Chinese: Chicken Wing Drumsticks
Submitted by lola
Chicken wings reshaped into mini drumsticks, marinated in five-spice and rice wine, sealed with egg white, coated in cornstarch, and double deep-fried until shatteringly crispy. An authentic Chinese technique for the crunchiest wings.
YIELD
3 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
6 minREADY
60 minThis recipe teaches you one of the best tricks in Chinese cooking: the double fry.
Chicken wings get trimmed and reshaped into cute little drumstick lollipops by pushing the meat and skin up to one end. After marinating in five-spice powder, soy sauce, rice wine, and sugar, they’re sealed with egg white and dredged in a cornstarch and baking powder mix.
The first fry cooks the meat through and locks in the juices. Let them cool, then fry a second time in screaming hot oil right before serving. That second hit is what creates the impossibly crunchy shell.
The result? Wings that shatter when you bite through the crust but stay juicy and tender inside.
Pro Tips
- The egg white coating between the marinade and the cornstarch is the secret weapon. It creates a moisture barrier that keeps the meat juicy during frying.
- Cornstarch mixed with baking powder is what gives the coating its signature crunch. Regular flour won’t achieve the same texture.
- Make sure the oil is seriously hot for the second fry. If it’s not hot enough, the wings absorb oil instead of crisping up.
- You can do the first fry hours ahead. Keep the wings at room temperature, then hit them with the second fry just before guests arrive.
Ingredients
Directions
Discard wing tips. Cut between joints. Remove the smaller bone of the lower wing. Cut skin loose around the small end and push skin and meat up to form drumstick.
Marinate wings for 1 hour. Add egg white. Coat wings evenly. (Using egg white to coat the wings will help to seal the juice inside the meat. Hence the meat will be juicier.
Dredge wings in cornstarch mixture. (Using cornstarch and baking powder helps to make the outside layer crisp.)
Deep-fry for 3 minutes. Drain. Let cool.
Deep-fry once again right before serving. (Deep-fry the first time to cook the meat and seal the juice in the meat. The second time to make the outside crisp. Make sure the oil is very hot before you deep-fry for the second time.)
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