Description
In the spirit of competition prior to the Saints vs Falcons football game, we cooked up some fried wings in the Fox 8 kitchen.
Ingredients
WINGS
3 eggs
3 tsp cayenne pepper, divided
6–8 chicken wings
1 3/4 cups flour, all-purpose
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp salt
pan spray or oil
SAUCE
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons sweet soy sauce
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup Asian fish sauce — (nam pla)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons finely minced lemongrass bulb
1 kaffir lime leaf, shredded fine (optional; sold in Asian markets)
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
Sriracha to taste
Instructions
WINGS
In a bowl, whisk together eggs and 1 tsp of cayenne pepper. Add chicken wings and marinate overnight or at least 20 minutes.
Combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder and spices. Allow the excess egg mixture to drip off of the chicken and then lightly dredge in flour coating both sides. Try to keep one wet hand and one dry hand to minimize the mess.
Place breaded chicken into the air fryer basket. Lightly coat with pan spray to aid in the crisping. Cook at 390° for 20 minutes. Check at 10 minutes and flip the chicken. Spray the other side with pan spray. Chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165° and the breading is toasty and crispy.
SAUCE
Combine the vinegar, sugar, water, fish sauce and lime juice in a small, nonreactive saucepan. Bring just to a boil; then, add the lemongrass and the lime leaf and simmer for one minute. Strain and chill
Notes
If you cannot get kaffir lime leaves, but you have a citrus tree in your yard, grab one of those leaves. I’ve made this with orange leaf, lime leaf and lemon leaf. The citrus tree isn’t just about the fruit.
Also if you can’t find sweet soy sauce, increase the sugar and add soy sauce to taste. I like my sauce a bit sweeter to get that sweet/spicy balance.