Wind Beneath my Wings

In my opinion, the wing part of chickens has been neglected by Western cuisine. Trust a Chinese cook to make a lot of delectable dishes out of it. It's my favourite part. Whenever we have a roast chicken I always grab it to make sure no one else will have it. :-)

This recipe is a firm favourite of ours and a regular in our dinner table. Easy to make, just a few ingredients plus has vegetables for balance of flavour and nutrition. Plus the wings is probably the cheapest cut of poultry there is. Again, I adapted this from the Chinese Cuisine by Huang Su Huei.


Chicken Wings with Oyster Sauce

12 chicken wings (about 1 kg)
1-1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
oil for frying
1 green onion, cut into 6 pieces
6 slices ginger root

*Sauce:
2 Tbsp oyster sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
dash of black pepper
1 cup water

*Thickener:
1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp water

1 bunch broccoli

1. Cut and separate the wings at the joints, discard the tip or use for chicken stock. Clean the wings and pat them dry.
2. Combine chicken wings and soy sauce in a bowl. Mix them well. Marinate for 20-30 minutes.
3. While the wings are marinating, cut and separate the broccoli florettes. Wash well and steam for 3-4 minutes or until just about cooked. Line the sides of a serving plate with the cooked broccoli. Set aside.
4. Heat wok then add oil. Deep fry wings until golden brown (about 5 minutes). Remove and set aside.
5. Remove oil from the wok. Reheat the wok and add 1 Tbsp oil. Stir-fry the onions and ginger root until fragrant.
6. Add wings and sauce; bring to boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup.
7. Add thickener; stir until sauce has thickened. Dish up on the serving plate with broccoli. Serve.

Note: For the vegetables, you may use any steamed/cooked green vegetable such as pechay (pak choi), nappa cabbage (Chinese cabbage), regular cabbage, choi sum (Chinese broccoli), etc.