Yep. I did it. I stepped right over that line between ‘fried chicken wings’ and ‘grandma’s fried chicken’. It’s a gray line. You can barely see it. Heck, I’m not sure it even exists. It doesn’t matter really. Because I enjoyed these buttermilk southwestern wings no matter what you call them. Tender, juicy meat that is packed with flavor. Crunchy, delicious coating. What’s not to like?
Sauce On The Side?
You’ll probably want a sauce to go on these buttermilk southwestern wings. Oh, it’s not required really. But to keep from calling these ‘grandma’s fried chicken wings’, you’ll probably want a sauce. Heck, the wing police might come calling if you don’t.
But don’t go drizzling the wings in sauce then tossing them around in a bowl. You’ll lose all of that delicious crunchy coating. Instead, either drizzle the wings with the sauce or (my recommendation!) serve the sauce on the side, for dipping. The nice thing about having a bowl of sauce on the side is you (and your guests) can dunk a little or a lot. You go to pre-drizzling the wings and someone is gonna say they didn’t get enough sauce. Or they got too much. Sauce on the side solves that problem!
Also try my baked buttermilk wings.
Buttermilk Southwestern Wings
Equipment
Ingredients
For the marinade
- 2 cups buttermilk
- ¼ cup cilantro minced
- 1 small lime zested and juiced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon Frank's RedHot Original Hot Sauce
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons chipotle chili pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin
For the coating
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
For the wings
- 12 chicken wings flats and drumettes separated, tips saved to make stock
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
For the marinade
- In a large resealable container add the buttermilk, cilantro, lime zest and juice, garlic and chipotle chili powder. Seal and shake to combine.
- Add the wings to the container and seal. Shake to coat. Seal and refrigerate overnight.
For the coating
- Combine the flour, paprika and salt in a large bowl.
- Working in batches if needed, remove the wings from the marinade. Shake off any excess then transfer to the flour mixture. Toss or roll to coat well. Transfer to a plate.
For the wings
- Heat a few inches of oil to 350 F in a deep fryer or Dutch oven.
- Working in batches if needed, fry the wings 8-10 minutes or until golden brown, crunchy and done.
- Transfer to a wire rack to drain and cool for a few minutes.
- Serve!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate and will not include any store-bought wing sauce or seasoning nutritional values.
