Old-Fashioned Fried Chicken Wings

Why This Old-Fashioned Fried Chicken Wings Works

Soaking the chicken wings in buttermilk first is what keeps them juicy. During that hour in the fridge, the buttermilk slowly seeps into the meat. It softens the outside of the chicken a bit, so later, when the hot oil hits, the meat doesn’t dry out as fast. The buttermilk also leaves a light coating on the wings, which gives the flour and cornmeal something to cling to.

Once the wings go into the flour and cornmeal mix, that dry coating sticks in an even layer. In the hot oil, the flour and cornmeal start to brown and firm up. After a few minutes, that coating becomes a crisp shell around the chicken. While the outside is browning, the heat pushes the juices toward the center of each wing, so the inside cooks through but stays moist. By the time the wings come out to drain, the crust has set hard enough to stay crunchy, and the meat inside stays tender.

Mistakes To Avoid

Letting the oil be too hot or too cool throws the wings off. When the oil is hotter than 350°F, the outside browns fast while the inside stays raw and bloody near the bone. When the oil is too cool, the coating soaks up oil, so the wings come out greasy and heavy instead of crisp.

Skipping the buttermilk time or only giving it a few minutes leaves the meat tight and the coating patchy. Without that soak, the wings don’t pick up as much of the flour mixture, so bare spots show and the crust can slide off in the oil. The meat also stays a bit tougher instead of tender.

Crowding the pan causes uneven cooking. When too many wings go in at once, the oil temperature drops, the bubbles slow down, and the coating turns pale and soggy before the meat cooks through. Some wings end up overcooked while others are still underdone near the bone.

Letting the wings sit too long after dredging makes the crust heavy. The buttermilk soaks into the flour coating, turning it pasty, so it fries up thick and hard instead of light and crisp.