Thai-style chicken wings

These sweet, salty and spicy chicken wings are actually finger-licking good! The chicken is marinated in garlic, fish sauce and chilli — the holy trinity of Thai flavours. These wings also make great party food, especially when washed down with a cold beer (keep it Thai and go with Singha!).

INGREDIENTS

1kg chicken wings

oil, for frying

8 garlic cloves, finely chopped

265g rice flour

60g tempura batter mix, (optional) (see note)

1 tablespoon sriracha chilli sauce

handful roasted peanuts, chopped

handful coriander leaves, to garnish

MARINADE

125ml fish sauce

115g caster sugar

1 large red chilli, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

METHOD

First, prepare the wings. Cut off the wing tips, and discard, or they can be saved to make stock for other dishes. Then cut the wings in half, into the drumette and mid-joint wing. Rinse and pat dry. Put the chicken in a large bowl.

To make the marinade, mix the ingredients together in a small bowl. Pour about 125 ml of the marinade over the chicken. Rub the marinade into the chicken well. Reserve the remaining marinade in the refrigerator for later use. Cover the chicken with plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator, let it marinate for at least 4 hours, or ideally overnight. Stir the chicken every hour or so.

Heat about 2.5 cm of oil in a small saucepan over a medium heat, and fry the garlic until golden, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low if the garlic is browning too quickly. Drain the fried garlic on paper towel and set aside.

Remove the wings from the marinade and place on a wire rack over a tray to drain off any excess liquid.

Mix the rice flour and tempura mix (if using) in a large bowl. In batches, toss the wings in the flour mixture until coated evenly, pat the wings to remove excess flour and place them on a clean tray ready for frying.

Use a deep-fryer if you have one. If not, fill a wok or large, deep saucepan with oil about a third full and bring the oil temperature up to 180ºC over a medium heat. In batches, fry the wings for 10–12 minutes, turning occasionally until evenly golden brown and cooked inside. Transfer to a wire rack over a tray to catch the excess oil.

Meanwhile, heat 125 ml water, the Sriracha and the reserved marinade in a saucepan and bring to the boil over a medium–high heat. Simmer until the sauce has reduced by half and is thick in consistency, about 10 minutes.

Place the wings in a large bowl and drizzle the thick sauce all over, toss to coat the wings evenly. Sprinkle the fried garlic over and toss to mix. Sprinkle roasted peanuts on top and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve immediately with Asian pickles.

NOTE:

You can find tempura batter mix at major supermarkets or any Asian grocers. The tempura batter makes the chicken wings extra crunchy.

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