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salt and pepper chicken wings recipe.

Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings

Rika
These Chinese salt and pepper chicken wings are succulent. The wings are super tender and crispy. In addition, the homemade salt and pepper seasoning mix is to die for. It's so addictive and will keep you coming back for more.  
4.94 from 16 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Resting time 15 minutes
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Chinese, Vietnamese, world
Servings 15 wings
Calories 123 kcal

Equipment

  • a deep pot or wok
  • a cooking thermometer
  • a pair of tongs or metal strainer
  • a wire cooling rack or paper-towel-lined plate (for draining the chicken grease and cooling)

Ingredients
 

  • 2 pounds chicken wings (wingette and drummettes), (about 14-15 wings)
  • 1 tablespoon regular soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Chinese Shaoxing wine , (or dry sherry or white wine)
  • ½ teaspoon white sugar
  • ¾ teaspoon coarse ground white pepper, (divided)
  • 1½ teaspoons garlic salt, (divided)
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch or potato starch
  • 6 garlic cloves, (minced)
  • 2 scallions, (diced, white for stir fry, green for topping)
  • 1-2 green chili peppers , (such as jalapeno or serrano)
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • neutral oil, (such as canola oil, vegetable oil, or peanut oil)

Instructions
 

  • In a bowl, combine chicken wings with soy sauce, wine, sugar, ½ teaspoon of garlic salt, and ¼ teaspoon of white pepper. Cover the bowl and marinate for 30 minutes or up to overnight.
  • Salt & pepper mix. In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon of garlic salt, ½ teaspoon of pepper, and kosher salt.
  • In a bowl or zip lock, combine cornstarch and flour. Coat the wings with flour mixture on all sides. Shake off excess flour.
  • Fill a deep pot with 2 to 3 inches of the cooking oil and preheat to 300°F over medium-high heat. Add the drummettes, reduce the heat to medium to maintain temperature to 300°F. Cook, turning often, for 5 minutes or until the fully cooked and skin is just starting to crisp up. Transfer the drummettes to a cooling rack. Repeat this process to cook the wingettes for a few minutes less than the drumettes. Let them rest for 15 minutes. (see notes)
  • Bring the oil to 350°F. Put the drummettes and wingettes back. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until extra crispy.
  • In a wok, heat 2 tablespoons of reserved frying oil. Cook the jalapeno for 1 minute. Add the white part of scallions and stir for 30-45 seconds. Add minced garlic and cook just until fragrant.
  • Add the chicken wings back into the wok and stir fry for 30 seconds. Add the salt and pepper mix (from step #2). Keep stirring until the wings are fully coated with seasoning. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more garlic salt, salt, and/or white pepper.

Notes

  1. Frying temperature. Adjust the heat as needed to maintain temperature (1st fry is 300°F and the second fry is 350°F). Using a deep-fry/cooking thermometer is necessary. 
  2. White pepper. If you can't find white pepper, feel free to use regular black pepper. 
  3. Wingettes. The wingettes cook faster than the drummettes.
  4. Adjusting the salt amount. Go easy on the salt. You can always add more salt, or garlic salt at the later step or before serving. Remember to stir the mixture well. Also, place the chicken wings on the plate first, then pour the aromatic mixed vegetables on top so that the garlic, salt, and pepper distribute well across the wings.
  5. Starch. You can use either corn starch or potato starch. Potato starch is commonly used in most Asian deep-fry recipes.  It tolerates higher temperatures than cornstarch.
  6. Make it less spicy.  This recipe has a mild spicy taste. For a less spicy result, you can remove the seeds from the chili pepper before cooking.  Alternatively, you can use less chili pepper or skip it, and instead use diced green bell pepper to make it more kid-friendly.
  7. The temperature of cooked chicken. Chicken is safe to eat when the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
  8. Storing. You can store the leftover for up to 4 days in the fridge or 4 months in the freezer. 
  9. Reheating. You can reheat the wings in the preheated oven at 400°F, until hot and crispy (about 15 minutes).
To cook salt and pepper chicken wings in an air fryer
  1. In a bowl, combine chicken wings with soy sauce, wine, sugar, ½ teaspoon of garlic salt, 2 tablespoons of oil, and ¼ teaspoon of white pepper. Cover the bowl and marinate for 30 minutes or up to overnight. 
  2. Coat each wing with cornstarch and flour mixture evenly on all sides. Shake off the excess flour. 
  3. Preheat the air fryer to 400°F. 
  4. Grease the air fryer basket with a small amount of oil. 
  5. Spray both sides of chicken wings with oil. Place them in an air fryer in a single layer. 
  6. Cook for about 15 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking. Be sure to check for doneness and adjust the cooking time accordingly until the wings are fully cooked.
  7. Once the wings are done, follow the remaining steps mentioned above to stir fry the aromatics with chicken wings and salt and pepper mix. 

Nutrition

Calories: 123kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 9gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 413mgPotassium: 89mgFiber: 0.2gSugar: 0.2gVitamin A: 87IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 10mgIron: 1mg
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