Spicy Sriracha Wings With Cucumber Sour Cream

Recipe from Taku restaurant

Adapted by Jill Santopietro

Updated Jan. 27, 2020

Spicy Sriracha Wings With Cucumber Sour Cream
Tony Cenicola/The New York Times; Food Stylist: Adam Shepard.
Total Time
45 minutes, plus overnight refrigeration
Rating
4(63)
Comments
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Everyone knows that the best chicken wings have crisp skin and tender meat, but achieving that perfect balance can be a challenge. In this recipe, which is adapted from Taku, a Japanese restaurant in Brooklyn, the uncooked wings are brined overnight in a combination of yuzu juice and salt, then fried for a good 15 minutes. The result? Surprisingly crisp skin and juicy, flavorful meat. Once fried, they're tossed with a spicy sambal-Sriracha sauce, then served with a cooling cucumber-sour cream dip alongside. —Jill Santopietro

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • ½cup yuzu juice (see Tip)
  • ½cup kosher salt, plus more as needed
  • 2tablespoons sugar
  • 18chicken wings, about 3 * pounds, wing tips removed, each wing cut in half
  • 6½tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ¼cup sambal
  • ¼cup Sriracha hot sauce
  • 1tablespoon rice-wine vinegar
  • ½English cucumber, quartered lengthwise and seeded
  • 14-inch piece ginger
  • 1cup sour cream
  • 1quart vegetable oil
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

1811 calories; 187 grams fat; 26 grams saturated fat; 2 grams trans fat; 121 grams monounsaturated fat; 30 grams polyunsaturated fat; 11 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 26 grams protein; 1173 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the brine by combining the yuzu juice, ½ cup salt, sugar and 2 quarts water in a container large enough to hold the wings. Stir until the salt and sugar dissolve. Add the wings and refrigerate overnight. Rinse well and pat dry.

  2. Step 2

    In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the butter, sambal, Sriracha and vinegar. Simmer for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a blender and purée until smooth.

  3. Step 3

    Cut the cucumber crosswise into ¼-inch-thick pieces. Sprinkle them lightly with salt and let them sit for 10 minutes. Pat dry with a towel. Grate the ginger over a towel or cheesecloth and squeeze out 2 tablespoons juice into a bowl. Add ½ teaspoon salt to the juice, then combine with the sour cream and cucumber. Season to taste.

  4. Step 4

    Pour 2 inches of oil in a 10-by-4-inch pot and place over high heat. When the oil reaches 375 degrees, fry the chicken wings in batches. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until nicely browned. Transfer wings to a bowl. Toss with hot sauce. Serve with cucumber cream.

Tip
  • If yuzu juice is unavailable, use 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice and 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus the zest from 1 lemon and 1 lime.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
63 user ratings
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Comments

Thomas

Fantastic flavors. I chose to bake the wings though using a method from Cook's Illustrated. After drying the wings from the brine, I tossed them with about 1.5 T of baking powder, and put them on a rack on a baking sheet. I popped them onto the lower shelf in an oven preheated to 250F for 30 minutes. Then I put the sheet on the upper shelf of the oven and raised the temperature to 400F for another 40 minutes (rotating the pan once). The skin was crisp and was great with the sauce.

Steve C

Less salt in brine... too salty.

Pindie

Can one cook thighs the same way? Just curious whether it would work with the spicy sauce?

Thomas

Fantastic flavors. I chose to bake the wings though using a method from Cook's Illustrated. After drying the wings from the brine, I tossed them with about 1.5 T of baking powder, and put them on a rack on a baking sheet. I popped them onto the lower shelf in an oven preheated to 250F for 30 minutes. Then I put the sheet on the upper shelf of the oven and raised the temperature to 400F for another 40 minutes (rotating the pan once). The skin was crisp and was great with the sauce.

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Credits

Adapted from Taku restaurant in Brooklyn

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