My mom makes these every New Year's Day when we go to my Auntie Alice's house to celebrate. Although these wings are not a Japanese traditional dish, we do partake in many other traditional dishes that have meaning and are thought to bring good health, long life, prosperity and happiness in the new year. These wings definitely bring me happiness because they are savory, sweet, salty, crispy and just delicious! I make these for Superbowl Sunday as well because you can prepare them ahead of time and they stay crisp, even at room-temperature.
Superbowl Sunday Chicken Delicious Wings
Makes 40 wings
I try not to serve fried food to my kids but my mom’s recipe for these are best extra crispy. Unfortunately, this can only be achieved by frying. Just try not to eat them before your guests arrive!
Ingredients:
2 1/2 lbs. chicken wings – washed and dried with a paper towel
1 cup flour
1 cup water
3 ice cubes
2 cups vegetable oil or enough to fill a medium-sized, deep saucepan about 1 ½ inches or a deep fryer to its specifications.
Teriyaki Sauce:
1 cup sugar
1 cup shoyu (soy sauce)
2 tsp ginger - grated
1 tsp garlic - chopped
1/4 cup mirin (Japanese sweet cooking rice seasoning)
Directions:
In a small saucepan on high heat, whisk sugar, shoyu, ginger and garlic until combined.
Bring to a boil and then immediately turn down to simmer. Add mirin.
Have a wire rack on an aluminum foil-lined cookie sheet ready for the cooked chicken.
In a deep saucepan or deep fryer on medium-high, add oil until heated.
Have the saucepan of teriyaki sauce nearby on the stove on simmer.
In a medium bowl, combine flour and water to make the batter.
Add ice cubes to the batter to keep it cold, mixing as ice cubes melt.
Test the oil by adding a very small amount of batter to the hot oil to see if it fries up quickly.
Add chicken wings to the batter in batches so that none are touching.
Fry in batches until both sides are brown and crispy, turning with metal tongs halfway through. Approximately 8-10 minutes.
Shake off any excess oil and dip chicken wings in the hot teriyaki sauce directly after they are done frying.
Remove and drain on a wire rack without touching so wings remain crispy. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Mirin (味 醂 or みりん) – Preferred Brand – Kikkoman sweet cooking rice seasoning. Used to make teriyaki sauce and for marinades and dressing in replacement of sugar. Although this does contain low amounts of alcohol, it is safe for use in children’s dishes as there is normally a very small amount added.
Grating Ginger - Peel the end of a fresh piece of ginger and use a Japanese ginger grater or a microplane to grate the ginger. Ginger can also be frozen to make grating easier.
