Spicy Garlic Coal Black Wings recipe

WEEK OF WINGS IV Day 4 – Coal Black Garlic Wings

These spicy, garlicky, black wings are first baked, then quickly deep fried to bring out their signature dark black color. Served with a drizzle of Sriracha sauce, they are the most unique wings we’ve made since the Salt and Vinegar wings. Amazingly dark, they are not burnt at all, rather the color comes from the soy sauce and a quick dip in your deep fryer.

We first saw these wings on TV last year – on the FoodGardenHomeShoppingPickersTV show… or something like that. Actually, we lost track of the recorded show, but we had notes! So we “winged it”.

The show was filmed at Myers and Chang in Boston, where they call them Garlicky Spicy Coal-black Wings. Marinated in soy sauce, honey, scallions, garlic and sambal oelek sauce, these are amazing to behold. Think of kicked up and blackened teriyaki wings. Our version came out juicy, succulent and crispy. And very black. Fantastic! The full recipe is at the end.

Here’s how the wings look after an overnight soak:

After removing the wings from the marinade, we let them drain briefly:

We lined a baking sheet with parchment paper (you could use foil):

Here’s where the magic happens:

Then you toss them in the sauce:

Or you could skip our sauce and work from here with the blank canvas that are these marvelous dark, crispy wings. Go crazy!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups low sodium soy sauce (like Kikkoman’s)
• 1 cup honey
• 1/2 bunch green onions or scallions, cut into 2″ pieces
• 1 head garlic, cloves smashed
• 1/2 cup Sambal Oelek (substitute 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce and 1/2 cup “hoagie” spread)
• 24 chicken wing pieces
• Canola oil for deep frying

Instructions:

1. Combine the soy sauce, honey, onion pieces, garlic and sambal sauce in a large bowl. Add in chicken wings. Cover and marinate overnight.
2. Pre-heat oven to 350º.
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
4. Remove chicken wings from marinade, reserving liquid, and place wings on baking sheet.
5. Bake wings at 350º for about 40 – 45 minutes, turning once halfway through.
6. Meanwhile, over low heat, cook and reduce marinade liquid by 2/3 to make a thick sauce.
7. Let baked wings cool.
8. Pre-heat deep fryer to 370º
9. Deep fry wings in small batches (4 or 5 pieces) for 30 to 60 seconds – you are just crisping them up at this point. And this is where the magic happens. This is where they turn coal black!
10. Toss fried wings in reduced marinade sauce, and serve with Sriracha sauce.

Notes:

• Sambal Oelek sauce is a pure, crushed chile paste. You can find it on Amazon or at your local gourmet grocer. Look for the Huy Fong brand.
• We added even more diced garlic into the sauce reduction. About 1/2 head. I don’t think you can overdo the garlic here.
• You can use a Ziploc bag for the marinade, just be sure to place the bag in a large bowl for support, and to catch any leaks.
• Letting the baked wings cool off ensures a crispier skin when deep fried.

This recipe was posted 10/24/12. We’re featuring it here for our Week of Wings series.