These ultra juicy, flavour-packed chicken wings are marinated overnight in freshly extracted blue ginger juice, then fried to golden perfection. Top with cilantro, chilli flakes and Thai sweet chilli dressing, and serve piping hot!
PREPARATION FOR BLUE GINGER FRIED CHICKEN WINGS (20 mins, start the day before)
Rub the chicken wings with coarse salt to remove the yellow membrane on the skin of the wings, then wash clean.
Use a knife to cut the chicken wing at the joint between the drumlets and mid wing.
Use the knife to make a slit on the joint between the mid-wing and the wing tip without cutting through it.
Remove the skin from the galangal and grate it. You can use a ceramic grater to grate the blue ginger. Next, extract the juice by squeezing the pulp, then set it aside.
Cut the lime into half and set aside for later use.
Place the chicken wings into a large bowl. Add in all the marinade ingredients and marinate for 6 hours or overnight.
COOKING METHOD FOR BLUE GINGER FRIED CHICKEN WINGS (30 mins)
Drain off the marinade and pat dry the chicken wings.
In a wok, heat up 2 bowls of oil over high heat. When the oil is hot, put in the chicken wings a few at a time and fry until golden brown (about 4-5 mins).
Transfer the chicken wings onto a plate lined with a kitchen towel. Continue to fry the rest of the chicken wings.
While the oil is still very hot, re-fry all the wings a second time in small batches for 3-4 mins. Be careful not to burn the chicken, you may need to lower the fire if necessary.
Transfer the twice-fried chicken wings onto a serving plate.
Top with freshly chopped cilantro (coriander), and serve with the cut limes and Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce.
Notes
Clean the chicken thoroughly by remove the thin yellow membrane on the skin of the chicken wings (especially the under-part of the wing) by rubbing with coarse salt, otherwise it will have a strong chicken smell after cooking. Wash thoroughly and pat dry.
It is important to make a slit in the mid-wing and drumlet for the marinade to penetrate through the meat. It also takes a shorter time to cook it.
Do not fry the chicken wing immediately after taking it out from the fridge as the inside of the chicken will be very cold and it will not get cooked through by the time the outside is done.
It is good to drain off the marinade and pat dry the chicken before frying to prevent splattering of oil.
You need to fry the chicken wings a second time over high heat to force out the excess oil and at the same time to crisp the wings. However do remember not to overcrowd the wok, as this will reduce the temperature of the oil drastically, resulting in soggy wings.
When frying the wings, you need to keep stirring them with a pair of wooden chopsticks or metal tongs to prevent them from sticking to one another.
Instead of frying the wings, you can also grill or BBQ then until they are golden brown.
Do not add honey or sugar to marinate the chicken wings as sugar gets burnt easily before the wing gets cooked especially for non-battered wings. Then you end up having charred, uncooked wings.
Oyster Sauce also contains sugar, so I don't use oyster sauce in the marinade for this reason.
The best type of oil to use in deep frying is vegetable oil or sunflower oil for they have high smoking point.