Five-Spice Chicken Wings & Sichuan Pepper Honey

Ease of Preparation: Medium

Yield: Serves 4

Who doesn’t love chicken wings? Well, for the wing-lover in your life who’s seen it all, these Chinese five-spice wings are sure to impress! Paired with a tingly take on the “it” condiment of the moment, a Sichuan pepper hot honey, you’ve got a game-night winner on your hands!

Ingredients:

Sichuan Pepper Hot Honey:

• 1 cup (240 ml) honey
• 2 teaspoons (10 ml) ground Sichuan pepper
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) red pepper flakes
• Salt
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) apple cider vinegar

Chinese Five-Spice Chicken Wings:

• Vegetable oil, for frying
• ⅔ cup (160 ml) cornstarch
• ⅔ cup (160 ml) flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) baking powder
• 2 teaspoons (10 ml) ground Chinese five-spice
• Salt
• 1 ¼ cup (300 ml) sparkling water, chilled
• 2 pounds (907 g) chicken wings
• Sichuan Pepper Hot Honey

Method:

For the Sichuan Pepper Hot Honey:

In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the honey, Sichuan pepper, and red pepper flakes. Season with salt.

Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Gently simmer for 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the apple cider vinegar.

Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. Reserve until needed.

For the Chinese Five-Spice Chicken Wings:

In a large pot, heat the frying oil to 350 F (175 C) over high heat.

In a large bowl, combine cornstarch, flour, baking powder, and Chinese five-spice. Season the mixture well with salt.

Whisk the sparkling water into the mixture until a smooth batter is formed.

Dust the wings in a light coating of flour, then dip them into the batter.

Fry the battered wings until golden and slightly crispy, roughly 5-6 minutes. Fry in batches so as not to lower the temperature of the oil too greatly.

Lift the wings out of the oil with a wire strainer and let drain for 10 minutes.

Drop the wings into the hot oil again and let fry for 5-6 minutes, until the batter is golden brown and very crispy.

Transfer the cooked wings to a paper towel-lined tray and season with salt. Repeat the process for the remaining wings.

Gently reheat the Sichuan Pepper Hot Honey.

Transfer the wings to a serving platter, drizzle with Sichuan Pepper Hot Honey and serve immediately.