Crispy Chili Garlic Chicken Wings 椒鹽酥炸雞

Crispy Chili Garlic Chicken Wings 椒鹽酥炸雞 is a very common dish in many parts of China.  In Sichuan and its surrounding regions, they would use Sichuan peppercorns as one of the spices.  In the southern areas, using white peppercorn powder is more typical.  Using different kinds of chilis also gives varying degrees of spiciness.  Garlic and green onions give extra aroma and depth.

I have to admit that my Crispy Chili Garlic Chicken Wings 椒鹽酥炸雞 is a copycat recipe for the deep-fried chicken wing dish that is quite famous in Vancouver.  It’s from a restaurant in Vancouver Chinatown and it has won numerous awards for their very delicious food.  Their chicken wings are to die for, usually.   Sometimes, more often than I’d like, the wings are a bit dry so the quality is not always consistent.  But still, they are very yummy!

In my Crispy Chili Garlic Chicken Wings 椒鹽酥炸雞, I used a small amount of jalapenos and Thai chilis, making the overall taste quite mild but still packed full of flavour! These wings are light and crispy since tapioca starch is used rather than the more common cornstarch and flour which will give you a crispy but heavier result.  If you follow my instructions, especially with the oil temperature and cooking time, your wings will turn out juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside with a seasoning mix that is to die for!

I highly recommend an infrared thermometer to check the temperature of the oil at an instant.  Controlling the temperature of the oil can give you perfect results each time.  My mom taught me to use a wooden chopstick to check when oil is ready for cooking.  While this method works for some applications, there is still guesswork and luck involved.  When I’m spending $7 per pound on chicken wings, I don’t like to guess! If you’re interested, check out the one I got from Amazon.

Deep-fried foods will definitely increase your body’s “heatiness” as per Chinese herbology.  My Apple Fig Tea 蘋果無花果茶 recipe would be the perfect companion to Crispy Chili Garlic Chicken Wings 椒鹽酥炸雞.

Crispy Chili Garlic Chicken Wings 椒鹽酥炸雞

You can use this recipe for any kind of meat and tofu. Frying times will differ of course.

This recipe is mildly spicy. You can choose spicier chilis, more chilis or no chilis to suit your taste.

5 from 2 votes

Approximate cost (CAD) $20

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Rest Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine Chinese

Servings 4 Servings

Calories 2767 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 kg Chicken wings
• 1 Jalapeno pepper
• 2 Thai chili pepper
• 1 Bulb Garlic
• 2 Stalks Green onions
• 1 cup Tapioca starch
• 1 Egg , egg white only
• 2 tsp Salt
• 2 tsp Chicken broth powder
• ½ tsp White pepper powder
• 1 tsp Garlic powder
• ¼ tsp Ground black pepper
• 2 tsp Sugar
• 4 tbsp Oil
• 1 L Oil for deep-frying

Instructions

 

• Make a seasoning mix by combining 2 tsp salt, 2 tsp chicken broth powder, ½ tsp white pepper powder, 1 tsp garlic powder and ¼ tsp ground black pepper in a small container and mix well
  
• Marinate chicken wings with the white of one egg and 3 tsp (half) of the above seasoning mix. Mix well and marinate for 30 minutes
  
• Dice jalapeno pepper, Thai chili and garlic. Remove seeds from chilis if you want it mild. Set aside For the garlic, I suggest to flatten them first and then mince. This will allow more garlic aroma to come out during frying and will adhere better to the chicken wings
  
• Cut green onions into small pieces and set aside
  
• Put 1 c of tapioca starch in a mixing bowl
• Dip each chicken wing into the tapioca starch. Cover each chicken wing completely with tapioca starch
  
• Prepare oil for frying and heat oil to 175˚C or 350˚F
• Put the chicken wings into the oil. Do not overcrowd to prevent the temperature from dropping too much. After adding chicken wings, temperature of the oil should not go below 140˚C or 290˚F. 150˚C to 160˚C (300˚F-325˚F) would be the most optimal frying temperature. Fry for 3-5 minutes until wings are done and rest on cooling rack
  
• After all the chicken wings have been fried, bring the temperature of the oil to 200˚C or 400˚F
  
• Put the wings in the oil again. This time, a bit of crowding will be fine. Fry for 1 minute to get a nice golden colour. Remove from oil and rest them on cooling rack
  
• In a wok, on medium-high heat, add 4 tbsp of oil
• Fry the garlic, chilis and ¾ of the green onions for 30 seconds. Add the rest of the seasoning mix plus 2 tsp of sugar into the wok and stir-fry for 10 seconds
  
• Add the chicken wings to the wok and toss the chicken wings until most of the seasoning, green onions, chilis and garlic have adhered to the wings
  
• Place on serving plate and sprinkle with the remainder of the green onions
  
• Serve

Nutrition

Calories: 2767kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 27gFat: 287gSaturated Fat: 26gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 145mgSodium: 1517mgPotassium: 277mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 374IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 32mgIron: 2mg

Keyword Chicken Wings, Crispy, Deep Fried, Garlic, Jalapeno, Thai Chili

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