25-Min Salt and Pepper Fried Chicken Wings

Salt & Pepper Fried Chicken Wings are insanely crispy, packed with flavor, and better than takeout—all in just 25 minutes! With a double-fry for crunch and a quick stir-fry of garlic, chili, and scallions, each bite bursts with savory, aromatic goodness. Whether you fry or air-fry, these wings are a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.

Recipe

Serves: 2 to 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

For the chicken:
1 ½ pounds chicken wing flats
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine, or water
¼ teaspoon white pepper
6 cloves garlic, grated
6 tablespoons rice flour
4 cups cooking oil (high smoking point, like avocado, grapeseed, or peanut oil)

For the aromatics:
1 tablespoon cooking oil
Pinch of salt
Pinch of white pepper
Pinch of black pepper
1 medium red chili pepper, sliced
1 medium green chili pepper, sliced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
2 stalks scallions, chopped

Instructions

1. Marinate the chicken wings

• Use bamboo skewers or a fork to poke all over the chicken wing flats. This helps the marinade penetrate faster and speeds up cooking.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the chicken wing flats with soy sauce, rice wine, white pepper, and grated garlic. Mix well and let marinate while prepping other ingredients. (Optional: Marinate longer for deeper flavor.)

2. Cut the aromatics

• Slice the red chili pepper, green chili pepper, garlic, and chop the scallions.

3. Coat the chicken wings

• Coat each chicken wing with rice flour for a light, super crispy, gluten-free coating.

4. Fry the wings

• In a pot over high heat, add cooking oil and heat to 325°F (163°C).
• Carefully drop in chicken wings, one at a time. Deep fry for 5 minutes until completely cooked. Remove and drain.
• Increase oil temperature to 350°F (177°C).
• Return chicken wings and fry another 2 minutes until golden and extra crispy. The internal temperature should reach at least 165°F (74°C).
• Remove and drain excess oil.

5. Stir-fry the aromatics

• In a wok over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil.
• Add salt, white pepper, black pepper, red and green chili peppers, and garlic. Stir-fry for about 10 seconds until aromatic.

6. Combine and serve

• Return the fried chicken wings to the wok and toss with the aromatics.
• Add chopped scallions, mix well, and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Tips & notes

• Prep ahead: Marinate the wings up to 1 day ahead so the flavors fully soak in. You can also slice the aromatics in advance and store them in a sealed container—this way, when it’s time to cook, everything comes together in minutes, making weeknight dinners a breeze!
• Time-saving shortcut:  Poke holes in the chicken wings so the marinade penetrates faster and the wings cook more evenly—this speeds up both marinating and frying.
• Rice flour coating: Gives a lighter, super crispy texture and is naturally gluten-free.
• Double fry for extra crispiness: The first fry cooks the chicken, the second fry crisps it up without greasiness.
• Quick aromatics: Stir-fry aromatics for only 10 seconds over medium heat to keep them fragrant and bright, not burnt.