Chicken wings are one of the most popular appetizers. However, they are very easy to overcook or undercook when you deep fry them. How to deep fry chicken wings? How long does it take?
It takes about 8-10 minutes to deep fry chicken wings. Heat oil in a deep fryer or saucepan to 375 °F (190 °C). Gently drop in the chicken wings. After 8-10 minutes, remove the wings and place them on a plate lined with paper towels to drain the excess oil.
So as you can see, the steps are quite simple to deep fry chicken wings:
- Prepare and chill the wings to make them extra crispy when fried.
- Coat the wings with seasoning and optional flour.
- Heat the oil to 375 °F (190 °C).
- Deep-fry the wings for 8-10 minutes.
- Transfer the wings to a plate lined with paper towel and serve.
You can make the wings just as good as the restaurants by following these simple steps.
To know when the chicken wings are done frying, you can use the following methods:
- The exterior color of the wings should turn a golden brown.
- The wings will typically float to the top of the oil when they are almost done.
- You can insert a meat thermometer into the wings to check the temperature. If the internal temperature reads 165 °F, then it is cooked. Make sure that the temperature does not touch the bone, or you will get an incorrect reading.
Read on to learn more about how long it takes to deep fry chicken wings and how to fry them to perfection.
How to Deep Fry Chicken Wings? How Long Does It Take?
It takes about 8-10 minutes to deep fry chicken wings. Heat oil in a deep fryer or saucepan to 375 °F (190 °C). Gently drop in the chicken wings. After 8-10 minutes, remove the wings.
So, all things considered, it will take approximately 10 minutes to deep fry chicken wings. It is a fairly simple process.
You should put enough oil in a deep fryer or a large saucepan. If you use a deep fryer, you can set the temperature settings to 375 °F (190 °C). If you use a saucepan, then have a deep-fry thermometer ready, so you know when the oil reaches 375 °F (190 °C). It should take about 5 to 10 minutes for the oil to reach this temperature.
Continue frying the wings until the pink color of their skin and flesh turns to a golden brown.
Their juices will also become more transparent. If you use a meat thermometer to check their doneness, you should be reading 165 °F (74 °C). Don’t let the probe of the thermometer touch the bone because you will get an incorrect reading.
The key to excellent tasting chicken wings is crispy skin. So, make sure that you don’t overcook them. Overcooking the wings will dry them out.
If you don’t have a thermometer suitable for meat, you can check the doneness of the wings by poking the meat of the wings. If the juice from the chicken is not bloody, it is already cooked. But if the color of the fluid is still reddish, fry them a little longer.
Typically, before the wings are fully ready, they will start to float in the oil. So when you see them floating, they are nearing their cooking time. Give them a few more minutes, and they will be ready in no time.
How long to deep fry chicken wings at 350 degrees? It takes about 12 minutes to deep fry chicken wings at 350 degrees. Some recipes call for deep frying chicken wings in oil that is 350 °F (177 °C). I prefer to deep fry wings at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes, but you can deep fry at 350 for a bit longer, about 12 minutes.
How to Deep Fry Chicken Wings – Detailed Steps
The reason why chicken wings served in restaurants have such a great texture is because they are deep-fried perfectly. But you can also make the same quality of deep-fried chicken wings at home. You just need to know-how. So, here’s how:
1. Prepare and Chill the Wings
It’s best to use fresh chicken wings, but if you don’t have them, you can use frozen ones. But you need to thaw them first to shorten their cooking time. Rinse them well with cold water. Then proceed to dry them with paper towels and place them on a rack set on a baking sheet.
Get some salt and pepper and sprinkle them on both sides of the wings. Then place the wings inside the fridge for at least an hour. You can also leave the wings in the fridge for several hours or even overnight. Chicken wings need to be cold when introduced to the cooking oil in the deep fryer to get the best results.
How Do You Clean Chicken Wing?
2. Coat the Wings
Get the chicken wings from the fridge and coat them with flour and some seasoning. Coating them will give them the crust that you very much love in restaurant chicken wings. But you can also toss them right away into the oil in the deep-fryer if you want.
In coating the wings, place enough flour in a shallow bowl. Add the seasonings that you want to the flour. They could be pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, cayenne powder, and salt. Mix them well.
Dip the chicken wings to this mix one at a time. Ensure that they are all fully coated with the flour mixture. A thin coating for each wing will be enough.
3. Prepare the Deep-fryer
Pour oil into the deep fryer enough to fry all the chicken wings that you have previously prepared. Make sure to leave at least about 2 inches of the fryer free of oil. As you start adding the wings to the oil, the level of oil will rise. So be careful not to let the cooking oil go over the top.
Set the temperature of the deep fryer to 375 °F (190 °C). To check if the oil’s temperature reached 375 °F (190 °C), use a deep-frying thermometer. As soon as the temperature of the oil reaches this level, start introducing the chicken wings to the hot oil.
4. Deep-fry the Wings
Use metal tongs to lower each wing slowly into the hot oil in the deep fryer. By gently doing this, you will prevent the oil from splattering. This will keep your hands and your body from being burned by hot oil.
Don’t put too many chicken wings on the deep fryer. Some of the wings may not get fully cooked, or they may cook unevenly. The best way is to fry the wings in small batches. Allow the wings to fry until their color turns to a golden brown. Frying should take around 8 to 10 minutes.
To check if they are fully cooked, use a meat thermometer. Pull one wing out of the deep fryer and insert the thermometer into its thickest part. If it is ready, its temperature should read 165 °F (74 °C). It is safe to eat if this is the indicated temperature. The rest of the batch is also done if they have the same golden brown color.
How long to deep fry chicken wings at 350 degrees? It takes about 12 minutes to deep fry wings at 350 degrees. Some recipes call for deep frying chicken wings in oil that is 350 °F (177 °C). I prefer deep frying the wings at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes, but you can deep fry at 350 for a bit longer, about 12 minutes.
5. Serve
Once you are sure that all the wings are fully cooked, remove them from the deep fryer using metal tongs. While pulling the wings out, allow the oil to drip off on the fryer before putting them on a plate lined with paper towels.
Once the kitchen napkin absorbs all the excess cooking oil, place the wings on a serving plate. You can serve them without a sauce or put some special sauce on the side as dipping.
Factors That Determine How Long It Takes to Deep Fry Chicken Wings
There are several factors that usually affect the amount of time chicken wings are cooked. These factors are:
1. Size of the Chicken Wing
The smaller the chicken wing, the quicker it will be deep-fried, and vice versa.
2. Quantity of Chicken Wings
The more chicken wings you will deep fry, the longer it will take, and vice versa.
3. Frozen or Unfrozen
Cold wings will take longer to deep fry than wings that are at room temperature.
4. Room Temperature
If it’s hot, it will be faster to fry chicken wings. But if the weather is cold, it will take longer to deep fry them.
Tips for Deep Frying Chicken Wings
There are deep frying techniques that will create excellent tasting chicken wings. If you follow these tips, your chicken wings will be the favorite food at your next party.
1. Use Fresh Chicken Wings
If at all possible, use fresh chicken wings, not frozen ones. Frozen chicken wings usually retain their moisture. When you fry them, their meat tends to be soggy. The taste is also adversely affected by the freezing process.
2. Use Fresh Oil
Always use fresh oil to deep fry chicken wings. Used cooking oil has some unwanted flavors and other colors from the food previously cooked.
3. Use the Best Oil You Can Afford
Studies have shown that extra virgin olive oil is the safest oil to use in frying. It produces the smallest amount of polar compounds, which have adverse effects on our health. Coconut oil and other types of olive oil are also safe to use in deep frying.
Additionally, it is recommended that you don’t utilize used oil in frying. Food fried in used oil absorbs the degraded oil compounds, making them not very safe to eat.
4. Take Time to Prepare Before Frying
It is always a best practice to prepare everything first before cooking the food. Organize and prepare all your ingredients before you start to deep fry chicken wings. If you can do the coating of the wings in an assembly line manner, so much the better. You will be able to control the mess in your kitchen this way.
5. Fry Chicken Wings Twice
Typically, chicken wings fry between 365 °F (185 °C) and 375 °F (190 °C). However, the wings are not rightly cooked inside and not very well crisped outside. To remedy this, you have to fry the wings twice. Give the wings an additional oil bath at 275 °F (135 °C).
6. Don’t Crowd the Deep-fryer
Overcrowding the deep fryer will lower the temperature of the oil, resulting in soggy wings. The wings must be able to move freely in the oil. They won’t stick to each other this way.
7. Allow the Coating to Rest
To ensure that the coating will not fall off from the wings, give them enough time to adhere to the chicken skin. Don’t drop them on the hot oil immediately after coating them. It is better to keep them in the fridge for at least half an hour before deep-frying them.
How to Deep Fry Wings Safely
Deep frying is a relatively safe activity, but you are still advised to take the necessary precautions. For instance, cooking oil, according to the United States Department of Agriculture, is very flammable. So, here are some safety tips on using a deep fryer.
1. Have a Fire Extinguisher Ready
It will be wise to have a fire extinguisher in your kitchen to prevent the occurrence of fire. If a grease fire starts, use the fire extinguisher. Do not attempt to pour water into the fire because water can’t stop grease fires.
2. Don’t Put Oil in a Hot Deep-fryer
Make sure that your deep fryer is turned off and completely dry before you pour oil into it. Water will vigorously spatter if you add hot oil to it.
3. Don’t Add Food When the Basket Is Already Submerged in Oil
It will result in spatters of oil if you do.
4. Don’t Leave the Food Unattended
Deep frying is a fast process. Therefore, don’t leave the chicken wings until they are fully cooked.
5. Before Frying the Next Batch, Let the Cooking Temperature Rise Back Up
This step will allow the oil to reach the right cooking temperature for the wings.
Easy Deep-Fried Chicken Wings Recipe
Here’s a chicken wings recipe cooked on a deep fryer that you will love. The preparation time is 15 minutes, while the cooking time is 20 minutes. This recipe makes 2 1/2 dozens of crispy chicken wings.
Ingredients:
- 15 chicken wings (approximately 3 pounds)
- Two eggs
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- Two green onions, finely chopped
- Two teaspoons sesame seeds
- Five teaspoons soy sauce
- 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
- Oil for deep frying
Directions:
1. Cut the chicken wings into three sections. Don’t use the wing tips.
2. Use a large mixing bowl to combine the flour, cornstarch, salt, sugar, and sesame seeds.
3. Combine the soy sauce, oil, and eggs.
4. Gradually whisk the combination of the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients until they are all blended. Add the onions and stir.
5. Add the chicken wings to the mix and coat them. Then cover the bowl and place it inside the fridge for at least 3 hours.
6. Remove the chicken wings from the batter.
7. Put 1 1/2 inch of cooking oil in the deep fryer and heat it to 375 °F (190 °C).
8. Fry the chicken wings in batches, from 8 to 10 minutes for each set until they are ready.
9. Drain the cooked chicken wings on paper towels.
10. Serve the chicken wings on a plate.
Can You Make Chicken Tartare at Home?
Conclusion: How to Deep Fry Chicken Wings? How Long Does it Take?
It takes about 10 minutes to deep fry chicken wings at about 375 degrees F. It takes about 12 minutes to deep fry wings at 350 F.
First, you have to put enough cooking oil into the deep fryer. Set the fryer to 375 °F (190 °C) and heat the oil. Once the wings are cooked, remove them from the deep fryer and place them on a plate with a kitchen napkin to drain the excess oil.
To know when the chicken wings are done frying, you can use the following methods:
- The exterior color of the wings should turn a golden brown.
- The wings will typically float to the top of the oil when they are almost done.
- You can insert a meat thermometer into the wings to check the temperature. If the internal temperature reads 165 °F, then it is cooked. Make sure that the temperature does not touch the bone, or you will get an incorrect reading.
Chicken wings don’t take long to fry at all. As long as you set a timer and know-how to check when they are done, they will be perfect every time.
Read next: