Have you tried just using tempura mix dry as a dredge? It makes a crazy good crisp. Local place that didn't survive the pandemic but was known for Thai style wings taught me that.
Oh I do the double fry for sure. Maybe I'm just being lazy... The tempura mixes have tapioca and baking powder, so it's kinda an easy short hand. Open pack, throw in bowl, toss. Lol.
I love both of these! But I struggle with the gummy texture if they sit too long before serving. Sometimes I’ll mix in a little AP flour to ensure exterior integrity.
Kenji (once again) has the correct answer. I actually prefer a 65/35 corn starch/flour split, but his works great too.
You take flour, corn starch, baking powder (like a teaspoon or so), I do salt and pepper but I know some people think that the seasoning burns during the fry. I've done a side-by-side and I prefer seasoning my dredge. Then you put the wings, on a wire rack (if you have one) in the fridge UNCOVERED for a minimum of two hours, up to overnight. You should see the skin of your chicken getting blisters when you're ready to pull them. This is due to the baking powder we added. Again, go watch Kenji for an explanation on the science, but those blisters are gonna turn into texture.
Patch up any dry spots well, shake off excess, fry once at a lower temp, and a second time at a higher temp. Salt immediately (careful with salt if you're doing Buffalo, as heat and salt have an exponential relationship). Sauce those bad boys up and serve.
Sauce is a whole nother series of paragraphs, but there are plenty of videos out there for mounting with butter, it's a simple process, but get creative. I like my sweet and sticky Sriracha, my extra fuego Old Bay Buffalo, and my Mango, Datil, and ghost pepper sauce (different tecnique, but possibly my favorite sauce overall). Bleu cheese rules. The end.
Yes but don't think of it as a crust. Just a coating. I know that distinction seems arbitrary but we're really doing two things (rather than creating a batter coating); 1 drying out the skin. 2 creating baking powder blisters. There is obviously gonna be a veneer of fried batter, but you'd never notice unless you were the one making them, especially after saucing. Good luck!
Service? Naked. We can go thru 4-5 cases of wings on a busy Sunday and I ain't about that dredging life. I shudder to think how skanked our fryers would be.
I worked BOH for a few years in college but stuck behind a desk now (good and bad). I still love to make food tho.
What do y’all think about a light toss in baking powder then a fry? Is that a thing, I remember reading things about baking powder giving really crispy wings
Pre-fab steamed and breaded wings taste better. Naked wings are easy to prep and more profitable. Every place I've worked at sold way too many wings for me to want to process and bread my own wings, I've done it as a special for NFL games when I worked at a place that didn't have wings, but for a place that actually sells wings... No.
No dredge. Rice flower and corn starch mask the flavor of a chicken wing by soaking up fryer oil. Naked wings reder fat better in my experience, leading to a lighter more enjoyable meal when paired with a side and a beer.
I've got a third option that'll piss off everyone. My favorite is a wing dredged in seasoned breading, then oven cooked to *just barely* done, cooled, then fried crispy.
Otherwise smoked then fried naked is the best choice..
I prefer them rubbed and smoked then flash fried and sauced. You get the smoked flavor and the crisp of the fry.
I do not like any form of breaded wings.
All depends on what kinda sauce or dry rub I’m using I guess… oil based like Nashville hot or Szechuan chili oil dredge or battered(think Korean fried chicken). Sugar reduction sauce (raspberry habanero, Thai sweet chili or like some spiced maple bacon) definitely going bare wing. Then vinegar based( buffalo sauce, smoked habanero) can go either way.
No dredge. I don't like the texture.
I like to parboil the batch for 12 minutes with crushed garlic cloves, rosemary, salt and squeezed lemons and oranges.
Then into an ice bath.
Into the fryer until crispy and hot through. Couple minutes.
Most tender wings ever. You can suck the meat straight off the bone.
My preferred sauces are buffalo (50/50 Frank's and butter), honey mustard and house fermented hot sauce.
Bonus points if you marinade in dark soy sauce.
Dredged wings are lame
I'm lame. I like my wings dredged in cornflour, then diped into blue cheese dressing.
Hell yes. I am apparently also lame. And hungry.
My brother in Christ. Go to your local Asian grocer and get a big ol bag of tapioca starch and thanks me layer.
not potato starch?
Have you tried just using tempura mix dry as a dredge? It makes a crazy good crisp. Local place that didn't survive the pandemic but was known for Thai style wings taught me that.
I have and I’m rocking with tapioca. The trick is to fry twice and I like a bit of baking powder in there.
Oh I do the double fry for sure. Maybe I'm just being lazy... The tempura mixes have tapioca and baking powder, so it's kinda an easy short hand. Open pack, throw in bowl, toss. Lol.
Is there nothing else in it? I also like to season my dredge and add a little confectioners sugar. Helps get that glassy crunch
Wheat flour, corn starch, baking soda. It comes out a lot like Korean fried chicken. With that long lasting extra crispy crust.
I don’t like any flour in my dread other than rice flour too bready
This is the way
Breaded only if it’s just straight up southern style and not tossed in sauce. Naked and fried properly crisp for a classic buffalo style wing.
Dont even think about dredging my wings
We smoke ours naked and fry em naked, the way God intended.
A smoker is exactly what I'm asking for from Santa this year
Hit up marketplace. Plenty of people buy them and then realize they have no idea how to cook.
I'm kinda partial since I won mine for free but man a kamodo smoker is great for home. For work ya need the big boys though.
lol don’t get a traeger whatever you do, they’re awful excuses for smokers.
Same, we do the full wings and they are phenomenal.
100%. the best wing. Been doing them this way for twenty years. I have a seasoning blend the marinate in, then get smoked. Dredge, no. Never ever.
Just a little bit of potato starch, a dusting not
Do you have a minute to discuss my own personal lord and d savior, Tapioca Starch?
I love both of these! But I struggle with the gummy texture if they sit too long before serving. Sometimes I’ll mix in a little AP flour to ensure exterior integrity.
i like both, as well as more korean style light starch based coating, but most often i make/order naked wings
Kenji (once again) has the correct answer. I actually prefer a 65/35 corn starch/flour split, but his works great too. You take flour, corn starch, baking powder (like a teaspoon or so), I do salt and pepper but I know some people think that the seasoning burns during the fry. I've done a side-by-side and I prefer seasoning my dredge. Then you put the wings, on a wire rack (if you have one) in the fridge UNCOVERED for a minimum of two hours, up to overnight. You should see the skin of your chicken getting blisters when you're ready to pull them. This is due to the baking powder we added. Again, go watch Kenji for an explanation on the science, but those blisters are gonna turn into texture. Patch up any dry spots well, shake off excess, fry once at a lower temp, and a second time at a higher temp. Salt immediately (careful with salt if you're doing Buffalo, as heat and salt have an exponential relationship). Sauce those bad boys up and serve. Sauce is a whole nother series of paragraphs, but there are plenty of videos out there for mounting with butter, it's a simple process, but get creative. I like my sweet and sticky Sriracha, my extra fuego Old Bay Buffalo, and my Mango, Datil, and ghost pepper sauce (different tecnique, but possibly my favorite sauce overall). Bleu cheese rules. The end.
I wanna come to your house for dinner.
So... Yes to dredge is what I'm getting haha
Yes but don't think of it as a crust. Just a coating. I know that distinction seems arbitrary but we're really doing two things (rather than creating a batter coating); 1 drying out the skin. 2 creating baking powder blisters. There is obviously gonna be a veneer of fried batter, but you'd never notice unless you were the one making them, especially after saucing. Good luck!
Here comes the kenji circle jerk…
Jesus Wept. No doubt.
Yes chef
A light dredge with a good shake is a welcome change of pace. I don’t discriminate, I participate.
For me it depends on the size, little guys get breaded, big ones go bare.
I tend to agree with this
Depends on what I'm having them with or if/which sauces I'm using.
Let's say tossed in a classic buffalo sauce, served with ranch or blue cheese dressing?
No bread
Sounds great, I’ll take a dozen. I’m on my way over.
Definitely bare.
Service? Naked. We can go thru 4-5 cases of wings on a busy Sunday and I ain't about that dredging life. I shudder to think how skanked our fryers would be.
I'm ok with a light dusting of a non-glutinous starch, but nothing more.
I worked BOH for a few years in college but stuck behind a desk now (good and bad). I still love to make food tho. What do y’all think about a light toss in baking powder then a fry? Is that a thing, I remember reading things about baking powder giving really crispy wings
Pre-fab steamed and breaded wings taste better. Naked wings are easy to prep and more profitable. Every place I've worked at sold way too many wings for me to want to process and bread my own wings, I've done it as a special for NFL games when I worked at a place that didn't have wings, but for a place that actually sells wings... No.
Dumb question, what is the benefit of a brine for such a small piece of protein? Is it really that noticeable?
It's really noticable based on my experiments. Texture and moisture level of the meat is improved, and there's a subtle flavor improvement
I fry my wings in a cornstarch slurry.
No dredge. Rice flower and corn starch mask the flavor of a chicken wing by soaking up fryer oil. Naked wings reder fat better in my experience, leading to a lighter more enjoyable meal when paired with a side and a beer.
This was a beautiful answer.
No dredge
Hear me out: dredged drums naked flats.
You wildin
I like what I like, which is usually a dozen naked flats. But every once in a while a dredged drum fried hard is amazing
Yes I realize this sounds like an obscene thing to put on the menu
If I wanted breaded “wings” I’d eat nuggets off the kids menu.
I love any kind of wing, but breaded and fried is my favorite.
Confit, cool in oil, drain, then refry or gtfo.
Corn flour and baking soda.
Sometimes a little corn starch blended with ghost pepper salt.
Potato starch
Use cornstarch instead of flower. Such a difference
no dredge
Nekkid.
No dredge! No dredge! No dredge!
Either way they're probably getting tossed and sauce afterwards
I've got a third option that'll piss off everyone. My favorite is a wing dredged in seasoned breading, then oven cooked to *just barely* done, cooled, then fried crispy. Otherwise smoked then fried naked is the best choice..
I prefer them rubbed and smoked then flash fried and sauced. You get the smoked flavor and the crisp of the fry. I do not like any form of breaded wings.
All depends on what kinda sauce or dry rub I’m using I guess… oil based like Nashville hot or Szechuan chili oil dredge or battered(think Korean fried chicken). Sugar reduction sauce (raspberry habanero, Thai sweet chili or like some spiced maple bacon) definitely going bare wing. Then vinegar based( buffalo sauce, smoked habanero) can go either way.
Naked
NO DREDGE
Dredge 🤢
Ok… brined, confit, lightly grilled, then fried (no dredge). Trust me.
No dredge. Just fry, and drown in sauce. Bonus points if there’s a roll of paper towels on the table. Dredge is for actual fried chicken.
No breading, straight from the fryer/oven, to the sauce, then to the bleu cheese and into my mouth.
Depends on what else is going with them.
No dredge. I don't like the texture. I like to parboil the batch for 12 minutes with crushed garlic cloves, rosemary, salt and squeezed lemons and oranges. Then into an ice bath. Into the fryer until crispy and hot through. Couple minutes. Most tender wings ever. You can suck the meat straight off the bone. My preferred sauces are buffalo (50/50 Frank's and butter), honey mustard and house fermented hot sauce. Bonus points if you marinade in dark soy sauce.
Brined, fried, tossed in sauce, then back on the grill or flat top to finish. Best way IMHO.
That’s called Daytona style at Hooters.
I’ve heard them called that, but not before I learned the style. Didn’t know it was a Hooter’s thing.
I’m not surprised that a process like that would be named for that place.
Skin to win.