How to make proper deep fried restaurant style buffalo wings with gluten free flour and a very simple glaze. A.K.A. homemade BIRD fried chicken (for all my fellow Londoners out there).
What do you miss the most since being gluten free? I think it’s safe to say that fried chicken is high on the list for many. And I don’t know if they were ever popular here in the UK, but growing up in Canada buffalo wings were such a big thing. Vivid memories of mountains and mountains of hot wings with curly fries come to mind when I think back to my childhood. ?
But the reality is that gluten free fried chicken is hard to come by. I went years without eating it until BIRD happened (a fantastic mini chain here in London that makes the best gluten free fried chicken; you need to check them out if you’re around), but for most, fried chicken remains a rare or even non-existent treat!
So I decided to figure out how to make my own fried buffalo wings and what if I told you that they’re actually really quick and easy to make and you really don’t need to miss out anymore? The wings take seconds to prepare and only 10 minutes to cook while the glaze is basically just a matter of melting butter and combining it with hot sauce and seasonings!
Best of all, these turned out identical to BIRD (I’m not even exaggerating) and for only a tiny fraction of the cost! ?
P.S.: you can use any hot sauce you’d like as a substitute, but I highly recommend getting Frank’s RedHot Buffalo sauce if you can get your hands on it (I bought mine in Waitrose). In my opinion it’s the best for this recipe and the closest to that BIRD buffalo glaze flavour. ?
Gluten Free Buffalo Wings Recipe:
- 700g chicken wings
- 80g gluten free self-raising flour (I used Doves Farm)
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp salt
- Black pepper (a generous amount)
- Vegetable oil (to deep-fry)
- 150ml Frank's RedHot Buffalo Wings sauce (a whole bottle)
- 75g unsalted butter
- 1 tsp cornflour
- 1.5 tsp cider vinegar (or any vinegar)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- A dash of Black pepper
COOKING TIME (per batch): 10 mins
Directions
FOR THE FRIED CHICKEN:
- Cut the chicken wings in half and discard the wing tips (or keep them aside to make a broth).
- Add the flour, cayenne, paprika, salt and black pepper and mix with your hands until the chicken wings are all evenly coated (add more flour if necessary), then let them sit for 15-20mins.
- Pour about two inches worth of oil in a pan and heat it up to 180C (356F) using a food thermometer to keep track. Then drop some chicken wings into the oil, one by one using tongs, and cook for 10 minutes. Note: be careful not to overcrowd pan (cook in batches) and keep checking the oil temperature to make sure it doesn’t drop too low (you’ll probably need to keep it on high heat the whole time, but adjust accordingly).
- Fish the cooked chicken wings out and place them on kitchen towel to absorb any excess oil.
FOR THE BUFFALO GLAZE:
- Add the butter in a sauce pan and melt on medium/low heat, then add the rest of the ingredients and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly, until the sauce has thickened. Then combine both glaze and fried chicken wings in a bowl until fully coated.
Enjoy!
