Five-spice Fried Chicken Wings
A fusion of Chinese and Thai cuisines, this five-spice fried chicken wings are double fried for extra crispness then tossed in Thai-style peanut sauce (yes, the kind you'd dip satay in). Can you imagine the complex flavors that hit your taste buds with every bite that crackles as your teeth pierce through the crispy coating?
Ingredients
Chicken wings
- 12 chicken wings about 1.2 kilograms in total weight
- 2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
- 3 tablespoons rock salt or 2 tablespoons table salt
To fry the chicken wings
- ½ cup potato starch or corn starch
- cooking oil
For the peanut glaze
- 2 tablespoons lime juice (lemon juice is okay but you may need more)
- 2 tablespoons grated palm sugar (dark brown sugar is an okay substitute but the flavor of the sauce will be different)
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- ¼ cup unsweetened peanut butter (see notes after the recipe)
- ¼ cup butter
- ½ teaspoon sesame seed oil
To garnish
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons finely sliced scallions
- 1 teaspoon chili flakes
Instructions
Marinate the chicken wings
- Wipe the chicken wings dry with paper towels.
- Divide each wing into halves by cutting through the joint that separates the drumette from the wingette.
- Place the chicken wings in a bowl, add the Chinese five-spice powder and salt, and mix well.
- Cover the bowl and marinate the chicken wings in the fridge for eight hours or overnight.
Double fry the chicken wings
- In a wok or frying pan, heat enough cooking oil to reach a depth of at least three inches.
- Toss the chicken wings in starch; shake off the excess.
- Over medium heat, fry the chicken wings in batches for about four minutes.
- Turn up the heat to high and fry the chicken wings a second time for two minutes to ensure extra crispness.
Glaze the fried chicken wings
- Pour off the oil from the pan (or use a clean one).
- Dump in all the ingredients for the peanut glaze.
- Cook the glaze, stirring often, until smooth and bubbly (a wire whisk is helpful to make sure there are no lumps).
- Add the double-fried chicken wings to the peanut glaze and toss to coat each piece well.
Garnish your five-spice fried chicken wings
- Sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds and half of the scallions over the chicken, and toss to distribute evenly.
- Transfer the peanut-glazed five-spice powder fried chicken wings to a serving bowl and sprinkle with chili flakes and the rest of the scallions.
- Serve immediately as an appetizer or with rice as a main course.
Notes
Smooth or chunky peanut butter will both work.
