A few weeks ago I made a recipe that just may turn out to be my favourite food creation of the year. We had planned an Asian-themed dinner and invited mom to dinner. These wings were spicy but so, so good. In fact, Every time we have seen mom since then she has gone on and on about the wings and how yummy they were.
These wings are incredibly crispy - this is a result of the light batter which contains corn starch. Double-frying the chicken wings is the other secret to achieving the delicate, crackly crust that is the hallmark of this popular Korean specialty.
There is more going on with these wings than a crispy crust though. The sauce is brilliant! It makes liberal use of gochujang, a mixture of miso and hot chiles, which is available at Korean markets or online. We bought a package for a recipe in the fall and had plenty left for these wings. Balancing out the heat are the flavours of garlic, soy, and ginger.
The finished product is quite addictive - a super crunchy wing with a hot sauce that will have your lips tingling from the heat. I guarantee that you won't want to stop eating them (well, unless you're like our friend Nancy who finds pizza sauce to be spicy, in which case don't even bother, just give ME your serving and be done with it!)
Get some gochujang and get busy with these - you may never eat another type of chicken wing.
Korean Chicken Wings
Canola oil, for frying
5 cloves garlic
1 (1½") piece peeled ginger
3 tbsp. soy sauce
3 tbsp. gojujang (Korean chile paste)
1½ tbsp. rice vinegar
1 tbsp. Asian sesame oil
1 tbsp. honey
⅔ cup flour
1 tbsp. cornstarch
16 chicken wings (about 1¾ lbs.)
Pour oil into a 6-qt. pot to a depth of 2". Heat over medium-high heat until a thermometer reads 350˚. Chop garlic and ginger in a food processor. Add soy, gojujang, vinegar, sesame oil, and honey; purée. Put sauce into a bowl.
Whisk flour, cornstarch, and ⅔ cup water in another bowl. Add chicken; toss. Working in 3 batches, fry chicken until golden, 6–8 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Return oil to 350˚. Fry chicken until crisp, 6–8 minutes more. Drain again. Toss chicken in sauce.
Comments