Why should you double fry your chicken? Quite simply, because double fried chicken is juicier, more tender, and crunchier than once fried chicken, which is your standard deep frying method.
Double frying your chicken will break down the collagen in your food, while also adding an extra layer of crisp that you literally can not get by frying it only once.
Plus, why you fry your chicken twice, it will actually result in even more tender chicken, since, by following the methods outlined below, you will allow the chicken’s juices to rest and redistribute before sucking all of the moisture out of the poultry.
Thus allowing for a crispy moisture barrier to form, preventing loss of moisture during our second fry!
Double Fry for the Perfect Game Day Experience
No matter if you’re a basketball fan, a football fanatic, or a golf fiend, fried chicken is the optimal food for game days of all kinds.
Not only can you share wings with a wide variety of people, with a wide variety of delicious sauces, seasoning, side-dishes, and dipping sauces.
But you can also coordinate with others to accumulate a smorgasbord of delectable treats that all your friends and family can enjoy, appreciate, and drool over together!
Plus, whether your team wins or loses, you can always so that you partied harder than the opposing team’s fan base.
So, without further adieu, here’s a list of the ingredients you’ll need to double fry your wings to perfection!
| Quanitity | Item | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Whole Chicken Wings | Use however many you want! However, the more you have the more time this will take, so be prepared. |
| 1 | Deep Fryer, Cast Iron Skillet, Enameled Cast Iron Pot, Etc. | This will be the vessel that you use to fry the chicken. So, be sure it has a deep enough bottom to submerge your wings and make sure that the oil won’t ruin it! |
| 1 | Container Vegetable, Peanut, or Canola Oil | Also, feel free to use any high smoke point oil other than those listed here! |
| 1 | Cooling Rac | Plus, make sure that you get the correct size cooling rack, since you may have different requirements than I do! |
| 1 | Stainless Steel Mixing Bow | Since you probably don’t want to eat these wings dry, I recommend a mixing bowl you can use to sauce these puppies up with… |
| 1 | Cup Frank’s RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce (Optional) | Importantly, note that this guide is not for a sauce recipe! Instead, if you want a sauce to make yourself, try one from my Recipes pages! |
| 1/2 | Stick Butter (salted or unsalted) (4 Tbsp) (Optional) | |
| 1 | Candy Oil Thermometer | A way to measure and track your heat, since the oil will have to be at specific temperature ranges throughout this process. |
And, that’s all you’ll need! Plus, since you’re likely curious, this recipe is fine if you’re frying your chicken as whole wings or as cut up party wings. Also, realize that since this is a bare-bones how-to. Subsequently, I encourage you to put your creative twist on this recipe however you like! In fact, I hope that you do, and please reach out and show me on Pinterest! Search my name The Chicken Wings Blog (I’m also on Instagram and Facebook under the same name).
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Your Cheat Sheet for Results when it Counts
If you just want the recipe, go ahead and skip down to the bottom of this page for the how-tos.
However, if you want to ensure that your double fried wings are as excellent as they can possibly be, then read on!
Step One: Heat Your Oil To Between 250℉-275℉
Initially, you will want to pre-heat whichever frying method you have chosen above, as your oil will typically take some time to rise to temperature. Also, for simplicity’s sake, I will discuss frying in an enameled cast iron pot, since that is the method I used! So, take your oil thermometer and place it onto your pot lid and fill your pot with enough oil to fully submerge your chicken.
Then, with your pot on top of the stove, set the temperature to a medium-high heat. Generally, you will want to watch that your heat lies between 250℉-275℉ for the first fry. In the meantime, you can chop up your wings into party wings if you’d like.
Notably, please keep in mind that this recipe doesn’t call for any seasonings throughout the cooking process. Furthermore, if you choose to season your chicken before frying it, I can’t guarantee similar results. However, I understand if you choose to do so, and I will likely experiment more with this in the future!
Step Two: Fry Your Chicken For 20 Minutes
Next, with our low temperature of 250℉-275℉, we will let our wings sit and cook for 20 minutes in order to par-bake them. In addition to letting them fry for 20 minutes, please be sure to limit the amount of chicken that you place in the pot at a time. In short, overcrowding the pot will lower the temperature of your oil, which can cause your fry to go awry. Moving on, since this portion of the fry is fairly simple, we will continue on to step number three.
Step Three: Allow Your Chicken To Rest At Least 60 Minutes
Importantly, you will want to realize that your chicken should rest for a minimum of one hour in the fridge. But, you can leave chicken in this state for up to 3 days in the fridge, and up to two months in the freezer. So, since we’re cooking for Super Bowl Sunday, then you can fry these bad boys up at any time before the game within the above time constraints.
Next, I recommend using a cooling rack. To summarize, a cooling rack will enable your chicken to cool evenly on all sides, resulting in a more consistent product. However, the chicken will be okay cooling on a plate.
Step Four: Re-Fry Your Chicken Between 375℉ And 400℉
Next, it’s time to complete the double frying process! So, if you let your wings sit inside of the refrigerator (for no more than 3 days), then you can proceed to immediately drop your chicken into your hot oil. However, if you decide to freeze your wings, then you’ll want to let them defrost to room temperature before adding them into the oil.
Take note: if you drop your frozen chicken wings into the fryer at frozen, then you will not achieve the crispy exterior with the tender, juicy interior that you have worked hard for! In fact, your chicken will likely end up with overcooked skin and under cooked meat internally. YUCK. Therefore, once your chicken is at least fridge temperature (at or below 40℉), then you may fry your chicken.
Lastly, ensure that you maintain the oil at a temperature range between 375℉ and 400℉. Subsequently, you should fry your wings for about 10 minutes, or until crispy, golden brown. However, keep an eye on them as your chicken may turn out differently depending on a few extraneous factors. Moreover, be sure to measure their internal temperature before consumption! The safe temperature at which you can consume chicken is 165℉, measured from the thickest part of the food.
Step Five: Season and/or Sauce Your Wings
First, if you want your chicken to taste its absolute best, I recommend you season and/or sauce your wings immediately after pulling them out of the oil! Once you let the excess oil drain through a slotted spoon, place your chicken into a stainless steel mixing bowl and season away!
Second, if you want to try out a zippy, luscious Memphis, TN classic wing sauce recipe that is great for hosting guests, then check out my Honey-Gold Recipe.
Lastly, if you want a simple, yet appetizing wing sauce to pour onto your chicken, then try this easy Buffalo sauce recipe. TO begin with, heat one half stick of butter (salted or un-salted) up to medium heat in a pot. Next, add a cup of Frank’s RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce, and bring the mixture up to serving temperature (not boiling, but hot enough to combine). Lastly, mix the ingredients until they are blended (also feel free to season with salt, garlic powder, and Worcestershire sauce, but I’ll have a how-to on this soon so stay tuned!). That’s it, so feel free to serve your simple, traditional, and satisfying wings to your guests.
Done Double Frying
Whew!
Now that you’ve memorized all of these steps I’ll bet you’re a pro!
I know it seems like a lot, but this process is fairly intuitive and pretty straightforward once you try it once.
Just slow cook, rest, quick cook, then season!
That’s it.
So, I’ll bid you farewell, and don’t forget to check out related content at the bottom of this page for other posts that I know you’ll love!
Simple Double Fried Chicken Wings You Can Cook At Home
Ingredients
Food
- 6 Wings Whole Chicken Wings Feel free to cut these into party wings
- 1 Container Vegetable, Peanut, Canola Oil Also, feel free to use any high smoke point oil other than those listed here! Be sure that it is enough to submerge the chicken you intend to fry.
- 1 Cup Frank’s RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce (Optional) Importantly, note that this guide is not for a sauce recipe! Instead, if you want a sauce to make yourself, try one from my recipes pages!
- 1/2 Stick (4 Tbsp) Butter (salted or unsalted) (Optional)
Utensils
- 1 Unit Deep Fryer, Cast Iron Skillet, Air Fryer, Enameled Cast Iron Pot, Etc. This will be the vessel that you use to fry the chicken. So, be sure it has a deep enough bottom to submerge your wings and make sure that the oil won’t ruin it!
- 1 Unit Cooling Rack Plus, make sure that you get the correct size cooling rack, since you may have different requirements than I do!
- 1 Unit Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl Since you probably don’t want to eat these wings dry, I recommend a mixing bowl you can use to sauce these puppies up with…
- 1 Unit Candy Oil Thermometer A way to measure and track your heat, since the oil will have to be at specific temperature ranges throughout this process.
Instructions
- First, you’ll want to preheat your oil to between 250℉-275℉.
- Second, cook your wings in the oil, maintaining our temperature, for 20 minutes. Importantly, do not overcrowd your pot as it will cool down the oil.
- Third, allow your chicken to rest. If you want to make them immediately, set them in the fridge for an hour to cool before refrying them. Otherwise, you may store them in the fridge for up to 3 nights, or in the freezer for up to two months after the first fry.
- Fourth, re-fry your wings for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown and 165℉ internally, in oil at a temperature between 375℉-400℉. Notably, let your frozen wings defrost to refrigerator temperature before frying them.
- Fifth, if you plan to season your fries, do so immediately after draining the hot chicken from the oil. Next, heat your butter to medium heat in a pot, then blend in the Frank’s RedHot Sauce for a simple Buffalo sauce. Toss and serve your wings!
