Sunday, October 30, 2011

Basic Chicken Wings

This is just the basics for how to get a nice crispy chicken wing. Toss whatever sauce you want on them after cooking.  Steaming and frying may seem a little odd, but the steaming manages to cook the wings, break down some of the connective tissue, and render the subcutaneous fat while still leaving the wing juicy.  It also decreases the frying time, so you can get a nice crispy wing that's still tender and juicy.  If you're making a bunch of them I suggest you keep the steaming liquid as a nice rich white stock, and if breaking down a bunch of whole wings, save the tips for making brown stock.

Steam wings for 12-13 minutes, then allow to cool and dry for half an hour at room temperature.
Toss them in a lidded bowl with AP flour and shake to coat.
Set wings aside for approximately 60 minutes to allow the flour to set.
Fry wings in small batches at 375 F for 9 minutes.

Thai Orange Curry Paste - Thai Curry Habanero Wings

I'm not sure if this is anything terribly authentic as far as Thai food goes, but it comes about from me attempting to clone the curry habanero wings from a local Thai restaurant (wing specifics to follow).

2T chopped lemongrass
1 t coriander powder
2 t sugar
3 cm ginger, peeled and sliced
4-5 cloves garlic
salt to taste
3/4 t fish sauce
2 shallots, chopped
zest of one orange
juice of a quarter orange
10-12 red chiles, either fresh, or dried and soaked in water
vegetable oil to process to consistency (typically 2-3 t)

Processor everything together into a smooth paste, and taste.

To turn this in to a wing sauce, heat a splash of oil in a pan or wok, and saute the curry paste until fragrant. Add a can of coconut milk, chopped habaneros to taste, and cook down until thickened. Toward the end of cooking add 1-2 t sugar and salt to taste.