Oven fried chicken wings recipe

Chicken wings are classic American bar food, but if you're like us you want to be able to eat chicken wings while still controlling the remote. It's easier than you think and a deep fat frier isn't required. Grab an extra napkin and [maybe] some celery and join us for hot wings.

General theory

Fried wings are delicious, but messy and expensive to make at home (not to mention dangerous!). For home wings we prefer to oven-fry and wings have enough internal fat that pretty much all you need is lots of heat. There is one caveat though and that's for best results the skin on the wings have to be absolutely dry. If moisture is present it will keep the skin from getting crispy. To get the skin as dry as possible we salt the chicken pieces on both sides and keep them in the fridge over night.

Butchering Technique

Chicken wings typically come either individually quick frozen (IQF in grocer slang) or our preferred method of fresh and whole. If you've never made wings at home before you may be surprised that one wing is actually two pieces that are connected and require some knife work. Using fresh wings will always result in an equal amount of flats and drummettes.

To cut fresh wings into the pieces you're familiar with first use a sharp chefs knife and dispatch the tips connected to the flat on the opposite side of the drummette. There isn't anything worth eating on them, but they are great for stock so save them in the freezer. Next cut apart the flat and drummette by sliding your knife between the joint. It takes a few wings to get a hang of, but the goal should be to not cut through bone and instead simply separate the joint.

Recipe