Wicked Wings

Overnight buttermilk wings with a double coating and plenty of crisp, craggy edges. Makes about 2 kg of wings.

Recipe by Daniel

Ingredients

• 2 kg chicken wings
• 500 ml buttermilk
• Marinade: 1½ tsp salt, 2 tsp paprika, 1½ tsp garlic powder, 1½ tsp onion powder
• Marinade: 1 tsp white pepper, ½ tsp black pepper, ½ tsp cayenne, ½ tsp chilli powder
• Marinade: 1 tsp dried oregano, ½ tsp dried thyme, 1 tsp MSG (optional)
• Coating: 3 cups plain flour and ¾ cup cornflour
• Coating: 2 tsp each salt, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder
• Coating: 1½ tsp white pepper, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp chilli powder, ¾–1 tsp cayenne
• Coating: 1 tsp dried oregano, ½ tsp dried thyme, 1 tsp MSG (optional), ½ tsp mustard powder (optional)
• Oil for frying

Method

1. Mix buttermilk and all marinade seasonings. Coat the wings, cover and refrigerate for 8–16 hours. Do not rinse or dry them afterwards.
2. Mix all the dry coating ingredients. Drizzle 4–5 tbsp of the marinade over the flour and rub lightly to make irregular breadcrumb-to-pea-sized clumps. Keep most of the flour dry.
3. Lift each wing from the marinade, let heavy excess drip off, then bury in flour and press firmly. Shake gently, dip very briefly back into marinade and press into flour again, attaching the craggy pieces.
4. Shake off loose flour and rest on a wire rack for 10–15 minutes.
5. Heat frying oil to 175°C. Fry in uncrowded batches for about 8–11 minutes, until the thickest part reaches at least 75°C. The oil may drop to 165–170°C when loaded. Leave the wings mostly alone for the first 60–90 seconds so the crust sets.
6. Drain directly on a wire rack to keep the coating crisp. Discard leftover raw-chicken marinade and flour.

Kitchen notes

There are no breadcrumbs in this coating. The little buttermilk-and-flour clumps make the extra crunch.

From preparation to the table

Original photographs from our family cooking. Where the recipe is labelled as a new version, these earlier photographs record the meal and may show variations rather than every exact ingredient or step above.