Thai Stuffed Chicken Wings with Sweet Chili Sauce

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Whole chicken wings quietly deboned, packed with a garlicky pork-and-glass-noodle filling, steamed until set, then fried to a shattering golden crust. This is the restaurant showpiece taught step by step — including the fastest way to get the bones out with a paring knife — plus a shortcut method that stuffs plain wingettes and shallow-fries them in an inch of oil. A quick fresh sweet chili sauce cuts the richness.

Ingredients

• 8 whole chicken wings (about 2 1/4 lb), tips attached
• 1 tsp kosher salt

• 2 oz dried glass (mung bean) noodles
• 1/4 cup dried wood ear mushrooms (or 3 dried shiitake)
• 10 oz ground pork
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro stems and leaves
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 3/4 tsp ground white pepper
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tbsp cornstarch

• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 6 cups neutral frying oil (peanut, canola, or rice bran)

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 tbsp minced red Fresno chile (seeds in, to taste)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp water

• 1 handful cilantro sprigs
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Instructions

1. Make the sauce first so it can cool: combine sugar, rice vinegar, water, garlic, chile, and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook 5 minutes, until slightly syrupy. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and simmer 30 seconds more until it lightly coats a spoon. Cool to room temperature — it thickens as it cools.
2. Soak the glass noodles in warm tap water for 10 minutes, until pliable but not mushy; drain and snip with scissors into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 loose cup). Separately soak the wood ears in hot water 15 minutes, then drain, trim any tough cores, and mince fine.
3. Debone the wings: cut off the pointed wing tip at the joint and save it for stock. Now work on the middle section (the flat). Stand it upright and use a small paring knife to scrape the meat away from the top ends of the two thin bones, exposing 1/2 inch of bone. Grip the exposed bones with a paper towel, twist gently, and pull them straight out — the flesh peels back like a sock. If a bone resists, run the knife tip along its length to free the tendon, then pull again. Leave the drumette intact and attached; you are only hollowing the flat.
4. Turn the flat right side out so you have a pocket. Repeat with all 8 wings. Pat dry inside and out, season lightly with the 1 teaspoon salt, and refrigerate while you mix the filling. (Shortcut: skip deboning entirely — buy 12 plain wingettes, snip along one side between the two bones with kitchen shears to open a slit, and stuff filling into that pocket. Less dramatic, just as good.)
5. In a bowl, combine ground pork, garlic, cilantro, scallions, fish sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, white pepper, egg, and 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Mix with your hand in one direction for 1 minute until slightly sticky, then fold in the drained noodles and wood ears. Fry a teaspoon of the mixture in a dry skillet to taste for seasoning; adjust fish sauce or pepper.
6. Stuff the wings: spoon filling into a zip-top bag, snip a 1/2-inch corner, and pipe into each wing pocket. Fill to about 80 percent — overstuffed wings burst when they fry. Press the opening closed and secure with a toothpick if it gapes.
7. Set up a steamer: a bamboo steamer or a plate on a rack over 1 inch of simmering water. Arrange the wings in a single layer, cover, and steam over medium heat for 12 to 14 minutes, until the filling is firm and reads 165°F on an instant-read thermometer pushed into the thickest part. Steaming is the insurance policy — it cooks the filling through so the fry is purely for color.
8. Transfer the steamed wings to a rack and let them cool and dry for at least 20 minutes (up to 24 hours, uncovered, in the fridge — drier skin fries crisper). Blot away any moisture.
9. Whisk the 1/2 cup cornstarch, flour, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a shallow dish. Dredge each wing, pressing the coating on and tapping off every loose bit of powder.
10. Heat 2 inches of oil in a Dutch oven to 350°F. For the shortcut method, 1 inch of oil in a heavy 12-inch skillet at 350°F is plenty. Fry the wings 3 or 4 at a time, turning once, for 4 to 5 minutes total, until deep golden and crackling. Shallow-fried wingettes need about 3 minutes per side.
11. Drain on a rack, not paper towels, and let the oil come back to 350°F between batches. Pull the toothpicks out.
12. Cut each wing crosswise into thick coins if you want to show off the filling, or serve whole. Pile onto a platter with cilantro, lime wedges, and the sweet chili sauce for dipping. Eat within 10 minutes of frying, while the shell still shatters.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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