Getting the Most for Your Restaurant Dollar

3 Big Reasons Homemade Chicken Wings May Not Measure Up To Your Favorite From A Restaurant

They pop out at you from the menu at your preferred restaurant, dressed up in all kinds of fancy names, and they even sometimes find their way to your door with the pizza delivery guy. Chicken wings are one of American's favorite foods apparently, especially during events like the Super Bowl, when it is expected that the population will consume 1.23 billion chicken wings by the time all is said and done.

But why is it you would rather have your buffalo wings served up sizzling hot from your favorite restaurant than cook them at home? For most people, it is because cooking chicken wings at home rarely provides the same delectable outcome as what they are used to. There are three big reasons why your homemade chicken wings may be just a bit out of step with those savory poultry nibblers you get elsewhere. 

Restaurant chicken wings are rarely battered, coated, or covered with anything before they are fried. 

That golden, crisp deliciousness that explodes flavor into your mouth when you take a bite out of a wing at a restaurant may have you duped into believing that there is something special coating that fried tidbit of chicken. However, the best wings are coated in nothing at all. If you try to roll your chicken wings in some sort of batter or crumb concoction at home before you fry them, you have already wasted your efforts. That crispy goodness comes sheerly from perfectly fried chicken skin and that's it, nothing more. 

The best wings are fried and then fried again. 

If you are prepping a load of wings for a party, chances are you will drop them in the fryer one time, pull them out, and then coat them with your favorite sauce in hopes you will get something similar to what your family knows and loves. However, what you may not know is that the crispiness of restaurant-fried wings usually comes from a double shot of frying. The wings are often fried once at a lower temperature and then fried again. This second round encourages those lovely crisp blisters of fatty skin that create that nice little bit of crisp in every bite. 

The secret is truly in the sauce. 

Even if you do manage to prepare and fry wings just right and the skin comes out to be crispy, bubbly, and golden like you want, matching a good sauce recipe can be darn near impossible. The best wings offer a tell-tale bite in the flavor that comes from vinegar. Too much vinegar, you have a sour wing. Too little vinegar, you basically have barbecued chicken. There are a lot of good recipes for buffalo wing sauce out there, but pinning down one that tastes anything like what your favorite restaurant uses will definitely be a challenge. 

If you're looking craving restaurant-quality wings without the hassle of making them at home, sports bars like Luxe Sports Grill are a good place to start.  


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