How do they do it and what am I doing wrong?

[snoozechamp]

So I've recently been trying to make boneless buffalo wings and various types of chicken wings at home. I followed a pretty basic recipe (if you could call it that) I found online. Some all-purpose flour, egg, salt/pepper to taste, and evenly sliced chicken breasts.

I dipped the chicken breasts in egg, then dredged them in the flour/spice mix and then threw them in a wok full of canola oil. I cooked them until the oil would stop sizzling (don't know if that's the right word) which was about 10-13 minutes.

Anyway, I put some Franks Red Hot sauce on them and they tasted pretty darn good. I compared them to the ones I usually get at Chili's or other restaurants and they were comparable.

However, here's the problem. Unlike the Chili's wings which I could put in the fridge and eat the next and they would still taste good, my wings were absolutely HORRIBLE, inedible really after they lost the heat/had been refrigerated.

I'm hoping with the information provided someone can provide some info on some crucial step/ingredient I'm missing? Does the awful taste of the chicken indicate maybe overcooking/undercooking? I've had a similar problem (not to this extent) with refrigerating baked chicken and it losing much of it's flavor when I try to eat it.

I'm not a trained cook at all so I feel maybe I'm missing something very basic here. Any help is appreciated!

 

[babymoose2005]

snoozechamp,
I am not a trained cook either and I have never tried cooking boneless wings at home. I can experiment on this subject and then give you some pointers. Sorry that I can't more of assistance.

 

[purple.alien.giraffe]

A lot of places brine their chicken before cooking it. This adds extra salt which helps the flavor stay even once refrigerated. Overcooked chicken won't taste good once it's cooled. It will be dry and bland. Other than that, I'd need to know more about the specifics of how the chicken doesn't taste good in order to try to determine the problem.

 

[Zhizara]

I don't make chicken wings, but it sounds like frying 10-13 minutes for pieces of chicken breast meat at a high temperature would be overcooked.

Welcome to DC, SnoozeChemp. We may not always have an answer, but we are here to help where we can.

 

[buckytom]

i would try using boneless chicken thighs instead of breasts.

wings are brown meat which holds more flavour than breasts, so a thigh might do the trick.

and welcome to dc, snooze.

 

[pacanis]

i would try using boneless chicken thighs instead of breasts.

wings are brown meat which holds more flavour than breasts, so a thigh might do the trick.

and welcome to dc, snooze.

Huh? Chicken wings are white meat, aren't they?
Or are you talking New Jersey chickens?




OP, horrible in what way? Taste, texture...?
And I agree with Z. Whole wings take 12-15 minutes in 375F oil. I don't think the breast strips should take that long, but I've never tried this either.

 

[salt and pepper]

Snooze,
If your using chicken breasts your cooking them way to long! About 3 to 4 minutes @ 350 degrees should do. Also I would leave out the egg. "Franks Hot Sauce" does seem to loose heat in the fridge, so when eating them a day or so later, sprinkel a hint of cayenne on them.
I think wings are a great bar food or appitizer, Yes Iv'e been to "The Anchor Bar" but IMO they should be eaten fresh and hot.
I use to make them quite offten , not so much any more. Now I find that frying chicken thights is more to my liking. I deep fry the thights (or legs) then mix them in a bowl with the sauce.
The sauce: 1 cup Franks Hot sauce , 1/2 stick of butter or margrine , garlic powder (to taste) and some celery seeds. Bring to a low boil , wisking constantly and pour into a mixing bowl add chicken , mix and eat. Its cheaper then wings and much more meat too.
Joe

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Alternate to wings and tastes phenomenal.

G.W's Smouldering Chicken Thighs
Marinade:
3 tbs. Sriracha Hot Sauce
2 tbs. Tobasco Sauce
1 tsp. Insanity Sauce, or oher favorite pepper sauce
2 tbs Kikoman's light soy sauce
1/2 cup water
6 chicken thighs

Combine the sauces in a marinating bowl, or freezer bag. add the chicken and coat completely. Marinate in fridge for 2 hours.

Fire up the grill and cook over a solid bed of charcoal for 4 minutes per side, or until the juices run clear. make sure the cover is on the grill while cooking.

Or, Remove the chicken from the marinade and dip in flour. Shake off excess and let sit for 5 minutes. Dip in egg, and then in seasoned flour (recipe below). Let air dry for another 10 minutes to glue the coating to the chicken. Fry until lightly golden, and place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove and enjoy.

Seasoned Flour:
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tbs. black pepper
1 tbs. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. rubbed sage
1 tbs. granulated garlic
2 tbs.chicken soup base

Enjoy.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[Kayelle]

Alternate to wings and tastes phenomenal.

G.W's Smouldering Chicken Thighs
Marinade:
3 tbs. Sriracha Hot Sauce
2 tbs. Tobasco Sauce
1 tsp. Insanity Sauce, or oher favorite pepper sauce
2 tbs Kikoman's light soy sauce
1/2 cup water
6 chicken thighs

Combine the sauces in a marinating bowl, or freezer bag. add the chicken and coat completely. Marinate in fridge for 2 hours.

Fire up the grill and cook over a solid bed of charcoal for 4 minutes per side, or until the juices run clear. make sure the cover is on the grill while cooking.

Or, Remove the chicken from the marinade and dip in flour. Shake off excess and let sit for 5 minutes. Dip in egg, and then in seasoned flour (recipe below). Let air dry for another 10 minutes to glue the coating to the chicken. Fry until lightly golden, and place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove and enjoy.

Seasoned Flour:
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tbs. black pepper
1 tbs. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. rubbed sage
1 tbs. granulated garlic
2 tbs.chicken soup base

Enjoy.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

GW, are you talking bone in chicken thighs here? I use the grill for my chicken thighs all the time and there's no way they would be done in 8 min. total cooking time. They will take at least 4 times that long.

 

[JMediger]

My question is the same as Pacanis' ... Bad texture? Bad flavor?

I can see them getting soft or soggy in the fridge overnight and I don't think you can avoid that (at least I haven't been able to with my wings or even fried chicken).

If it's flavor, try soaking them in buttermilk if you want to use white meat or try the thigh meat like Bucky suggested. They will be juicier too since they are dark meat like a original wing.

 

[pacanis]

GW, are you talking bone in chicken thighs here? I use the grill for my chicken thighs all the time and there's no way they would be done in 8 min. total cooking time. They will take at least 4 times that long.

I know it would take me longer, too, but GW said over a bed of coals and lid on. I can see eight minutes doing it that way. And skin stuck to the grate and flare ups
I always cook my chicken indirect though, so 3-4x eight minutes is probably about right indirect grilling.

 

[Kayelle]

I know it would take me longer, too, but GW said over a bed of coals and lid on. I can see eight minutes doing it that way. And skin stuck to the grate and flare ups
I always cook my chicken indirect though, so 3-4x eight minutes is probably about right indirect grilling.

Well, the instant read thermometer would tell the truth of it.
I don't do my thighs indirect.
Next time I do thighs I'm gonna see what it says at 8 min.

 

[buckytom]

Huh? Chicken wings are white meat, aren't they?
Or are you talking New Jersey chickens?
View attachment 12007



OP, horrible in what way? Taste, texture...?
And I agree with Z. Whole wings take 12-15 minutes in 375F oil. I don't think the breast strips should take that long, but I've never tried this either.

rofl, i laughed so hard i farted!

i'd always thought of wings as a little darker than breast type white meat.

 

[Andy M.]

rofl, i laughed so hard i farted!

i'd always thought of wings as a little darker than breast type white meat.

I agree. That's why boneless "wings" never taste as good as real wings.

 

[ella/TO]

why don't you use "drumettes"?.....the thick part of the wing....they're soooo good

 

[spork]

I was thinking the same. Split the skin, trim meat off bone, turn them inside out into "lollipops."

I'm not a big fan of fried chicken breast nuggets tossed and masked in overpowering sauces. Having said that, they are good bar food downed with suds. Most of the ones I've had, including supermarket deli offerings, appear to be double-dipped. For a thicker crust that can absorb more sauce, if left in the frig for example.

Also, ditto, don't overcook.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I know it would take me longer, too, but GW said over a bed of coals and lid on. I can see eight minutes doing it that way. And skin stuck to the grate and flare ups
I always cook my chicken indirect though, so 3-4x eight minutes is probably about right indirect grilling.

Ok, maybe six minutes a side. I don't really time them. I just sort or know when to check them. And because I'm using a Webber Kettle, with the lid on, the internal temp of the grill gets very hot at first. I use a generous amount of charcoal, and a solid bed. If you cook them much longer, you burn the chicken. I don't seem to have a problem with the chicken sticking. But then again, I use a spatula to flip the chicken, not tongs.

I cook until the juice runs clear and there is no pink in the meat. All I know is that they are absolutely delicious, and everyone who has had them agrees with me. I get requests.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[Bolas De Fraile]

I soak all of my fowl bits overnight in a mix of beer,garlic powder,onion powder and black pepper then bbq smoke for about 2hrs, they come out like this pic. I then dress them in the sauce I choose.

 

[snoozechamp]

Hey guys thanks for all the responses and the warm welcome!

I'll definitely try dark meat for the wings, as I know that's how the originals were done. I just hate hate hate bone-in wings.

Thanks for the recipe Goodweed, I'll give it a shot!

Snooze,
If your using chicken breasts your cooking them way to long! About 3 to 4 minutes @ 350 degrees should do. Also I would leave out the egg. "Franks Hot Sauce" does seem to loose heat in the fridge, so when eating them a day or so later, sprinkel a hint of cayenne on them.

What is the rationale in leaving out the egg, do you think that contributes to the poor taste? Additionally, what would you recommend instead of egg to make the flower mix "stick" to the chicken?

My question is the same as Pacanis' ... Bad texture? Bad flavor?

I can see them getting soft or soggy in the fridge overnight and I don't think you can avoid that (at least I haven't been able to with my wings or even fried chicken).

If it's flavor, try soaking them in buttermilk if you want to use white meat or try the thigh meat like Bucky suggested. They will be juicier too since they are dark meat like a original wing.

It's both the flavor and texture actually. I wouldn't say the chicken feels soggy but rather it feels harder and a lot less moist and juicy. The flavor is the biggest culprit though, it just tastes mega awful.

I'll give the buttermilk and the brine a try next time I do these. I'd really love to be able to make these the night before and take them to work for lunch or something.

 

[Andy M.]

Not to beat a dead horse, but if "it feels harder and a lot less moist and juicy", it's overcooked. So that should be a simple fix.

Typically, there is no egg used in the breading for fried chicken.

As far as the flavor being "mega awful", not sure what that means. Is it "spit it out and throw away the rest" awful, or is it just not great? Because if it's really vile, there may be a bigger problem with the ingredients being spoiled.