I have been wanting to go out and get some spicy chicken wings for a while… But with everything that is going on out there, I haven’t gotten any wings for a long time. Yes, I know, I can get delivery or pick up from many places, but when you are trying to be extra careful, you limit those options as much as possible. So, I decided, why not make them at home? Even though I was thinking about Buffalo Wings at first, but I do love some Asian-inspired wings even more. And if you can make them without deep frying them, but bake them in the oven, make it a bit healthier, super awesome! So, I decided to make two different flavored Asian Chicken Wings, 2 different methods (broil and bake), at home.
I went to buy 40 wings, about 3 lbs total. I divided them into 20 and 20 wings, so I can have enough for each flavors. The first recipe I found was more of a Japanese-inspired one (with a little bit of my twist), broiled. This requires marinating overnight, so make sure to start this one the day before you want to eat! Here are the ingredients for marinade;
MARINADE INGREDIENTS
1.5 pounds chicken wings (about 20 wings)
1 large garlic clove, peeled and grated
1 1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 tablespoons Ponzu sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon mirin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
If you don’t have Ponzu, you can just use soy sauce, or mix soy sauce with a splash of lemon juice. If you don’t have sesame oil, just use live oil.
If you don’t have fish sauce, you can mix soy sauce (1 tablespoon) with 1 minced anchovy fillet. You don’t have anchovy either? You can mix 1-to-1 ratio of soy sauce and rice vinegar, or add splash of lime juice to soy sauce. If you have Tamari sauce, you can just use that as well.
Now that we covered the basics of the ingredients, let’s move on. Mix all the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add the wings and toss to coat. I like to do this in a Ziploc bag, because it is just easier, and less messy, less hassle.
Close the Ziploc bag with good amount of air, and shake (carefully). Once all the wings are coated, get the air out of the bag, and lay flat on one side. After a few hours, flip on the other side, and flip them again in the morning, so that all the wings get a good amount of marinade. If you are using a bowl, cover the bowl and let them marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
On the second day, when you are getting ready for the wings, gather the following ingredients for the glaze;
GLAZE INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup mirin
1 tablespoons Ponzu
1 tablespoons sesame oil
1/2 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon red yuzu kosho
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon grated garlic
1/4 teaspoon shichimitogarashi (if you have it)
I didn’t have red yuzu kosho, which is made with hot chiles. But, I did have “regular” yuzu kosho (green) which is not spicy. You can add splash of hot sauce, or chile powder to the mix to make it spicy. I added about 1 teaspoon of Sriracha. If you don’t have any yuzu kosho, you can mix splash of hot sauce or chile powder (1/2 teaspoon) with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 teaspoon lemon zest.
Combine all glaze ingredients in a small saucepan. Simmer over low heat, stirring frequently, until glaze reduces to a saucy consistency, about 20 minutes. When you can “swipe” spatula at the bottom of the pan and the sauce leaves a line for few seconds like the photo below, it is ready! Do not reduce the sauce too much, as the sauce will continue to thicken as it cools. Transfer to large mixing bowl and set aside.
Heat a broiler to high. Once the oven is ready, get the wings out of the fridge. Set a baking rack on second from top and place wings on lined baking sheet. It is best to line the baking sheet with aluminum foil topped with parchment paper for easy cleanup. Broil for 6 minutes, take them out and flip the wings.
Put them back and broil for another 6 minutes, until they are crisp and golden. My broiler was super powerful, so I moved them away from the center… Also, I moved the wings that were placed outside towards the center, and the ones that were placed center towards the outside, so that they all get good amount of heat. With that, I gave them extra few minutes to get them all crispy and golden. All in all, it tool about 15 minutes or so.
Place wings to the bowl with the glaze and toss to coat. Transfer wings to a serving platter and garnish with sesame seeds, pepper and scallions. Well, do you see what is missing from the photos below? All the toppings! I had the sesame seeds, pepper and scallions ready, but I completely forgot to put them on the wings! They looked and smelled so good, we ate them all up without realizing it… LOL
This version of Asian Chicken Wings was a complete success! Easy preparation and other than the marinating time, it is really fast! The meat was cooked thoroughly, juicy and moist, with crispy skin. I say they were perfection! We loved this wings, finger-licking good! You want to have some delicious wings at home, try this recipe! In the next blog, I will share with you the second version of the Asian Chicken Wings, more of a Korean-inspired flavor, baked. So stay tuned…
I did make this wings again the second time, with the proper toppings, and they were as amazing as before! Definitely a keeper!
