I love frying food! I also love frying chicken—especially if it is marinated and coated with corn or potato starch. This recipe calls for using chicken wings, but since I have an aversion to chicken bones, I cut boneless chicken thighs into chicken-wing size. If you’re a food purist, best stick to using wings.
This is a Food & Wine version of this dish. Sadly, I was too lazy to investigate whether it’s authentic or not, so if it’s not, I guess it’s not.
I’d make this again, but it could use about twice as much sauce to ensure each piece is fully covered.
What you’ll need:
- 2 pounds chicken wings, cut at joints, wing tips discarded
- 1 cup potato starch
- 4 cups vegetable oil, divided
- 2 small jalapeños, stemmed and thinly sliced (about 0.5 cups), plus more for garnish
- 0.25 cups light-brown sugar
- 0.25 cups soy sauce
- 5 medium garlic cloves, sliced
- Chrysanthemum greens (optional)(where do you even find these in the US?)
What to do:
Make the chicken: Working in batches, toss the wings and starch together in a large bowl or sealable freezer bag to coat, shaking off the excess starch. Repeat the process, coating all the wings a second time. Place the starched wings in an even layer on a wire rack set on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Let them stand at room temperature until the starch begins to appear wet—about 15 minutes.
Next, heat enough oil to 350°F within a high-walled vessel for deep frying the wings. Working in batches, fry the wings, turning often, until light golden-brown—3 to 4 minutes. Drain on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. After all the wings have been fried, working in batches, return the fried wings to the hot oil and fry again for about 2 minutes. Return to baking sheet.
Make the sauce: Combine the jalapeños, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, and 0.5 cups oil in a medium skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the oil begins to bubble, about 2 minutes. Working again in batches, place 5 wings in sauce in skillet and toss constantly using tongs until the wings are a deep golden-brown and fully coated—about 30 seconds. Place the wings on a serving platter.
Garnish with additional fresh jalapeño slices and, if using, the chrysanthemum greens. Serve hot or warm.
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