Recipe: Korean-Style Chicken Wings with Spicy Korean Dipping Sauce

KOREAN-STYLE CHICKEN WINGS
"Our simple trick for the best Korean-style wings is to marinate the wings in a mixture of egg whites, salt, and baking soda. This forms an even coating that clings to the wings and seasons them. The mixture also helps to break down the outer layer of proteins on the skin, allowing the chicken to render and brown in the oven and resulting in juicy wings with a thin, crackling skin. (You can also brush the marinade on a whole chicken before roasting.) We ve paired the wings with yangnyeomjang, a spicy Korean dipping sauce, to accent the sweet flavor of the chicken."


FOR THE WINGS:
3 large egg whites
2 teaspoons (10 grams) baking soda
13/4 teaspoons (10.5 grams) fine sea salt
4 pounds (1.8 kilograms) whole chicken wings
FOR THE DIPPING SAUCE:
1/4 cup (65 grams) tamari soy sauce
3 tablespoons (42 grams) apple juice
1 tablespoon / 16 grams honey
1 tablespoon / 14 grams rice vinegar
1 tablespoon / 14 grams toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoons (2 grams) Korean red chile flakes
1 tablespoon (3.75 grams) toasted sesame seeds, chopped
1 garlic clove, grated
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 grams) grated fresh ginger
1 scallion, finely sliced

Put the egg whites, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and stir to dissolve the salt and baking soda. Add the chicken wings and stir to coat evenly. Remove the wings from the bowl and lay them out on 2 wire racks, each set over a baking sheet. Refrigerate the wings uncovered overnight for them to dry out.

WHEN READY TO COOK:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (235C).

Put the wings, still on the racks on the baking sheets, into the oven and cook for 15 minutes. Flip the wings over and bake for 10 minutes. Flip the wings over again and bake until a deep golden brown with a crackling skin, about 10 more minutes. Take the pans out of the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.

TO MAKE THE DIPPING SAUCE:
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, apple juice, honey, rice vinegar, sesame oil, chile flakes, sesame seeds, garlic, ginger, and scallion.

TO SERVE:
Pile the wings on a serving platter and serve the sauce alongside.

Makes 4-6 servings
Used by permission to Recipelink.com from Ten Speed Press
Adapted from source: Maximum Flavor by H. Alexander Talbot