Food & Drinks

RECIPE FOR AMAZING FRIED CHICKEN WINGS

fried chicken wings on a cheese platter

Say wine, snacks or haute cuisine and the gourmands at online food magazine FavorFlav know where to drink, how to eat it and what to cook. This time our cheffies serve you: the recipe for those amazing fried chicken wings.

Jason Wang is the chef and owner of Xi’an Famous Foods in New York. What started as a takeout location in Flushing in 2005 has now grown to 14 locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. From the kitchen of Xi’an Famous Foods is his first cookbook in which he teaches you the secrets behind famous dishes like these fried chicken wings, but also how to make the tastiest noodles, hot pot dishes, and dumplings. An amazing book, we are fans!

INGREDIENTS
For the chicken wings
6 chicken wings
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. white pepper
2 tsp. oyster sauce
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tbsp. cornstarch
2 tbsp. flour
600 ml vegetable oil

For the spice dip
1/2 tsp. Szechuan pepper
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/8 tsp. salt

Need more
digital instant-read thermometer

Jason Wang: ‘Very often I would do homework in the restaurants where my father worked in the afternoons, and during those quiet hours, he would introduce me to his experiments. One of them eventually turned out to be a precursor to our spicy chicken wings with cumin. In this version, however, it’s not so much about the savoriness of the cumin as it is about the deliciously crispy chicken skin. Thanks to the double frying process, the skin crackles and breaks with every bite, enhancing the contrast with the juicy, tender meat underneath. You can fry the chicken yourself (follow the recipe) or save yourself the time and buy ready-made chicken wings. The secret is the spice dip, which in the recipe is ’optional‘ but in my opinion is essential: a mixture of chili powder and pepper that adds extra kick. The mixture is so tasty that you’ll soon be sprinkling it over your fries too.’

Here’s how to make the fried chicken wings with XFF spices

  • Chicken wings: rinse the wings well under cold running water and pat them dry with paper towels.
  • Place the wings in a large bowl and add the salt, white pepper, oyster sauce, and garlic powder. Rub the chicken wings all over with the seasonings.
  • Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
  • In a separate bowl, mix the cornstarch and flour. Remove the marinated wings from the refrigerator and coat them in the flour mixture until they are completely covered.
  • Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan over medium heat until the oil is hot but not smoking (190 °C on the thermometer). Carefully place the wings (working in batches) into the hot oil and fry for 2 minutes. Lower the oil temperature to 177 °C and fry for another 10 minutes. Regularly move the wings with tongs so they cook evenly all around and don’t burn.
  • Remove the wings from the pan and let them drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining chicken wings.
  • Heat the oil again to 190 °C and fry the wings (again in batches) for another 1 minute until crispy and golden brown.

Spice dip: mix all the ingredients in a small bowl and serve the dip with the chicken wings.

cookbook from the kitchen of Xi’an Famous Foods

Title: From the kitchen of Xi’an Famous Foods
Author: Jason Wang and Jessica K. Chou
Price: €34,99
Publisher: Fontaine