SOY-BRAISED CHICKEN WINGS

Soy-Braised Chicken Wings image

Provided by Lisa Cheng Smith

Yield 8 regular or 16 small servings

Number Of Ingredients 18

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2 (3-inch) pieces ginger, scrubbed, thinly sliced, divided
½ cup dark soy sauce, divided
2 tsp. Five-Spice Powder, divided
20-24 chicken wing pieces (about 2½ lb.)
3 Tbsp. vegetable or sunflower oil
1 shallot, thinly sliced
3 scallions, roots trimmed, halved crosswise
5 garlic cloves, smashed
1 red finger or Fresno chile, halved lengthwise
3 oz. Chinese rock or lump sugar or ¼ cup raw sugar
3 whole star anise
2 pieces dried licorice root (optional)
1 (4-inch-long) cassia or cinnamon stick
¼ tsp. freshly ground white pepper (optional)
¼ tsp. Sichuan peppercorns
½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
¼ cup unseasoned rice wine
Thickly sliced cucumbers (for serving; optional)

Steps:

Mix half of ginger, ¼ cup dark soy sauce, and 1 tsp. Five-Spice Powder in a medium bowl. Add wings; toss to coat. Cover and chill at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours.
Heat oil in a wok or large deep-sided skillet over medium-high. Add shallot, scallions, garlic, chile, and remaining ginger and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add rock sugar, star anise, licorice root (if using), cassia, white pepper (if using), Sichuan peppercorns, and remaining 1 tsp. Five-Spice Powder and stir to combine. Pour in low-sodium soy sauce, remaining ¼ cup dark soy sauce, and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low.
Lift chicken wings out of marinade; discard marinade. Add wings to wok and pour wine over. Stir gently, then bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over medium-low 15 minutes. Gently stir, then cover again and continue cooking until chicken is cooked through and a deep brown color, about 15 minutes longer. Using a spider or slotted spoon, transfer wings to a plate.
Pour liquid in wok through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl; discard solids. Return strained liquid to wok and bring to a simmer over medium-high. Cook until sauce thickly coats a spoon, 10-12 minutes. Return chicken wings to sauce and toss to coat. Using a spider or slotted spoon, transfer to a platter. Serve with cucumbers if using.