Dad's Perfect Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings

Ingredients

• 1.5 lb chicken wings (drumettes and flats; the video specifically uses drumettes)
• 0.5 cup potato starch (for coating)
• 3 cup neutral oil (for deep frying (vegetable, canola, or peanut oil))
• 4 garlic (cloves, minced)
• 3 scallions (chopped)
• 1 jalapeño (sliced)
• 0.5 tsp salt (to taste)
• 0.5 tsp black pepper (to taste)

Steps

1. 1

   Thoroughly coat the chicken wings in potato starch until every piece is evenly dusted.

2. 2

   Heat oil in a wok or deep pot. Test the temperature by inserting a wooden chopstick; when bubbles start boiling rapidly around the chopstick, the oil is ready.

3. 3

   Carefully drop the chicken wings into the hot oil one by one to avoid splashing.

4. 4

   Fry the chicken for 9 minutes. Once the timer is up, remove the chicken from the oil and set aside.

5. 5

   Allow the oil to reheat to a higher temperature, then return the chicken to the oil for a second fry lasting exactly 1 minute. This ensures a golden brown color and extra crunchy skin.

6. 6

   Remove the chicken and drain the oil, leaving just a small amount to coat the wok.

7. 7

   In the hot wok, add the minced garlic, chopped scallions, and sliced jalapeños. Sauté and mix them around until the garlic is browned and fragrant.

8. 8

   Toss the fried chicken back into the wok with the aromatics.

9. 9

   Season with salt and pepper, tossing everything together vigorously to marry the flavors of the peppers, garlic, and chicken.

10. 10

    Transfer to a plate and serve immediately while hot and crunchy.

Notes

The secret to this recipe is the double-fry method and using a wok for the final toss. Potato starch provides a lighter, crispier crunch than flour.

Nutrition per serving

• appetizer
• main
• chicken wings
• fried
• Cantonese
• Chinese
• dim sum
• crunchy