After many years, I finally cracked the code to crispy chicken wings so I wanted to combine it with one of my favorite seasonings: salted egg yolk! I know a lot of people claim their food is crispy, but these wings are ACTUALLY crispy. It only takes 50 minutes to make as well so no overnight steps are required.
Another recipe you might like is my salted egg squid. Go check it out!
I made these for my in-laws last night and my wife's dad said these were one of the best wings he's ever had. Salted egg yolks are always everyone's favorite. At my brother-in-law's wedding reception, they even had salted egg tofu!
How to prepare salted egg yolks?
Salted egg yolks need to be steamed or microwaved first. I don't have a microwave, so I usually steam mine for 15-20 minutes. After that, I blend them into a powder using a food processor. You could also mash them with a fork but I don't think it works as well because you can't get the pieces as fine.
My tips for crispy wings
1. Use cornstarch and tapioca starch
I've found cornstarch and tapioca starch to be the ultimate combination for making crispy deep-fried foods. I've tried a lot of different starches and flours in the past, but cornstarch and tapioca starch always come out the crispiest. I use them in a 1-1 ratio.
2. Baking Powder
I always add a tiny bit of baking powder to the dredge. The baking powder will puff up the crust ever so slightly and make it lighter and crispier. One very important thing is to not add too much. The first time I made this, I used double the amount, and the crust puffed up a bit too much, cracked, and then oil seeped in during frying.
3. Double-fry
You've probably heard this before, but the key to crispy food is to double-fry. I usually let the chicken rest for at least 15 minutes before doing the second fry. The reason is because the chicken needs time for the residual moisture to come out. Once the moisture is out, you can fry the wings to re-crisp everything back up.
How to dredge the wings
First, you want to mix the wings with the wet ingredients. This will lubricate the wings so that the starches will stick to them.
Then all you do is quickly toss the wings in the starch mixture. No need to press or squeeze the wings since we want the coating to be VERY thin. Then transfer to a nonstick pan and let the coating hydrate for 30 minutes. This is very important so that the wings do not have a powdery residue on them after frying.
How to fry the wings
You want to fry the wings at an average temperature of 350°F. I say "average" because the temperature will fluctuate during cooking. There is a big temperature drop when you initially put the wings in, so I like to bring the initial temperature to 400°F.
For the second fry, I bring the temperature to 425°F initially and fry for only 1-2 minutes. Then toss it with the sauce that should look like this:
Salted Egg Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken wings
- 2 tablespoons rice cooking wine (or 1 tablespoon of vodka and 1 tablespoon of water)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ½ cup tapioca starch
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
Salted egg sauce
- 5 salted egg yolks
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon MSG (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the chicken wings, rice cooking wine, salt, and sugar. Mix until evenly coated.
- In another medium bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, tapioca starch, and baking powder.
- Working one wing at a time, quickly coat in the starches and transfer to a nonstick baking sheet.
- Let the wings rest for at least 30 minutes. During this time, the starches on the outside will hydrate. In the meantime, you can make the sauce.
- Place the salted egg yolks in a steaming dish and steam on medium-high for 15-20 minutes until soft. Transfer to a food processor and blend until they become a fine powder. Or use a fork to mash them.
- Melt the butter in a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the salted egg yolks, sugar, salt, and MSG, and cook for another 1 minute then set the pan aside.
- Heat about 1-inch of oil to an initial temperature of 400°F (the temperature will drop to 350℉ when you add the wings). Use a spatula to carefully transfer half the wings to the hot oil. Deep-fry for 5-6 minutes until cooked through, then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to dry. Allow the temperature to come back to 400°F then repeat with the other half. Let the wings rest for at least 15 minutes before doing the second fry.
- Heat the oil to 425°F. Fry the chicken wings for 1-2 minutes until golden brown and very crispy. Immediately transfer them to the salted egg sauce and toss to coat. Enjoy!
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