Hot wings recipe
Prep Time:
2 hours, 30 minutes
Cook Time:
20 minutes
Servings:
6 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 5 tablespoons Tabasco
  • ½ tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 3/4 cup frying oil from chicken (for sauce)
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons cayenne pepper
  • 2 tablespoons paprika
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons black pepper
  • ½ tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2-½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ tablespoon onion powder
  • 3 pounds chicken wings
  • 2 quarts frying oil (vegetable or peanut oil)
Directions
  1. Start by brining the chicken: Cut chicken wings into three segments at the joint, the drum, wing, and tip. Discard all tips or freeze for stock. For the brine, combine 2 cups buttermilk, 2 tablespoons kosher salt, 4 tablespoons Tabasco, and 1/2 tablespoon sugar. Marinate the chicken wings for one to two hours.
  2. Heat your oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit to hold batches of chicken until the chicken is fried.
  3. Next, fry the wings. Heat the frying oil in a Dutch oven or heavy gauge pot to 360 degrees.
  4. In a large bowl, combine 2-½ cups flour, ½ cup cornstarch, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper, 1 tablespoon paprika, 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder, 1/2 tablespoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon sugar, and whisk until combined. Working with one wing at a time, place an individual wing into the flour mixture, press the breading on, lightly shake off the excess flour, and place the wing on a sheet pan. Repeat until all wings are breaded.
  5. Working in batches, add 6 to 8 wings to the fryer oil one wing at a time. Fry wings for 10 to 15 minutes until the wings are golden brown. Remove the wings and place on a paper towel or butcher paper-lined pan in the oven to keep warm. Repeat until all chicken is fried.
  6. Finally, it's time to sauce your hot wings. In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon Tabasco, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper, 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Carefully add ¾ cup of your hot frying oil to the mixture. Whisk all the ingredients together. With a basting brush, coat all the wings with the sauce on both sides. Serve immediately with your favorite pickles.