fry around 130 degrees C, final fry at 190 – the highest my fryer will go
8 wings which is 16 OR or 8 pieces which is 4 wings?
8 wing pieces. So it’s 4 wings cut into 2 pieces each. I have edited the recipe and instructions to clarify this. Thanks, Frank!
Why did my wings all have black on the meat?
I’m not sure, Wendy, do you mean they burned? Did you keep an eye on the temperature of the oil?
How long does it take for the oil to get to the right temp. I am asking because I don’t have a way to find out.
Unfortunately, that’s really hard to say which is why we use the instant read thermometer. The amount of time will vary because of different stoves, types of pots, and amount of oil needed.
@VADA….just to be honest…if you don’t have a deep fryer that regulates the temperature or, at the very least, a thermometer to check the oil….you really shouldn’t be deep frying anything. The main 2 reasons why I say this is because 1) If you’re unsure what the temperature of your oil is, you won’t be able to guarantee that the food was cooked properly which can cause food poisoning, and 2) You could end up with a grease fire because the oil got too hot. Deep frying for most people is a very simple task, but it can be extremely dangerous. I would suggest baking them until you at least have a thermometer to check your oil temps. Safety is always more important, no matter how delicious the recipe is. Have a great day and stay safe.
★★★★★
At least double that cooking time. The longer you cook the crispier, more tender the wings become. I personally cook them for around 25 mins, depending on the size
Thanks for sharing how you make them with us, Sean!