Don't worry.you won't need to buy any crabs to make these mind-altering wings. The crab flavor comes from a jarred condiment that's pretty easy to find at Asian markets; if not, use the shrimp version.
Ingredients
Makes 4 servings
Special equipment:
Step 1
Bring fish sauce to a boil in a medium saucepan and cook until reduced almost by half (it will darken and become pungent), about 5 minutes. Stir in sugar and fit saucepan with thermometer. Cook until thermometer registers 230°F (mixture will become thick and dark). Whisk in crab paste and 1 tablespoons water until smooth. Reduce heat to low; keep warm until ready to dip wings.
Step 2
Fit a large pot with clean thermometer and pour in oil to measure 2". Heat over medium-high heat until thermometer registers 350°F.
Step 3
Meanwhile, whisk flour, baking powder, and 1 cup cornstarch in a medium bowl. Whisking constantly, gradually add vodka and 1 3/4 cups water, adding more water if batter is too thick (it should be slightly thinner than cream but thicker than milk).
Step 4
Place remaining 1/2 cup cornstarch in a shallow dish. Season chicken with salt and pepper and dredge in cornstarch, shaking off excess.
Step 5
Working in 3 batches and returning oil to 350°F between batches, coat chicken in batter, letting excess drip back into bowl, and fry until skin is golden and chicken is crisp and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack set inside a baking sheet to drain. Using tongs, add hot wings to warm caramel, turn to coat, then transfer wings to a platter. Serve wings topped with peanuts and cilantro.
Do ahead:
Step 6
Caramel sauce can be made 3 days ahead. Keep airtight at room temperature. Reheat before using.
Leave a Review
Reviews (3)
Back to TopThese are fun, novel, and worth trying. I did not end up adding all the caramel to the wings, which seemed like a mistake at first (wanted more flavor), but after the third wing they became a little cloyingly sweet, so maybe cutting back was a good choice after all, I'm not sure. The batter was perfect and resulted in crispy wings, but after the first batch I found it was better to let the temp reach 375 before adding the chicken. I cooked in batches of 5-6 wings.
lschmidt
Portland, OR
2/28/2017
Really, these wings are delicious. Followed the recipe exactly except no vodka in the house, so used white wine. I'm not the greatest deep fryer, only do it once a year or so, but the wings have a wonderful crispy shell, were moist inside, and the caramel was oddly great. Brought them to a dinner and they were wiped out in ten minutes.
zbleck
woodglen nj
6/23/2015
This is one of the MOST delish recipes I've come across on BA. My husband surprised me with this dish one night and I couldn't believe how amazing it was. Now, we make them all the time. Luckily, we live down the street from a great Asian market so the ingredients were easy to find. They are sweet, salty, a little funky from the fish sauce but one of the few dishes I've made out of BA and been floored by. If you haven't made them yet, go do it right now. No, seriously. Also a great hit at parties and so different from what everyone else will bring.
resmott
Stuart, FL
3/14/2015
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