Spicy Chicken Wings with Chillies (辣子鸡)
We love ordering Chongqing spicy chicken (辣子鸡) from Sichuan restaurants. So crispy, so spicy and so yummy! (hey, does that rhyme?) I have always wanted to cook this, but was put off by the idea of deep frying the chicken wings. I have a love-hate relationship with deep frying. Any food, deep fried, tastes sinfully awesome, but the aftermath isn't pleasant. I have an open floor plan kitchen and imagine feeling the lingering oily air in the living room! Hence, I decided to BAKE the chicken wings and surprisingly, the chicken wings still turn out crispy. Yay to my new discovery! :)
Ingredients:
Marinade
Other ingredients:
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I first marinaded the chicken with salt and Shaoxing wine. I also added some sliced green onions and sliced ginger. After mixing them well, I left them for about 15-30 minutes.
Next, I baked them at 425F for about 30 minutes. I made sure to place the wings on an oiled tray so that they will not stick to the tray. I also turn the wings over halfway through the baking time. I baked the chicken without using any oil. This is possible because the wings have fat/oil. To make sure they will turn out even crispier, I might try spraying the chicken with some oil the next time I make this. Ok, I know this is unhealthy, but still way better than deep frying! |
Lastly, throw in the green onions and turn off the heat.
Ta daa..spicy chicken with chilies! You can totally customize the spice level with the amount of Sichuan peppercorns and dried red chilies that you put in. Mine wasn't that spicy because I can no longer tolerate spicy food :) Nevertheless, I enjoyed it. |