Score Major Points on Game Day With These Fiery Chicken Wings

I’m a chicken wing enthusiast. I’ll get them every time I see them on a menu. I’m talking gochujang wings at Korean barbecue; fish sauce–coated wings while eating pho; and buffalo wings at pizza joints. But in all my years of gnawing on drumettes, I’ve never come across a Mexican take on wings. So I decided to apply my years of studying chicken wings at the dining table and my love of Mexican cuisine to create this spicy, aromatic, crunchy Mexican-inspired chicken wing recipe.

These wings are hot—the kind of fried chicken wing that gets its chile-pepper talons out and claws your mouth and throat on the way down. A few techniques are used to achieve this level of heat. First, the raw wings are marinated in the brine from jarred pickled serranos (or jalapeño brine, if you prefer). The brine seasons and tenderizes the meat while infusing them with their first layer of heat. 

The second layer of heat—and a whole lot of flavor—is achieved by tossing the freshly fried chicken with a chile-infused oil right before serving. The oil is blended with three different varieties of dried chile, along with cumin, oregano, and chicken bouillon powder. The addition of the warm spices and umami-boosting bouillon powder creates a potent sauce with an aroma similar to Mexican sopes. 

The key to this chile sauce’s nuanced heat is to start with whole chiles and blend them in a spice grinder (or mortar and pestle) yourself, rather than relying on a packaged ground chile powder. This allows you to finely tune the heat level and flavor profile of the spice mix. I use chiles de árbol for nuttiness, puya (or guajillo) for fruitiness, and dried habaneros for heat. Dried habaneros aren’t always readily available, and if you can’t find them, or prefer your wings less spicy, it’s OK to omit them, or substitute with an equal number chiltepin chiles or just bump up the amount of chiles de árbol to a total of 20.

While fried wing recipes rarely call for wet brining and only sometimes call for dredging in flour, I find that the extra effort is worth it to create a flavorful wing with an extra crunchy layer. The brining and dredging technique I use here is inspired by Nashville hot chicken, in which the chicken is dredged in buttermilk and a flour mixture, then fried and tossed in chile oil.

While Nashville hot chicken—like many Southern-style fried chicken recipes—uses flour and cornstarch to create a hearty, crispy exterior, here I decided to swap the cornstarch for another corn-based ingredient, Mexican masa harina. The combination of all-purpose flour and masa harina makes for a light, crunchy breading, while the fried masa harina adds a savory depth that’s reminiscent of tostadas or sopes.

These wings are perfect for eating on a plate with rice and beans or setting out as an appetizer for a party—just make sure to grab a sticky note and label them with a heat warning.

Working in batches, wearing gloves, crumble árbol, puya, and habanero chiles with your fingertips into a spice grinder so chiles fit into grinder. Add chicken bouillon powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, dried oregano, and sugar. Grind until chiles are finely ground. (Alternatively a mortar and pestle may be used to grind the mixture.) Set aside in a small heatproof bowl.

In a zip-top bag, combine chicken wings and pickled chile brine. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 8 hours.

Set a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk flour and masa harina to combine. In a medium bowl, add buttermilk. Remove wings from pickle brine, shake excess liquid back into the bag, transfer wings to buttermilk, and toss to coat. 

Working with 1 wing at a time, transfer to flour mixture, turning to thoroughly coat in flour and pressing to adhere, then shake off excess flour mixture and transfer dredged wings to prepared wire rack. Let wings rest on wire rack at room temperature for at least 15 or up to 30 minutes.

When ready to fry, set a separate wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet and line with paper towels. Add oil to large Dutch oven or stock pot. Heat over medium-high heat until oil reaches 150℉ (65℃), then carefully transfer 3/4 cup of hot frying oil to spice mix blend in bowl. Whisk to combine; set aside.

Continue to heat oil until it reaches 350℉ (175℃). Fry 1/3 of the wings, adjusting temperature as needed to maintain oil around 350℉ (175℃), until chicken is crispy, deep golden brown, and registers 175℉ (80°C) on an instant-read thermometer, 6 to 9 minutes. Using a spider skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer to prepared rack. Repeat with the remaining 2 batches of wings, keeping cooked chicken warm in a 200℉ (95°C) oven while frying remaining wings.

Add fried wings to a large bowl. Whisk chili oil to recombine and pour over the wings. Gently toss until wings are thoroughly coated. Serve.

Special Equipment

Digital instant-read thermometer or candy/frying thermometer, large Dutch oven or stock pot, spice grinder or mortar and pestle, spider or large slotted spoon for removing wings from hot oil

Notes

Dried habaneros are available at many Latin grocery markets. If unavailable, you may substitute with an equal number chiltepin chiles or just bump up the amount of chiles de árbol to a total of 20. Or prefer your wings less spicy, it’s OK to just omit them.

The unused pickled serranos or jalapeños can be reserved in an airtight container in the fridge to use for sandwiches or tacos.

Make-Ahead and Storage

The wings can be brined for up to 8 hours ahead of frying them.

The fried wings are best eaten immediately and do not store well, but leftovers can be safely stored for up to 3 days in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.