Two words. Peking Duck. The lower temp drying process they do for Peking Duck is, imo, the secret to super crispy and tender poultry skin with meat that hasn't been overcooked.
My process is always evolving (and probably always will), but right now, I'm closest to the approach @Dave the Cook uses. I start the wings in the oven at about 200 and then cycle the oven on and off for about an hour, making sure the internal wing temp stays below 135. Obviously, since the wings start at fridge temp, I can give them more heat at the beginning than the end. It's effectively a dry sous vide. I use an infrared thermometer and make sure the outside doesn't exceed about 140. The oven is typically off way more than it's on. It's a similar approach to the one I use to proof dough, but a bit warmer. If you make wings enough times, and stick to about the same quantity, you can dial in the drying process so it doesn't require constant attention.
After that I'll either deep fry them or bake them in a 500 degree oven.
This gives me the crispness that I'm looking for, but, the skin likes to stick to the bone joints, which I'd like to avoid. I also get slightly different results between the wingettes and the drumettes, so I might end up cooking them separately for the final cook.
I've done 200 degree oil for 1 hour, and those were very similar, but, because the wings released so much of their juices, you have to toss the oil on the first 200 degree cook and start with fresh oil for the final fry. Once you've dialed in the process, an oven achieves the first cook exponentially easier and without the cost of the oil.
