Chicken Entertaining Asian

Chilli-salt chicken wings

Name: Crispy Sichuan chicken wings recipe with sweet fish sauce
Yield: 6
Cuisine: /asian
Ingredients: 1.5l master stock; 2kg chicken wings, jointed, excess skin removed; 80ml fish sauce; 60g tapioca; Vegetable oil, to fry; 10.00 ml Sichuan salt; 1 long red chilli, sliced, to garnish; Coriander leaves and lime wedges, to serve; 150ml sweet fish sauce (see recipe); 75ml chilli jam; 50.00 ml lemon juice; 50.00 ml lime juice; 1 lime, quartered and finely sliced; 500g palm sugar; 160ml fish sauce; 1 sliced stalk lemongrass (pale part only); 2 x 3cm knobs galangal, chopped; 1/4 bunch Thai basil, leaves picked; 2 sliced makrut (kaffir) lime leaves; 1 sliced Asian (red) eschalot (from Asian grocers); 1/4 bunch coriander roots, scraped, rinsed and chopped; 125ml whisky; 125ml mirin; 80ml soy sauce; 40.00 ml light soy sauce; 80g yellow rock sugar (from Asian grocers); 2 large garlic bulbs; 1/3 bunch long green shallots, roughly chopped; 1 tsp cardamom pods; 3 star anise

Rate now

Jump to recipe

by delicious. team

delicious. team

May 09, 2025

"Crispy and utterly irresistible, these have long been a first-date fave in the Chin Chin dining room. Obsessed with this dressing? Whip up an extra batch anytime you need a punchy little side act to barbecued lamb, steak or chicken." – Benjamin Cooper.

This is an edited extract from Chin Chin: Still Hungry by Benjamin Cooper,
AUD$55.00, available from shop.chinchinrestaurant.com.au Photography by Peter Dillon.

6 cups (1.5L) master stock (see recipe)
2kg chicken wings, jointed, excess skin removed
1/3 cup (80ml) fish sauce, to dip
1/2 cup (60g) tapioca flour, to coat
Vegetable oil, to fry
1/2 tbs Sichuan salt (see recipe)
1 long red chilli, sliced, to garnish
Coriander leaves and lime wedges, to serve

Sweet fish sauce and lime dressing

150ml sweet fish sauce (see recipe)
75ml chilli jam
2 1/2 tbs lemon juice
2 1/2 tbs lime juice
1 lime, quartered and finely sliced

Sweet fish sauce

500g palm sugar
2/3 cup (160ml) fish sauce
1 sliced stalk lemongrass (pale part only)
2 x 3cm knobs galangal, chopped
1/4 bunch Thai basil, leaves picked
2 sliced makrut (kaffir) lime leaves
1 sliced Asian (red) eschalot (from Asian grocers)
1/4 bunch coriander roots, scraped, rinsed and chopped

Master stock (makes 2.5L)

1/2 cup (125ml) Mekhong (Thai) whisky (or any whisky
1/2 cup (125ml) Chinese rice wine (shaohsing)
1/3 cup (80ml) dark soy sauce
2 tbs light soy sauce
80g yellow rock sugar (from Asian grocers)
2 large garlic bulbs
1/3 bunch long green shallots, roughly chopped
1 tsp cardamom pods
3 star anise
1 stick cassia bark
1 whole chicken

Sichuan salt

2 tbs Sichuan peppercorn
80g salt flakes

Method

1.

To make the master stock, combine whisky, rice wine, dark soy, light soy sauce, rock sugar, garlic bulbs, shallots, cardamom pods, star anise and cassia bark with 2L water in a large pot. Bring to the boil, allowing sugar to dissolve. Add whole chicken, reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for 45 minutes-1 hour. Cool stock after use and store for reuse (it gets better over time). Store in the fridge for up to 5 days, or strain, boil, cool and freeze up to 3 months.
2.

To make the sweet fish sauce for the dressing, break up the palm sugar in a saucepan over low heat, add the water and stir until sugar dissolves. Add the fish sauce, lemongrass, chopped galangal, Thai basil leaves, makrut leaves, eschalot and coriander roots. Bring to the boil over high heat, then lower heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes to reduce. Cool and strain. (Any leftover sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge.)
3.

To make the Sichuan salt, preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan-forced. Spread Sichuan peppercorns on a tray lined with baking paper and roast for 6 minutes, or until fragrant. Combine with salt flakes in a food processor and lightly blitz. Transfer to an airtight jar.
4.

In a large heavy-based pot, bring stock to the boil. Add chicken wings and return to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, or until meat is very tender. Remove wings from liquid and place on a tray to cool. If you like, you can refrigerate them at this point.
5.

Meanwhile, combine all sweet fish sauce and lime dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Taste and add more sweet fish sauce if necessary.
6.

Place the fish sauce and tapioca flour in separate bowls. Half-fill a large pot with vegetable oil and heat to 160°C (a cube of bread will turn golden in 3 minutes when the oil is hot enough). Dip each wing first in fish sauce, then in tapioca flour, shaking off excess. Add wings to the oil, in batches, and cook for 6-8 minutes, until crisp and golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate lined with paper towel.
7.

Arrange on a serving plate, sprinkle with Sichuan salt and garnish with chilli and coriander. Serve with lime wedges and a dipping bowl of dressing on the side.