Chicken Wings With Coconut & Orange Chili Sauce

Ingredients (Serves 4)

2 lbs chicken wings (patted dry)

1 c all-purpose flour

2 1/2 c panko bread crumbs

2 1/2 c shredded unsweetened coconut

4 eggs (whisked)

1 tsp curry powder

2 Tbsp salt

2 oranges (juiced)

1/2 lime (juiced)

1 Tbsp chili paste or sauce

2 Tbsp granulated sugar

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp corn starch

1 gallon vegetable/canola oil

1 Tbsp fresh chopped basil

1 Tbsp fresh chopped cilantro

Directions

Start by measuring and preparing all of the ingredients as directed. Once you have all the ingredients prepared, you can start heating the oil. If you have a tabletop fryer in your kitchen, that would be ideal. If not a large deep saucepot, a candy thermometer, and a watchful eye are needed. I strongly recommend a tabletop fryer for safety reasons, but if you decide to fry in a large pot on your stove top, don’t fill the pot with oil anymore than half way and keep a close eye on temperature control (don’t over heat the oil and cause a fire).

After you get back from running out to buy a tabletop fryer, heat the oil to 375. You’ll need three separate mixing bowls for the breading process — one for the flour, one for the whisked eggs, and in the other you’ll mix the shredded coconut, bread crumbs, salt, and curry power. This is a standard breading procedure set up — keep in mind this can get messy. Pro tip, use one hand for the wet ingredients and the other for the dry.

Work with three to four wings at a time, first toss them in the flour, shaking off any excess flour before coating them in the egg wash. Allow any excess egg wash to drip off before tossing the wings in the panko and coconut mix. Set the finished breaded wings aside on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper and repeat until all your wings are ready for the fryer.

I’d fry these bad boys in two to three batches, depending on the size of your fryer. You do not want to overcrowd the fryer. Fry each batch seven to 10 minutes, depending on how crisp you like your wings, when the wings become golden brown and the bubbles in the fryer become smaller, you can remove the wings and set them aside on a sheet tray lined with paper towels.

Meanwhile, when you’re frying the second batch, you can make the orange chili sauce. Put the orange juice, lime juice, and sugar in a small saucepot and heat gently until the sugar is dissolved. Now add a little bit of water to your corn starch to make a slurry before adding it to the saucepot along with the chili paste. Whisk over medium heat until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. At that point, remove it from the heat and set aside until you are ready to serve. When you’re ready, plate the wings, drizzle some sauce over the top, and finish with your fresh chopped herbs.