This is the bone-in version of the gluten-free fried chicken system — the same three-starch crust, the same Frank's-forward marinade, adapted for wings. The hot sauce flavor is built into the breading itself, not tossed on afterward. You get tangy heat in every bite without the mess of sauce-coated fingers or a crust that turns soggy under a glaze.

Wings require a different approach than boneless cutlets. The bones conduct heat slowly, so fry time is longer. The skin renders fat as it cooks, crisping from underneath while the starch coating crisps from outside. The result is a double layer of crunch — shatteringly crisp breading over crackling skin — with juicy meat that pulls clean from the bone.

Serve these as they are. They don't need a sauce. The Frank's is already there.

Ingredients

For the Wings

4 lb chicken wings, split into drums and flats (tips removed)
2 tbsp kosher salt (about 1½ tsp per pound)
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder

For the Marinade

1 cup whole milk
1½ tbsp white vinegar or lemon juice
1 large egg
¾ cup Frank's RedHot
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp white pepper (optional)

For the Dredge

1 cup tapioca flour
½ cup potato starch
½ cup potato flour
1½ tsp baking powder
1½ tsp kosher salt
1½ tsp paprika
1½ tsp garlic powder
1½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp white pepper (optional)
½ tsp cayenne (optional, for extra heat)

For Frying

4–4½ quarts peanut oil (preferred), or avocado oil

Preparing the Wings

If your wings aren't already split, separate the drums from the flats at the joint using a sharp knife. Remove and discard the wing tips — they're mostly skin and bone with little meat, and they burn easily.

Pat the wings completely dry with paper towels. Moisture is the enemy of crisp skin.

Season the wings evenly with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Spread them on a sheet tray in a single layer and refrigerate uncovered for at least 1 hour, up to overnight. This dry brine seasons the meat, draws moisture from the skin, and firms up the surface for better frying.

The Marinade

Combine the milk and vinegar in a large bowl and let it sit for 10 minutes to curdle slightly.

Whisk in the egg until fully incorporated. Add the Frank's RedHot, paprika, garlic powder, and white pepper if using. The marinade should be thin and pourable, with a distinct orange tint from the hot sauce.

Add the wings to the marinade, tossing to coat each piece. Cover and refrigerate for 1–2 hours. Wings don't need as long as boneless cutlets — the meat is thinner and the bones limit how much the marinade can penetrate.

Do not exceed 3 hours. The acid will begin to break down the skin, and you'll lose crispness.

The Dredge

Whisk together the tapioca flour, potato starch, potato flour, baking powder, salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and white pepper and cayenne if using.

Before dredging, create texture: drizzle 2 tablespoons of the marinade liquid into the flour and toss with your fingers until small clumps form. These become the craggy, crispy ridges on the finished wings.

Dredging

Remove the wings from the marinade and let the excess drip off briefly. Press each wing firmly into the dredge, coating all surfaces — the drums especially need attention on their rounded ends.

Transfer the dredged wings to a wire rack and let them rest for 10 minutes. This hydration rest bonds the coating to the skin and prevents the crust from falling off in the oil.

Frying

Heat the oil to 350°F in a deep fryer or heavy pot with a thermometer.

Fry the wings in batches of 8–10, depending on your fryer size. Crowding drops the temperature and causes uneven cooking. Lower the wings carefully into the oil — they'll bubble aggressively at first.

Maintain the oil between 325–340°F during cooking. Fry for 10–12 minutes, turning the wings occasionally with tongs or a spider, until the crust is deep golden brown and the internal temperature at the thickest part reaches 165°F.

Transfer to a wire rack and rest for 3–4 minutes. The crust will continue to crisp as steam escapes.

For maximum crunch, finish with a flash fry: raise the oil to 375°F and return the wings for 60–90 seconds. This drives off surface moisture and locks the crust hard.

Serving

Pile the wings on a platter and serve immediately. They're fully seasoned from the marinade and don't require a dipping sauce — though ranch or blue cheese on the side never hurt anyone.

These wings stay crispier longer than sauce-tossed versions because the coating isn't fighting against moisture. They're ideal for parties, game days, or any situation where wings might sit for a few minutes before being devoured.

Notes

Wings have more surface area relative to their meat than boneless cuts, so they need a slightly thinner coating. The dredge ratio here is calibrated for wings — don't use the heavier sandwich dredge or the crust will overpower the meat.

Split your own wings if you can. Pre-split wings from the store often sit in their packaging long enough to get waterlogged. Whole wings that you break down yourself will have drier skin and fry crisper.

The dry brine is especially important for wings. The skin holds a lot of moisture, and drawing it out before frying is what creates that crackling texture underneath the breading.

Frank's RedHot is specific. Other hot sauces will produce different flavor profiles — Louisiana-style sauces are thinner and more vinegary, cayenne-based sauces are hotter and less tangy. Frank's has the particular balance that this recipe is built around.

Variations

Hotter: Increase the cayenne in the dredge to 1 teaspoon, or add a few dashes of a hotter sauce to the marinade.

Milder: Reduce the Frank's in the marinade to ½ cup and increase the milk to 1¼ cups.

Lemon pepper: Add 2 teaspoons of lemon zest and 1 teaspoon of extra black pepper to the dredge. Skip the cayenne.

Garlic-forward: Double the garlic powder in both the marinade and dredge. Add 1 teaspoon of granulated garlic to the dry brine.

Party wings: This recipe scales linearly. For 8 pounds of wings, double everything. Fry in more batches, not larger batches.

History

The American fried chicken wing became a bar-food institution in the 1980s and 1990s, spreading from Buffalo across the country in countless variations. The original Buffalo format — fried and tossed in butter and hot sauce — defined the category, but the template invited experimentation.

This version takes the Buffalo influence in a different direction: instead of saucing after the fry, the Frank's goes into the marinade. The tangy, peppery heat seasons the meat and the crust simultaneously. The result is a wing that's cleaner to eat, stays crispier longer, and delivers the same vinegar-and-cayenne punch in a more integrated way.

No sauce. No mess. All the flavor in the crust where it belongs.