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Five-spice Fried Chicken Wings

Recipe by Connie Veneracion
If you're new to double-fried chicken (a popular Asian technique) and you're thinking of skipping it and just fry the chicken once the usual way, I really urge you to reconsider. There's no crispness like the crispness of double-fried chicken. I salute the genius who invented it.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Marinating time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 25 minutes
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine Asian Fusion
Servings 4 people
Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

Chicken wings

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 (either smooth or chunky peanut butter will work)
  • ¼ cup butter
  • ½ teaspoon sesame seed oil

To garnish

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.
Keyword Fried Chicken