These Cacio e Pepe Fried Chicken Wings are made with freshly grated parmesan cheese and LOTS of pepper. Eat them plain or with your favorite dipping sauce!
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Cacio e Pepe… Chicken wing? Oh yeah. I fried chicken wings until crispy, sprinkled them with freshly grated Parmesan, and then added an extra dash of black pepper. You may already be familiar with regular parmesan wings, but this recipe takes it up a notch (or two!) to offer a serious peppery kick that will have you reaching for more.
What is Cacio e Pepe?
If you’re as obsessed with food as I am then I’m sure you’ve seen the words “cacio e pepe” everywhere lately – but what exactly is that? If you don’t speak Italian, it translates to “cheese and pepper”. As you might expect, that means anything with that label emphasizes those two ingredients, with parmesan cheese and black pepper being the standards.
- Try our Cacio e Pepe Spaghetti recipe!
How to cut chicken wings
When buying chicken wings, it’s easiest to buy them already cut into sections. You can also buy whole chicken wings (they’re usually cheaper) and cut them up into chunks yourself.
To cut the chicken wings, find the joint between the drumette and the flat and cut it with a sharp knife. It’s up to you whether you want to detach the tip or not – leave it on for this recipe or save it for chicken broth.
The best tips for frying chicken wings
- Use a heavy pan. When it comes time to prepare chicken wings, I like to start by heating the oil in a pan so it’s ready when I am. As for skillets, cast iron is the go-to for roasting chickens, but any heavy-bottomed skillet will do.
- Use a neutral oil. I like to use canola, vegetable, or peanut oil as they all have relatively neutral flavors. You may think you’re going to need a lot, but the oil should only be half an inch deep. (We don’t fry.) You want the oil to be around 350 ̊F for frying – too hot and you could burn the chicken (or start a fire); too cold, and you’ll end up with beige, greasy chicken (and nobody wants that).
- Pat your chicken dry. An important step when frying chicken wings is patting them dry to remove excess moisture, which is the enemy of the fry. The whole point of frying is to remove moisture from the outside of the food so it gets nice and crispy, so you might as well get it off to a good start by getting the chicken as dry as possible before putting it on the hot oil meets. From there it’s time to season and fry until they’re nicely golden all over.
- Use freshly grated parmesan. A key to the success of this recipe is that you grate the parmesan yourself (I like to use a microplane) and not use the pre-shredded stuff you buy in a plastic container. The pre-shredded stuff is a little tough and doesn’t really melt. (Trust me, I’ve tried.)
After the whole chicken is fried, toss it with some melted butter, the freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and more black pepper. The butter will help stick to the wings and the cheese should melt a bit from the heat of the wings and butter.
Transfer the wings to a platter with your choice of dipping sauce and you’re ready to eat. (I go back and forth between ranch and blue cheese with my wings, but in this case I’d go with ranch since blue cheese might overwhelm the parmesan in this recipe.) These wings are best enjoyed fresh, while they’re still nice and crispy .
More Great Chicken Wings Recipes!
- Pressure Cooker Teriyaki Chicken Wings
- Chicken wings with honey mustard
- Miso Glazed Chicken Wings
- Ginger Honey Chicken Wings
- Chicken wings glazed with bourbon maple
Cacio e Pepe chicken wings
ingredients
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Canola, vegetable or peanut oil for frying
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3 pound chicken wings, drumettes and flats
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1 tablespoon ground black pepper
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2 teaspoons kosher salt
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3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
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3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
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6 tablespoons unsalted butter
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Chopped fresh parsley for serving (optional)
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Ranch or blue cheese dressing for serving
special equipment
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roasting thermometer
method
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Heat the oil:
Fill a cast-iron or other heavy-bottomed skillet with 1/2 inch oil, set over medium-high heat and heat oil to 350°F.
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Fry chicken wings:
Meanwhile, pat the chicken dry with paper towels, season with salt, garlic powder, and 1 teaspoon ground black pepper.
Working in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan, carefully add the wings and cook, turning halfway through the time, until golden brown all over, about 15 minutes. Transfer the wings to a wire rack set in a baking sheet; Fry the remaining wings.
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Season Wings:
Place the butter in a large, microwave-safe bowl; Microwave in 30-second increments until butter is melted. Add the fried chicken wings to the bowl along with 1/2 cup parmesan cheese and the remaining 2 teaspoons black pepper; toss until wings are evenly coated.
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Garnish and serve:
Transfer the wings to a platter, top with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan (or more if you like it extra cheesy), sprinkle with some chopped parsley (if using), and serve with your choice of dip.
