Crispy Boneless Chicken Wings (3 Ways)
Servings: 8
Calories: 695kcal
Ultra-crispy on the outside, incredibly juicy inside, and tossed in your choice of three scratch-made sauces: Sticky Maple Bourbon, Smoky Honey BBQ, or Classic Buffalo! Thanks to our simple pickle-buttermilk brine and signature double-dredge, these restaurant-quality wings stay shatteringly crisp to the very last bite.
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Equipment
- Dutch oven (for frying) or deep-fryer
Ingredients
For the Chicken and Marinade
- 1½ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup dill pickle brine
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce ie, Frank's Red Hot
- 2 lbs chicken breast skinless, boneless, cut into bite-size pieces (about 1½-inch pieces)
For the Maple Bourbon Glaze
- ½ cup Bourbon
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar dark or light
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter chilled
For the Honey BBQ Sauce
- 1 cup ketchup
- ½ cup honey
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar dark or light
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon liquid smoke
Classic Buffalo Sauce
- ½ cup unsalted butter 1 stick
- ¾ cup hot sauce ie, Frank's Red Hot
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
For the Dredge, Fry, and Serving
- vegetable oil for frying
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- blue cheese dressing
- celery sticks and carrot sticks
- BBQ sauce
Instructions
Brine/Marinade the Chicken
- In a medium bowl, whisk the buttermilk with the pickle brine and hot sauce. Add the chicken pieces and use a wooden spoon to submerge them in the brine. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes (or up to 4 hours).1½ cup buttermilk, ½ cup dill pickle brine, 1 tbsp hot sauce, 2 lbs chicken breast
Make the Sauces
- For the Maple Bourbon glaze, add the bourbon and maple syrup to a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and simmer for 4 minutes, until slightly reduced. Stir in the brown sugar, vinegar, mustard, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Simmer on HIGH until thickened, about 4 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the cold butter until melted. Reheat over low heat when ready to use.½ cup Bourbon, ½ cup maple syrup, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, ½ tsp black pepper, ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- For the Honey BBQ Sauce, add the ketchup, honey, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, garlic powder, and liquid smoke to a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often. Reheat over low heat when ready to use.1 cup ketchup, ½ cup honey, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp smoked paprika, ½ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp liquid smoke
- For the classic Buffalo sauce, melt the butter over medium heat in a small saucepan. Stir in the hot sauce, garlic powder, vinegar, and a pinch of salt. Stir until smooth and combined. Reheat over low heat when ready to use.½ cup unsalted butter, ¾ cup hot sauce, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp distilled white vinegar
Bread the Chicken, Fry, and Serve
- Heat your oil to 350°F.vegetable oil
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour together with the cornstarch, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.2½ cups all-purpose flour, ¾ cup cornstarch, 1 tbsp smoked paprika, 1 tbsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 2 tsp Kosher salt, 1 tsp black pepper
- Pull the chicken pieces from the brine/marinade, allowing excess to drip off. Place all of the chicken in the flour mixture. Toss until well coated. Place the coated chicken pieces on a baking rack on a baking sheet.
- Working in batches (usually three batches), add some of the coated chicken (about 1 third) into the brine/marinade. Toss to coat, then transfer to the bowl of seasoned flour. Toss to coat.
- Carefully add the chicken to the hot oil and fry until golden, crispy, and cooked all the way through. Cut a "wing" in half to ensure it is fully cooked and not pink in the middle. Repeat with remaining pieces of coated chicken. If desired, keep fried chicken pieces warm in a low-temperature oven (225°F) on a baking rack until ready to toss with the sauce.
- Gently reheat the sauces (stirring the Buffalo sauce to fully combine). Evenly divide the fried chicken "wings" into three medium bowls. Pour each warm sauce over its respective batch of wings. Gently toss until the wings are completely coated.
- Place the wings on a large serving platter and serve with blue cheese dressing, celery, carrots, and BBQ sauce.blue cheese dressing, celery sticks and carrot sticks, BBQ sauce
Video
Notes
NOTE: Watch the video in the recipe card for visual guidance.
- Making Just One Sauce? The sauce quantities listed above are scaled to divide the 2 pounds of chicken three ways so you can enjoy all three flavors. If you want to coat all of the wings in just one signature sauce, simply triple (3x) that single sauce recipe so you have plenty of glaze for the entire batch.
- Don't Skip the Wire Rack: Always drain fried chicken on an elevated wire rack over a baking sheet rather than paper towels. Trapped steam turns the underside soggy within minutes, while a rack keeps all sides completely crisp.
- Watch Oil Temperatures: Keep a thermometer clipped to the pot. The oil drops when cold chicken enters, so let it return to a steady 350°F (175°C) between batches to prevent greasy wings.
- Sauce at the Last Minute: For maximum crunch, keep the fried chicken and warmed sauces separate until right before serving. Once tossed, serve immediately while the coating is at its shatteringly crisp peak!
Nutrition
Calories: 695kcal | Carbohydrates: 91g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 116mg | Sodium: 1729mg | Potassium: 787mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 45g | Vitamin A: 1328IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 113mg | Iron: 3mg