Salt and Pepper Wings (椒盐鸡翅)

5 from 7 votes

Salt and Pepper Wings (椒盐鸡翅)

Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and perfectly seasoned, Chinese salt and pepper chicken wings are simply irresistible!

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Rest10

Total Time25

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings: servings

Author: Wei Guo

Ingredients

For the chicken

2 lb chicken wings flats or a mixture of flats and drumettes
1 tablespoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoon neutral cooking oil

For the seasonings

2 fresh chili peppers finely chopped
4 clove garlic minced
1 stalk scallions finely chopped
½ teaspoon salt and pepper seasoning shop-bought or homemade (see note 1)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Marinate the wings

Score each chicken wing flat twice with a sharp knife, then place them in a bowl. Add soy sauce and salt, and mix well to coat evenly. Let marinate for 10 minutes.
Sprinkle cornstarch over the chicken. Rub to ensure an even, thin coating.

Pan-fry the wings

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Lay in the marinated wings in a single layer. Leave to fry, undisturbed, until the bottom side turns golden. Flip all the pieces to brown the other side (see note 2). Transfer the chicken to a plate for later use.

Season the dish

Pour out most of the oil from the skillet. Add fresh chili and garlic, leaving to sizzle in a little oil until fragrant.
Return the fried chicken to the skillet and add chopped scallions. Toss everything together to coat the wings with the chili and garlic.
Sprinkle salt and pepper seasoning evenly over the wings and serve immediately.

Notes

1. Homemade salt and pepper seasoning (椒盐): The simplest method is to mix fine salt with five-spice powder or ground Sichuan pepper in a 5:1 ratio. For a more advanced version, check out the recipe for Salt and Pepper Tofu which includes a dedicated seasoning recipe.

2. It takes around 8 minutes to fry the chicken wing flats. Add a couple of extra minutes for the wing drumettes. If unsure, check the internal temperature using a meat thermometer. It should be over 165°F (74°C).

Nutrition