These van life confit chicken wings are one of the best things I've cooked in Florie. Wings separated into drumettes and flats, slow-confited in olive oil with garlic, bay leaf, thyme, and fermented hot sauce, then blistered hard on the RidgeMonkey until the skin is explosive-crisp. Silky inside, crispy outside, deeply savoury, and finished with lemon. Cooked parked up in the Parque Natural de la Sierra de Andújar last month — the Maxxair roof fan earning its keep during the sear.

Ingredients

• 4–6 chicken wings, tips removed, separated into drumettes and flats
• 150–200ml olive oil (enough to half-submerge the wings)
• 1–2 tsp fermented hot sauce (any — see the Fermentation Hub)
• 1 small garlic clove, smashed
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• 1 bay leaf
• A few sprigs of thyme
• Sea salt and black pepper
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges to serve

Method

Prep the wings: Snip off the wing tips and freeze for stock. Cut cleanly at the joint to separate drumettes and flats — two meaty pieces per wing. Season generously with sea salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika.

Set up the confit: Arrange the drumettes and flats snugly in a small saucepan so they fit tightly. Pour in the olive oil until the wings are half-submerged. Add the garlic, fermented hot sauce, bay leaf, and thyme.

Slow confit: Keep the oil at a gentle shimmer — not a fry. Target oil temperature: 95–105°C. Use a thermometer. A heat diffuser on the gas burner helps keep the temperature stable and in range. Cook for 45–60 minutes until the wings are soft, flexible, and glossy.

Drain and dry: Lift the wings out of the oil and let the excess drip off. Pat dry if needed — any surface moisture will fight the sear.

Sear on the RidgeMonkey: Get the RidgeMonkey hot. Skin-side down first, 2–3 minutes until blistered and crisp. Flip and cook for a further 1–2 minutes.

Finish and serve: Squeeze lemon over immediately. Eat with your hands.

Notes

Don't use your best oil for confit — a decent everyday olive oil is exactly right here. The confit oil picks up all the aromatics and can be strained and reused.

No thermometer? Watch the oil — you want a very occasional lazy bubble rising to the surface, not a simmer. If it's bubbling consistently, it's too hot. Turn it down and wait.

No RidgeMonkey? A screaming-hot griddle pan or cast iron skillet works just as well for the sear.

The fermented hot sauce goes into the confit oil, not on the side — it seasons from the inside out. Any fermented chilli sauce works. See the Fermentation Hub for options, including Tropical Sunset: Fermented Habanero & Pineapple Chilli Sauce.

Also try: Mango Habanero Chicken Wings with Chilli & Pineapple, Fish Sauce Chicken Wings with Chilli & Pineapple.

Confit chicken wings — why this van life technique works

Confit chicken wings swap the oven or fryer for something slower and more considered. The oil doesn't fry — it conducts heat gently and evenly, breaking down the connective tissue in the drumettes and flats until the meat is yielding and glossy. The fermented hot sauce and aromatics season from the inside out rather than sitting on the surface.

The RidgeMonkey does what no oven can at the end — direct, fierce contact heat that blisters the skin in minutes. Two stages, one result: wings that are tender like slow-cooked meat and crispy like fried chicken. In a van. In a natural park in northern Andalucía.

This is the same low-and-slow logic behind the Confit de Canard and the Confit Chicken Legs — just faster, more portable, and cooked on a single burner with a thermometer clipped to the pan.

This van life confit chicken wings recipe is featured in my Chicken Wings Recipes, Easy Chicken Dinner Ideas, Campervan Cooking Hub, and French Recipes collections — and the Slow Cooker & Slow Cooking Recipes collection — braised meat, one-pot casseroles, confit, and slow roasts from Casa Adora and the road. Browse all recipes here.

Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures — The Flexible Chef