Chicken wings make perfect finger food whether you are entertaining, thinking of food to snack on over a long weekend, or nibbles to take on an outing.
The thing about chicken is that the bird is versatile and can work with different cooking applications. The meat itself is like a blank canvas to which you can apply many flavours that are easily absorbed. It is no wonder that it is the most eaten meat protein in many parts of the world.
These wings are hot – from the peppers, sweet – from the sweet soy sauce, savoury – from the fish sauce, with a subtle hint of tartness from the Chinese black vinegar. Freshly grated ginger and garlic along with a little nutty toasted sesame oil rounds out the ingredients that make these wings so good.
You probably just read some of the ingredients and wonder where the heck I am going to get these things… not to worry, if you can’t find it where you shop, I’ll offer some substitutes that you are bound to have in your pantry.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 pounds chicken wings, tips removed
- 1 tablespoon grated garlic
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- Hot pepper sauce to taste
- 3 – 4 tablespoons fish sauce (salt to taste)
- 2 tablespoons sweet soy sauce (1 ½ tablespoons brown
sugar)
- 1 ¼ teaspoon Chinese black vinegar (1 teaspoon white
distilled vinegar)
- ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
For garnish (optional)
- Thinly sliced scallions/green onions/shallots
- Sesame seeds
DIRECTIONS
- Cut the wings to separate the drumettes and flaps. Wash and pat dry the wings and place in a bowl.
- Mix together the rest of the ingredients and taste. Adjust if necessary to suit your taste by adding more salt, sugar or vinegar. You are looking for a savouriness with underlying notes of sweetness and a very subtle hint of tartness that balances out the flavours.
- Pour the marinade over the chicken and use your clean hands to massage it into the meat. Cover, refrigerate and let marinate for 2 hours or longer. This can be done overnight too.
- Bring the wings up to room temperature before cooking.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- Add the wings to a baking dish (along with marinade). Bake for 40 – 45 minutes or until wings are cooked. If the juices in the baking pan have not thickened to your likeness for glazing, remove the wings from the baking dish, pour off the juices and add to a saucepan to reduce and thicken. Return the wings to the baking dish, brush generously with thickened sauce and bake for 5 minutes only. Remove from oven and cool for 10 – 15 minutes before serving.
Note
If using sugar instead of sweet soy sauce, add 1 tablespoon cassareep to give the wings their rich colour.
