Chicken Crack Wings

Remember when we used to go to conventions? I know, it feels like it was last decade. In fact, it was last decade because this is 2021 and it’s the start of a new decade. Maybe you’ll argue with me but this is my blog and I’ll write what I want. LOL. When Ryann used to go to conventions, on his way home he would always stop by San Tung on his way home from the airport. You see, he luurrvvss these wings. One time a few years ago, his flight was coming in very late in the evening so I knew the restaurant would be closed by the time he lands. And that’s when I decided I would surprise him by making these wings. After he tasted my re-creation of it, dare I say he now feels more at ease about moving away from the Bay Area. You see, these wings are probably one of the reasons we have stayed put.

Ingredients for about 20-24 wings (these double very, very well and seeing all the effort that goes into making these, doubling really isn’t a bad idea):

• 2 lbs. chicken wings (usually the ones already separated into wings and drumettes are labeled party wings)
• 1 cup (about 120 grams, although exact measurements isn’t important here) potato starch or corn starch (you should be able to find potato starch pretty easily in the baking aisle or gluten-free section)
• 1 quart (approx. 960 ml.) cooking oil for deep frying (use canola or peanut oil)
• 1-1.5 tablespoons of minced ginger (use 1 tablespoon if you’re not a big fan of ginger)
• 2-3 tablespoons of minced garlic (use 3 tablespoons if you’re a big fan of garlic)
• 9-10 dried red chili peppers (you can find this in Asian or Latin grocery stores), cup up to two or three pieces each
• 0.5 cup (120 ml) light corn syrup
• 0.25 cup (60 ml) soy sauce
• 0.25 cup (50 grams) brown sugar
• 1 bunch of green onion, chopped

Directions:

• Spread the chicken wings on a sheet pan, and then pat them dry with some paper towels, then throw away the towels. I’m all for sustainability but chicken juices are poison. Maybe not poison per se, but just not exactly appropriate for human consumption.

• Put the potato starch in a bowl. If you like, you can season it with a bit of salt and pepper but it’s not necessary. Take each wing, roll it in the potato starch, and squish (or massage) the starch gently to the surface. Tap it on the side of the bowl to get rid of excess starch, then lay each wing on the sheet pan. Repeat for all the wings, and then leave them out at room temperature about 20 minutes to further dry out.

• In the meantime, heat up the cooking oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. You can also use a deep fryer, the temperature you are aiming for is between 325-250 degrees Fahrenheit. By the way, I have never tried this with an air-fryer, so I don’t know if it’ll work in that appliance. Once the oil has reached the right temperature, fry the wings in batches to make sure that the oil temperature doesn’t drop too much. Fry the wings for about 12 minutes and then take them out, draining on a sheet pan with a rack set on top. This will help aerate the wings and ensure crispiness all around.

• After frying all the wings, let the oil come up to temperature once more, and then re-fry the wings starting with the earlier batch for about 6 minutes. This double-frying will guarantee crispiness that will stand up to the sauce.

• After all the wings are fried twice, set them aside on the rack and then start making the sauce. In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, heat up a couple tablespoons of oil (you can ladle out from the oil that you had used to deep fry the wings if you like). Saute the minced ginger for a couple of minutes, and then put in the garlic and saute for another couple of minutes until everything is fragrant and golden. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Put in the chili peppers and then saute a little longer. Pour in the corn syrup and soy sauce and mix well. Pour in the brown sugar, mix to combine well and let the mixture come to a boil.

• After about a minute, put in the fried chicken wings and half the green onions and toss so that each wing is well-covered in the sauce. Let the whole thing whole thing continue to cook for another few minutes. At this point, the potato (or corn) starch on the wings will help thicken the sauce. After a few minutes, take off the heat and serve, garnished with the rest of the green onions. It’s really delicious with some steamed jasmine rice or some kind of noodle dish.