With a rich aroma of toasted garlic and other mixed ingredients, this dish offers a savory, slightly sweet, and mildly spicy flavor. The chicken wings have a crispy, fragrant exterior while remaining tender and juicy inside.
The gentle warmth of the sun filters through the window, casting light on a well-worn willow cutting board, where small bowls hold garlic, fermented black beans, and chili sauce—marinating, frying, and stir-frying as time passes, the shadows of cups and plates slowly lengthen under the sunlight. What was once a pile of lifeless chicken wings now dons a golden coat, buried amid equally golden fried garlic, eagerly "swaying," waiting to be praised before willingly being torn apart—all this effort, a rebirth through fire, just to earn a greasy smile from the one who set it all in motion. To achieve this golden, non-greasy "golden coat," there are three secrets: use high oil temperature, fry until just lightly golden, and blot off excess oil after frying.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
300 g (about 10 oz) chicken wings
Use smaller chicken wings if possible, as larger ones won't absorb the flavors as well.
Additional Ingredients
breadcrumbs to taste
Green and red bell peppers, to taste
onion to taste
Marinade
4 g salt
1 g white pepper powder
6 g (about 2 teaspoons) Shaoxing wine
Other Seasonings
2 heads of garlic
1 g salt
10 fermented black beans
5 g (about 1 tsp) Cantonese-style chili sauce
10 g (about 2 teaspoons) white sugar
1 egg yolk
to taste
Use plenty of garlic to ensure a rich, aromatic garlic flavor.
Instructions
Instructions
Preparation
Step 1: Peel and finely mince the garlic, squeeze out some garlic juice and set aside. Briefly rinse the remaining minced garlic with water, then squeeze dry using cheesecloth and set aside. Finely dice the green and red bell peppers and onion (Image 2).
*It is best to mince the garlic using a food processor, as chopping or slicing by hand does not yield the same result.
*Rinse the minced garlic with water before frying—this prevents it from burning easily, and if you skip rinsing, it can turn bitter when fried; however, do not rinse for too long, or the garlic flavor will wash away.
Marinate the chicken wings
Wash the chicken wings, marinate them with the meat seasoning and squeezed garlic juice for 1 hour, then add a small amount of egg yolk and mix well, followed by an appropriate amount of cornstarch and mix evenly; set aside (Image 3).
*If time allows, marinate longer for deeper flavor.
Finely chopped garlic, deep-fried until golden and crispy.
Step 3: Pour a generous amount of oil into the wok and heat to 350°F (175°C). Add the minced garlic and stir to separate (Image 4). Fry over low heat until light golden, then remove (Image 5) and drain on paper towels (Image 6).
*When deep-frying the minced garlic, be very careful—remove it as soon as it turns slightly yellow, because it will continue to darken from residual heat after being taken out; if you wait until it's golden, it will turn black after sitting. The same principle applies when frying the breadcrumbs below.
Fry the breadcrumbs until golden and crispy.
④ Next, fry the breadcrumbs over medium heat until lightly golden, then drain on paper towels as well.
*When deep-frying the breadcrumbs, use medium heat; if the oil temperature is too low, the breadcrumbs will absorb too much oil. After removing them from the oil, let them drain on paper towels for a while to absorb excess oil.
Deep-fried chicken wings
⑤ Use a fine-mesh strainer to remove the fried garlic and breadcrumb bits. Heat the remaining oil in the wok to about 70% hot (350°F/175°C), then add the marinated chicken wings. Deep-fry over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until golden brown and lightly crispy. Remove and drain (Figure 7).
*First fry the minced garlic, then fry the breadcrumbs, and finally fry the chicken wings—this order is essential because after frying the garlic, the oil becomes infused with garlic flavor, allowing the chicken wings to absorb more of that aromatic garlic taste.
Stir-fry the chicken wings until golden brown and cooked through.
⑥ Pour off the oil from the wok, leaving just a thin layer. Over medium-low heat, gently fry the chili sauce and fermented black beans for about 5 seconds. Add the diced green and red bell peppers and minced onion, then turn the heat to high and stir-fry until fragrant. Finally, add salt and sugar and stir to combine (Image 8).
Step 7: Place the deep-fried chicken wings into the wok and stir-fry over high heat for 30 seconds (see Figure 9), then add the fried minced garlic and breadcrumbs and stir-fry for another 30 seconds (see Figure 10).
Flexible application
This method also works well with shrimp, pork ribs, crab, and other ingredients—just make sure to deep-fry them first for that dry, aromatic flavor and crispy texture. It takes a bit of effort, but the taste is absolutely worth it!
Cooking Notes
Some restaurants serve Typhoon Shelter chicken wings as garlic chicken wings with an especially intense garlic flavor, which likely isn't achieved solely by marinating in garlic juice. There's a seasoning called garlic powder, a type of additive, that has a very strong garlic taste and is used in large quantities—coating the wings and marinating them for several hours does indeed make them incredibly flavorful, with an exceptionally bold garlic aroma. However, additives are harmful to health, so it's better to cook at home using healthy ingredients and seasonings.