Jerk Fried Chicken Wings

Get your chicken wings ready 24 hours ahead. Toss them into a big bowl and pour in that jerk marinade, thyme, kosher salt, and a teaspoon of garlic powder. Give it a good mix so every piece is well coated. Cover it up, and into the fridge it goes. Don't skip this step! I know it's tempting, but the marinade needs time to work its way into the chicken before we add the buttermilk and fry.

8 hours before you're ready to fry, open the fridge, pour in 2 cups of buttermilk, and stir it all together. Pop the lid back on.

About 30 minutes before intend to start cooking, pull the chicken out of the fridge and let it rest at room temperature. While it rests, it’s time to make the dredge! In a large bowl, mix together the flour, cornstarch, seasoned salt, dry jerk seasoning, garlic powder, and baking soda. Tip: use a fork to sprinkle in some of the buttermilk marinade into the flour mix and stir. This helps create the crunchy craggies, the delicious crispy bits!

Now, take the wings out of the buttermilk. Let the excess drip off, then toss each wing in the flour mixture, pressing the flour into the wings on all sides. Shake off any extra flour and set the wings on a plate. Let them rest while you heat the oil.

Pour oil into a dutch oven and bring it to 360°F. While you’re waiting, preheat your oven to 250°F and place a wire rack over a baking sheet so you can keep your wings warm once they’re fried.

Heat your oil to about 365°F. If you don’t have an oil thermometer, no worries! You can check if the oil is ready by sticking in the end of a wooden spoon, tossing in a small piece of bread, or even a bit of flour from your dredge. Steady bubbles mean it’s ready. No or slow bubbles? Too cold. Rapid and violent bubbles? Too hot.

When the oil is ready, gently add your wings. Make sure not to overcrowd the pot—you want the chicken to have space to dance around without sticking together. This also keeps the oil temperature from dropping too much. The goal is to fry in batches, so after each one, allow the oil to come back up to temperature before adding the next.

Each batch will take 8-12 minutes, depending on the size of your wings. Look for a golden-brown color and wings that float freely on top of the oil. But be careful—just because they’re floating doesn’t always mean they’re fully cooked. For accuracy, use an internal thermometer; the chicken should be at 165°F. If you pull them a few degrees shy, that’s fine—residual heat will finish the job. No thermometer? Cut into a piece, and the juices should run clear.

Once fried, transfer the wings to your prepared wire rack over a baking sheet. Pop them into your 250°F oven to stay warm while you fry the next batch. Continue until all the wings are cooked. Dassit!