Chinese Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings

Low angle shot of chinese salt and pepper fried chicken wings on a parchment paper-lined platter.

4.86 from 74 votes

Chinese Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings

Chinese Salt and Pepper Chicken is a restaurant takeout favorite and it’s easy to make at home. I love this spicy version with Szechuan peppercorns and stir-fried hot chile peppers and garlic.

Course Appetizer Recipes

Cuisine Chinese

Keyword chinese salt and pepper chicken, chinese salt and pepper wings, salt and pepper chicken, salt and pepper chicken wings, salt and pepper wings

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 25

Additional Time 20

Total Time 55

Servings servings

Calories 641kcal

Author Robin Donovan

Ingredients

For the chicken
¾ cup Shaoxing wine see note for substitutions
1 tablespoon minced ginger
3 garlic cloves minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 ½ pounds chicken wings
1 cup potato starch see note for substitutions
Oil for frying 2 to 3 cups
For the chile topping
4 to 6 chiles like serrano, red or green or a combination, thinly sliced
3 to 4 garlic cloves thinly sliced
1 tablespoon butter
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
¼ to ½ teaspoon Szechuan pepper-salt see note

Instructions

In a large bowl, combine the wine, ginger, minced garlic, and salt and stir to mix. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Let marinate for at least 20 minutes or overnight (cover and refrigerate if more than 20 minutes).
In a large, heavy skillet, heat the oil until it shimmers (about 350°F).
Remove the chicken from the marinade (discard the marinade) and toss it with the potato starch, coating well.
Shake excess potato starch off of the chicken pieces and drop them into the hot oil. You can do 5 to 7 pieces of chicken at a time, but don’t crowd the skillet. Plan to cook the chicken in 2 or 3 batches. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the bottoms of the chicken pieces are golden brown. Turn the chicken over and cook for about 5 minutes more, until golden brown on the second side. Transfer the cooked chicken pieces to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Cook the remaining chicken pieces in the same manner.
Once all of the chicken has been fried, heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter and let it melt. Once it is sizzling and begins to foam, add the chiles and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the chiles begin to brown, 1 to 2 minutes.
Put the fried chicken on a serving platter and then dump the fried chiles and garlic over the top. Sprinkle with the white pepper and the pepper-salt and serve immediately.

Notes

1. If you don’t have Shiaoxing wine, you can substitute sake, dry sherry, dry white wine, or even beer.

2. You can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into chunks instead of chicken wings. You’ll want to cook it for a shorter time, just until the outside of each piece is golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes.

3. I like to use potato starch for my fried chicken as I think it is what is most commonly used Chinese, Korean, and Japanese cooks. You can substitute cornstarch, which is more widely available in US supermarkets. You can also use sweet potato starch, which you’ll find in Asian markets.

4. If you don’t have Szechuan Pepper-Salt, you can substitute kosher salt and ground black pepper.

5. Use chicken wings, drumsticks, or boneless, skinless thighs that have been cut into chunks. You can use breast meat if you like, but I prefer using dark meat because it is more tender and more flavorful.

6. You can use any neutral-flavored, high-smoke-point oil for frying. Some good options are safflower, sunflower seed, peanut, canola, corn, vegetable, or grapeseed oil.

7. Choose your chiles based on how spicy you want the dish to be. You can use very spicy Thai chiles, spicy serrano chiles, milder Jalapenos, or even milder fresnos. If you don’t want any heat at all from the chiles, use red and/or green bell peppers instead.

8. You can make Szechuan pepper-salt yourself or buy it in an Asian market or online. If you don’t have it, you can also just substitute kosher salt and white or black pepper.

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