XO Cognac Fried Chicken Wings
Cognac and ginger juice are my mother's secret ingredients for her signature fried chicken wings. A long marinade is crucial, to let the wings absorb lots of flavour.
Ingredients
- 12 chicken wings, about 1 kg
- 70 g ginger
- 1 clove garlic
- 3 shallots
- 2 tbsp light soya sauce
- 3 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp Cognac
- ¾ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- ⅓ cup tapioca flour
- oil for deep-frying
Instructions
- Wash chicken wings and drain thoroughly. Dry with paper towels. Chop each wing along main joint into 2 pieces. Chop and discard tips if not eating.12 chicken wings, about 1 kg
- Peel ginger and rinse. Cut into small pieces. Pound finely. Squeeze to yield 2 tbsp juice.70 g ginger
- Peel garlic and shallots. Wash and pound finely.1 clove garlic
- Add ginger juice, garlic, shallots, light soya, oyster sauce, Cognac, salt and ground white pepper to chicken wings. Mix thoroughly.3 shallots
- Marinate chicken for 12-24 hours, refrigerated, turning over once every few hours.2 tbsp light soya sauce, 3 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tbsp Cognac, ¾ tsp salt, ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- 20-30 minutes before cooking, remove chicken wings from fridge to come to room temperature.⅓ cup tapioca flour, oil for deep-frying
- When you're ready to deep-fry, drain and discard marinade. Dredge chicken in tapioca flour, patting gently to remove excess.
- Deep-fry wings immediately in hot oil over medium-high heat till golden brown and cooked (meat feels firm when pressed). Remove from oil. Increase heat to high. Reheat oil to just smoking. Deep-fry wings again, this time till just golden brown.
- Drain wings on rack or sieve lined with paper towels.
- Serve immediately with sweet or garlic chilli sauce. Meat should be juicy, fragrant and nicely seasoned; batter should be crisp and not oily.