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Fried Chicken Wings with Garlicky Ranch

Source of Recipe

From "Cook with Me" by Alex Guarnaschelli


Recipe Introduction

"This is not the classic fried chicken with flour and spices that you shake up in a paper bag. For these wings, I combine cornstarch and flour to make the coating a little crunchier while keeping the breading layer thin and light. I usually make a batch of ranch dressing and keep it hanging around until I need it. (I especially love ranch on very chilled iceberg lettuce or with raw sweet carrots; it gets better when it has a few days to sit in the fridge and develop a more complex flavor.) Don't think of this dish as something you would make instead of the classic Buffalo-sauce-and-blue-cheese-dressing combo; that's spectacular, too. This is just a variation where I enjoy the crunch of the breading with the tang and creaminess of the dressing."

List of Ingredients

Garlicky Ranch:
â—¦ 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
â—¦ ¼ cup mayonnaise
â—¦ ¼ cup buttermilk
â—¦ 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
â—¦ 2 teaspoons hot sauce
â—¦ 1 teaspoon garlic powder
â—¦ 1 teaspoon onion powder

Chicken Wings:
â—¦ 1 ½ quarts (6 cups) canola oil
â—¦ 1 cup all-purpose flour
â—¦ 1 cup cornstarch
â—¦ 18 chicken wings (about 3 ½ pounds total), each wing separated into the flat and drumette
â—¦ Kosher salt
â—¦ 1 large lemon, sliced into very thin rounds


Recipe

Make the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk the sour cream, mayonnaise, and buttermilk with the dill, hot sauce, garlic powder, and onion powder. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until the wings are ready.

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Pour the oil into a deep, heavy-bottomed pot and heat it over medium heat until it reaches 350° F on an instant-read thermometer. Line a sheet pan with a clean kitchen towel and place a second sheet pan next to it. In a large bowl, combine the flour and cornstarch. Separate the larger pieces of chicken from the smaller ones. Season all of the chicken with salt and toss it in the flour mixture to coat all sides. Shake off the excess.

Fry the chicken: Drop half of the larger pieces of chicken into the hot oil and use a slotted spoon to gently swirl the oil as they fry. (This swirling will ensure that they fry more evenly on all sides.) When they are light to medium brown, after 5 to 7 minutes, use the slotted spoon to transfer them to the kitchen towel to drain and cool. Season with salt, place them on the second sheet pan, and keep them warm in the oven while you cook the rest of the chicken in batches, transferring pieces to the sheet pan in the oven until all of the wings are cooked. Leave the chicken in the oven for at least 10 minutes to ensure that all of the wings are cooked through.

Arrange the chicken on a serving platter, with the bowl of Garlicky Ranch alongside for dunking.

Serves 4 to 6