San Francisco Chicken Wings
- Prep Time: overnight
- Cook Time: 1 1/2 hours
- Total Time: 17 minute
- Yield: 17 wings 1x
- Category: appetizer
Ingredients
Marinade the wings in salt & pepper:
- 2 1/4 pounds wings (about 17)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Coat wings:
- Use either 1/4 cup rice flour, 1/4 cup of a mix of rice flour and cornstarch or 1/4 cup of potato starch
Cook wings:
- Neutral oil, preferably vegetable oil or another oil that will withstand high temperatures. Use or 1 to 2 tablespoons oil for air frying (1 tablespoon per batch) 2 to 3 tablespoons for broiling, or enough oil for deep frying.
The sauce:
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 6 cloves minced garlic
- ginger – use a knob about 2″ long and 1/2 ” wide in several thin slices
- 6 dried chile pods
- 1 orange (use peel in several pieces and reserve juice for next step)
- 1 star anise
- 6 tablespoons soy sauce (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons)
- reserved juice from orange
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 green onion, thinly sliced for garnish
- garlic chili paste or chili crisp, optional, for more heat
Instructions
Note: the sauce is made in a two-part process. It is prepared and partially cooked initially prior to the wings cooking and then when the wings are done, reheated to thicken more. For the crispiest wings with a dry, yet still sticky coating, hot wings should be combined with hot sauce.
Marinade the wings in salt & pepper:
Toss wings with salt and pepper and let sit on rack for one hour, refrigerated, uncovered.
Coat wings:
Add wings to a large Ziploc or a paper bag, add in the coating of choice and shake. Lay back out on rack and allow to sit for 30 minutes (up to an hour is fine) in the fridge, uncovered. If broiling wings, save the bag.
Cook wings:
- Air Fry: Add wings to air fryer, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon oil. Work in batches in a single layer for best results. Air Crisp for 24 minutes, turning once, but do consult your manual on timing and temperature.
- Broil: Toss wings back into bag, drizzle with oil and shake. Lay out on rack over a sheet tray and broil about 6 to 8 inches from broiler for a total of about 25 minutes, rearranging and turning as needed, until wings are cooked through and browned.
- Deep fry: Heat oil in large pot to 350 degrees F. Add wings, working in batches as needed, and deep fry for about 14 minutes, until cooked through. Drain on a paper bag for the crispiest wings.
Place wings in a pan or heat-proof bowl while sauce finishes.
The Sauce:
Add oil to a medium-sized skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute. Reduce heat to medium and add the ginger, chile pods, orange peel, and star anise and stir. Fry for a minute or two then add soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, rice vinegar, reserved orange juice and mirin.
Bring to a boil and boil for two minutes, stirring constantly. Turn off heat and remove pan from burner.
When wings are finished cooking, turn heat back up on the sauce to medium-high and bring sauce to a boil. Quickly boil, whisking, until the sauce bubbles and the whisk leaves a line that stays distinct for just a few seconds when scraped across the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat and drizzle sauce over wings, tossing and turning with tongs to coat. Remove wings to serving platter.
Garnish with green onion.
Keywords: Brown Sugar, Chicken, chicken wings, chili pods, Ginger, Green Onion, Honey, Hot Peppers, mirin, Orange, rice flour, rice vinegar, Soy, Vinegar