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Lemongrass Chicken Wings

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  • ACTIVE: 45 MIN
  • TOTAL TIME: 5 HRS Plus overnight marinating
  • SERVINGS: 4
  • •MAKE-AHEAD

Seamstress • Melbourne

For this spicy, sweet and salty riff on fried chicken wings, the all-American bar snack, Anthony Herzog uses ingredients from his local Asian market, including ginger, chile, lemongrass and lime. The wings are fabulous with margaritas.

  1. 4 cups water
  2. 3 tablespoons sugar
  3. 3 tablespoons salt
  4. 2 pounds chicken wings, split at the joints, wing tips discarded
  5. 2 scallions, thinly sliced
  6. 1 long, red chile, such as Holland, seeded and finely chopped
  7. One 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
  8. 1 lemongrass stalk, tender inner white part only, finely chopped
  9. 1/2 cup vegetable oil, plus more for frying
  10. 1 cup tapioca flour mixed with 1 teaspoon baking soda, or 1 cup cornstarch
  11. 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
  12. Lime wedges, for serving
  1. In a medium saucepan, heat the water, sugar and salt, stirring, until dissolved. Let cool. In a large bowl, pour the brine over the chicken wings. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours; drain and pat dry.
  2. Meanwhile, in a large heatproof bowl, combine the scallions, chile, ginger and lemongrass. In a small saucepan, heat the 1/2 cup of oil until almost smoking. Pour the hot oil over the scallion mixture and let stand until cooled. Add the wings, toss to coat and refrigerate overnight.
  3. In a large saucepan, heat 2 inches of oil to 350°. Drain the wings. In a medium bowl, toss the wings in the tapioca flour mixture until well coated. Fry the wings in batches until golden and cooked through, about 7 minutes per batch. Drain on paper towels, sprinkle with the cilantro and serve with lime wedges.