Buttermilk-fried chicken wings with chilli and sesame
A chicken wing with a juicy interior and a crispy coating in a sweet and spicy sauce is hard to beat, especially if brined ahead of time. If you want to make these extra juicy, sous vide them like they do at The Fox. After brining, vacuum pack flat and cook at 84C for 3 hours. Chill and remove any jelly before coating in the buttermilk and flour.
SERVES 4 | PREP 25 MINS PLUS OVERNIGHT BRINING | COOK 30 MINS | MORE EFFORT
100g table salt
85g caster sugar
5 thyme sprigs
4 bay leaves
8 chicken wings, jointed 100g self-raising flour 50g potato flour or cornflour
50g rice flour
SAUCE
275g sriracha
125g gochujang paste
65ml rice wine vinegar
40ml soy sauce
40g crunchy peanut butter
40g golden syrup
40ml sesame oil
500ml buttermilk oil for deep-frying toasted mixed sesame seeds to serve
1 Start by making the brine. Mix 1 litre of warm water with the salt, sugar, thyme and bay in a large bowl. Once the salt and sugar has dissolved, submerge the chicken wings in the brine and marinade in the fridge overnight or for up to 18 hrs. 2 Mix the flours in a large bowl, seasoning well. For the sauce, put the sriracha, gochujang, vinegar, soy, peanut butter and golden syrup in a large pan over a low heat. Bring just to the boil, then reduce the heat, stirring often so the sauce doesn’t catch. After 5 mins, remove from the heat and cool, then stir in the sesame oil. 3 Drain the wings, wiping off any excess brine. Dip in the buttermilk and then coat the wings by dredging them in the seasoned flour. Heat enough oil in a wide, deep pan to fry the wings, getting it to a temperature of 140C – a piece of bread should brown in about 40 seconds. Add the wings in two batches, deep-frying for 10-12 mins or until the chicken is cooked through and the coating is sealed but barely browned. Drain on kitchen paper and chill.
4 Reheat the oil until it reaches 190C (a piece of bread should brown in about 10 seconds) and add the wings back in, again in two batches, cooking for 2-3 mins or until crisp and deeply golden. Make sure they are hot through before tossing in the sauce to coat and leaving to drip on a wire rack over a tray. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds before serving.
PER SERVING 575 kcals | fat 28.5G saturates 6.1G | carbs 55.1G | sugars 35.9G fibre 2G | protein 23.7G | salt 8.1G