Crispy Boneless Chicken Wings (Buffalo or BBQ)

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Boneless wings done the way sports-bar versions wish they were: chunks of dark-meat chicken thigh brined in buttermilk, dredged in a cornstarch-heavy coating, and fried (or air-fried) once until the crust shatters. The sauce — classic buffalo or a smoky brown-sugar BBQ — goes on in the last thirty seconds, so the coating stays crackly all the way to the table.

Ingredients

• 2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 tbsp hot sauce (Frank's RedHot or similar)
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 3/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 3/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 6 cups peanut or vegetable oil, for deep frying
• 2 tbsp neutral oil, for air-frying (alternative)

• 1/2 cup cayenne pepper hot sauce (Frank's RedHot)
• 5 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 tsp white vinegar
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 3 tbsp dark brown sugar
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

• 1/2 cup blue cheese or ranch dressing
• 3 stalks celery, cut into sticks
• 2 carrots, cut into sticks

Instructions

1. Trim any large pockets of fat from the chicken thighs and cut them into 1 1/4-inch chunks — a little bigger than you think, since they shrink. You should get about 30 pieces.
2. In a bowl, whisk the buttermilk, 1 tablespoon hot sauce, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and garlic powder. Add the chicken, toss to coat, cover, and refrigerate at least 20 minutes and up to 8 hours.
3. Make your sauce while the chicken marinates. For buffalo: combine the hot sauce, butter, honey, vinegar, and garlic powder in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and whisk until the butter melts and the sauce is glossy, 2 to 3 minutes; do not boil. For BBQ: simmer all BBQ ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-low heat for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring, until slightly thickened. Keep warm off the heat.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, smoked paprika, onion powder, black pepper, and baking powder.
5. Lift the chicken from the buttermilk a few pieces at a time, letting the excess drip off for a second, and drop into the dredge. Toss and press firmly so the coating clings in craggy patches, then move to a wire rack. Repeat with all the chicken and let the coated pieces rest on the rack for 10 minutes so the dredge hydrates and sets.
6. TO DEEP-FRY: Heat 2 inches of oil in a heavy Dutch oven to 350°F. Fry the chicken in 3 batches, 5 to 6 minutes per batch, turning once, until deep golden and the interior reads 175°F on an instant-read thermometer. Return the oil to 350°F between batches and drain the finished pieces on a clean wire rack — never on paper towels, which steam the crust soft.
7. TO AIR-FRY: Preheat the air fryer to 400°F. Spray or brush the coated chicken all over with neutral oil until no dry white patches remain. Arrange in a single layer with space between pieces and cook 14 to 16 minutes, shaking the basket at the 8-minute mark, until crisp, browned, and 175°F inside. Work in 2 batches.
8. Sauce only what you'll eat right now. Put half the hot chicken in a large bowl, spoon over about half the warm sauce, and toss for no more than 15 to 20 seconds — just enough to coat. Turn out onto a platter immediately.
9. Repeat with the remaining chicken and sauce and serve at once with blue cheese or ranch and celery and carrot sticks.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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