Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Special Tools: Deep fryer

Makes: 2 dozen wings

 

This recipe is pretty simple to put together and make. Try it once, and if you like it, double, or even triple the sauce recipe and refrigerate it until you need it again. This will last in the fridge easily for a month or more, and can be used to flavor stir-fry’s and anything else you want to give a little Chinese kick to.

 

2 dz.               chicken wings (I prefer the lollipop drums, but it’s up to you)

 

for the dredging:

1 cup              cornstarch (a little more or less)

2 tbsp.            Chinese five spice

1 tsp.              salt

1 tsp.              pepper

 

for the sauce:

½ cup             rice vinegar

½ cup             soy sauce

½ cup             brown sugar

¼ cup             mirin

¼ cup             oyster sauce

1 oz.               fresh ginger, peeled, sliced thin

3 cloves         star anise

1 ea.               cinnamon stick

1 ea.                sezchuan pepper (or find one you like, watch the heat though!)

 

• First, let’s start by preparing the sauce
• Place all of the ingredients in a medium pot and bring to a simmer
• Once simmering, lower the heat slightly and let simmer gently until the sauce is reduced to about 75% of its original volume, this will heat from 7-10 minutes
• Once reduced, remove from the heat and begin to cool
• Strain the sauce through a fine mesh strainer to remove the large pieces of ginger and the pepper
• Set aside and cool until ready to use
• Now, preheat the deep fryer to 300F (or low if you don’t have temperature control)
• Likely you will only be able to cook about a dozen wings in your fryer at a time, if that’s the case, dredge the wings a dozen at a time
• In a large bowl, combine the cornstarch, five spice and seasoning, mix to combine
• Place the chicken wings in the bowl and toss to evenly coat
• Now, using your fryer basket, place the dredged wings in the basket and shake off the excess cornstarch back into the bowl
• Place the wings in the fryer and proceed to blanch, 3 minutes if they are wings and 4 minutes of they are drums
• Once blanched, remove, drain the fat and set aside to cool, repeat
• When ready to serve increase the heat to 340-350F and begin to fry the wings to finish their cooking, they should brown up and crisp nicely, this will take about 3 minutes
• Once cooked, place the wings in a large bowl and toss generously with the sauce, do this quickly as the wings are still very hot
• Once the wings are evenly coated eat and enjoy!

 

Who’s hungry?