Thai Chicken Wings
Crispy. Crunchy. Delicious.
I have a lot of favourite wing recipes, and this one frequently fights for the top spot. The chicken is tender, juicy, and the batter is flavourful, crunchy, and basically perfect.
You can serve these as an appetizer to my Authentic Pad Thai noodles or with my Thai cucumber salad and some sticky rice, but however you serve them, make sure you make plenty. —CFG
Ingredients:
1 kg chicken wings
5-6 garlic cloves
1 red bird's-eye chilli
3 bunches cilantro, stems only, finely chopped
1/3 cup fish sauce
2 tbsp Demerera sugar
1 Lime, freshly squeezed
1 large pinch, ground white pepper
Cooking oil , for frying (peanut or canola)
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp chicken bouillon powder
~1 cup club soda
1 cup rice flour
Directions:
Mince 5-6 garlic cloves and finely chop 3 bunches cilantro, stems only. Set aside. (If you have a mortar, you can also grind the garlic and cilantro stems to create a rough paste.)
Next, chop 1 red bird's-eye chilli (only use 1/2 a pepper for less heat and scrape off excess seeds).
Transfer the garlic/cilantro mixture into a small mixing bowl and add in 1/3 cup of fish sauce, 2 tbsp of Demerera sugar, 1 freshly squeezed lime, and 1 large pinch of ground white pepper. Stir until thoroughly incorporated.
Place 1kg of chicken wings into a large freezer bag and pour the mixture into the bag. Seal the bag while removing as much air as possible, then move the wings around until the marinade fully coats the wings.
Chill in the fridge for several hours (12-24 hours creates the best flavour).
Two Options for Cooking:
Deep Fry
When you’re ready to make the wings, remove the marinaded chicken from the fridge ~30 minutes before cooking.
Prepare a small bowl with 1 cup of rice flour and set aside. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and also set aside.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together 1/2 tsp of coarse sea salt, 1/2 tsp of chicken bouillon powder, and 1 tsp baking soda.
Next, add in about 1 cup of club soda or sparkling water to the mixture and whisk until smooth. The batter will be very thin.
Dip each chicken wing into the thin batter (leave the excess marinade on) and then drop it into the bowl of rice flour. Shake off the excess flour and place the chicken wing on the lined baking sheet to dry out, 15-20 minutes, before frying.
Meanwhile, heat oil to 350F. Once the oil is hot, drop the wings in gently, leaving enough room so they aren’t touching. Cook in small batches for 10-12 min to avoid lowering the oil temperature too much (resulting in a soggy wing). Use a metal slotted spoon to gently move the wings around the oil and transfer to a freshly lined baking sheet or paper-towel lined cooling rack.
Repeat step 6 and cook the wings a second time to make them extra crispy.
Serve with Thai dipping sauce, fresh lime wedges, and sprinkle of fresh chopped cilantro.
Baking
When you’re ready to make the wings, remove the marinaded chicken from the fridge ~30 minutes before cooking.
Prepare a small bowl with 1 cup of rice flour and set aside. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and also set aside.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together 1/2 tsp of coarse sea salt, 1/2 tsp of chicken bouillon powder, and 1 tsp baking soda.
Next, add in about 1 cup of club soda or sparkling water to the mixture and whisk until smooth. The batter will be very thin.
Dip each chicken wing into the thin batter (leave the excess marinade on) and then drop it into the bowl of rice flour. Shake off the excess flour and place the chicken wing on the parchment lined baking sheet to dry out, 15-20 minutes, before baking.
Preheat oven to 415F.
Bake the wings on the middle rack, turning them over every 15-20 minutes until they’re crispy (about 45-55min).
Serve with Thai dipping sauce, fresh lime wedges, and sprinkle of fresh chopped cilantro.
Enjoy!
