Fried Chicken Wings with Honey Garlic Drizzle
Fried chicken wings are an essential snack for Game Day tailgating in my neck of the woods. Folks who like their wings hot may spice them up with cayenne pepper or buffalo sauce. Don’t get me wrong, I adore buffalo wings with hot sauce and blue cheese dressing and a side of celery sticks. However, my new favorite way to serve this Game Day / Super Bowl snack is with the honey garlic sauce in this recipe.
Game Day; It’s No Joke
Southerners take college football seriously. I often wondered if I were to go into labor during a college football game if my doctor would tell the nurses to “do what it takes to stop progress of delivery until this game is over.” I’m not kidding here.
—from Love Language of the South
This fried chicken wings recipe appears in my new book, Love Language of the South. Alongside it I offer some observations and anecdotes about Game Day in the South. We take our wings seriously here in Alabama, but we take college football even more seriously! Double that for the Super Bowl. It’s no joke.
What is the key to a truly great chicken wing?
If you’re counting calories or fat grams, you can certainly make fried chicken wings in the over or air fryer. The air fryer, especially, can make wings nicely crispy. However, for the tastiest wings, I believe you need to deep fry in plenty of oil.
NOTE: If you fry up the wings quickly at a hot temperature, they will absorb less oil than if cooked them more slowly.
How do you know when chicken wings are done frying?
You can use an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature of your chicken wings. The USDA says the internal temperature should be at least 165°F to ensure the wings are safe to eat.
As many chicken wings as I’ve fried up, I’ve learned to gauge their doneness by sight, but I check with a thermometer if I’m at all unsure. The skin should be crispy golden brown, and the juice should run clear when you poke one of the chicken wings with a fork. The meat should be starting to fall off the bone.
What makes this chicken wing recipe special?
These are not your standard buffalo wings! Along with the honey garlic sauce, the parmesan cheese and oregano add so much flavor. Additionally, the parmesan’s texture when it’s fried adds to the satisfying crunch of the light breading.
These wings deserve a place of honor on your Game Day snack table. You may need to make a couple of batches because they’ll go fast.
Stacy Lyn’s Fried Chicken Wing Recipe
You don’t need a deep fryer to make up a batch of tender, crispy fried chicken wings. Any deep skillet will do. Try skipping the blue cheese dressing and BBQ sauce and instead drizzle with this easy and delectable honey garlic sauce. You won’t believe how much flavor it adds.
Parmesan Fried Chicken Wings with Honey Garlic Drizzle
Ingredients
For the Chicken Wings
- Peanut oil or canola oil any vegetable oil with a high smoke point, for frying
- 4 lbs. chicken wings about 16
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
- 1½ teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1½ tablespoon kosher salt
- 1½ tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1½ cup buttermilk
For the Honey Garlic Drizzle
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lemon juice and zest
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- 1 cup parsley
Instructions
For the Chicken Wings
- In a Dutch oven or deep skillet, heat about 2 inches of oil to 350°F.
- In a shallow baking dish, combine flour, Parmesan cheese, mustard, oregano, salt, and pepper. In another shallow bowl, add buttermilk.
- Dredge the chicken wings in the buttermilk and then in the flour mixture. Shake off any excess flour. Place wings on a cooling rack set over a baking sheet until ready to fry.
- Fry the chicken wings in the oil for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked all the way through. Transfer them to another wire rack in a single layer over a paper towel lined baking sheet to drain the excess oil.
- Heap the wings on a shallow dish or large plate. Serve with honey garlic drizzle and/or ranch dressing or the dip of your choice.
For the Honey Garlic Sauce
- In a medium bowl, add honey, oil, juice and zest of the lemon, salt, and pepper and mix until combined. Finely chop the garlic and parsley and add them to the honey mixture, mixing well. Drizzle sauce over the top of the wings and sprinkle with paprika if desired.
Chicken Wings Pair Great with…
Jalapeño poppers, venison chili, nachos with guacamole, and sweet or savory cornbread pair great with these fried chicken wings. Get more Game Day recipes below.
