Crispy Twice-Cooked Chicken Wings

These crispy twice-cooked wings are steamed first; then deep-fried to achieve the most crispier texture. Also 100% gluten free chicken wings.

5 from 2 votes

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 1

Marinating & chilling time: 3 15

Total Time: 4 30

Servings: lb

Author: Tu

2 lb chicken wings cut into flats & drums, save tips for chicken stock or discard
4 tbsp salt
4 tbsp sugar
1 tsp ground black pepper

In a small non stick pan, combine palm sugar, fish sauce and cook over medium heat until sugar dissolve completely.
Turn off the heat and remove the pan from the stove.
Stir in Sriracha sauce and lime juice. Set aside, at room temperature, for later use.

In a small cooking pan, heat the vegetable oil on medium high heat.
When the oil is hot enough, approximately 30 seconds to 1 minute, add chopped green onion to the pan.
Stir constantly then turn off the heat immediately, about 30 seconds. Set aside for later use.

Marinade chicken wings in salt & sugar mixture for at least 1 hour (maximum 6 hours).
Line your steamer with coffee filters or parchment papers to prevent chicken wings stick to the bottom.
Set up a steamer. Arrange chicken wings, about an inch apart, in a steamer. Depend on how big your steamer is, you might need to divide the wings into multiple batches.
Steam the chicken for approximately 30 minutes on medium high heat. Don't let the water touch the wings when boiling.
Arrange fully steamed chicken wings, 1 inch apart, nicely on a cooking tray (lined with parchment paper). Then chill them in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
The chicken wings need to be completely chilled and dried before proceed to next steps.
Take the wings out of the fridge and leave at room temperature for 15 minutes.
In a shallow pan/pot, heat enough vegetable oil on medium high heat. Make sure the oil reaches 350F before adding chicken to the pot.
Fry chicken into small batches, 5 minutes for each batch or until the skin is crispy and turns golden brown color.
In a large mixing bowl, toss chicken wings with sweet and spicy sauce. Garnish with scallion oil (if desired). Serve hot immediately.

You can substitute palm sugar for the same amount of brown sugar or white sugar. But keep in mind, your gluten free chicken wings might look less appeal without that warm golden color from palm sugar.
Whole wings are cumbersome to eat and take a long time to marinade. Splitting the wings into flats and drums allowed less time to marinade and make them easier to handle.
These chicken wings need to be marinated in an equal amount of salt and sugar for at least an hour, maximum 6 hours, to achieve their flavor to the fullest. If you're not in a hurry, go for 6 hours (under refrigeration of course).
In order to have the most crispy skins, these wings need to be fully dried (at least 2 hours) after steaming. The drier the skin, the crispier the wings. Don't rush this process.
To prevent chicken wings from sticking to your steamer basket, you can line it with multiple coffee filters or parchment papers (remember to cut a few holes on parchment paper to let the steam go through).
Keep in mind that not all fish sauce brands are GF, there are few of them add wheat in the products. So always read the label first.
I use Red Boat fish sauce in most of my recipes. This brand is 100% gluten free so it is definitely safe to use for GF folks.