Have you discovered chili crisp yet? That crunchy, spicy, umami bomb of a Sichuan condiment everyone has been talking about for the last year or so? Oh my friends, let me tell you. Whoa. Get on it. It started with Laoganma’s brand, found in Asian markets, and branched out into homemade recipes and variations. I even posted a recipe in early 2019 and have made it numerous times since. Its dried chili based and spicy, but not overly so, and packed with crunchy shallots, garlic and peanuts, a ton of ginger, Sichuan peppercorns and umami rich mushroom powder and yes, msg. Let me tell you, that msg is key. I’ve tried versions without, and they are not nearly as good. They just aren’t. Embrace the msg.
Chili crisp is ridiculously addictive; I add it to everything – on top of dumplings and noodles and stirred into soup. I recently put a spoonful into a bowl of matzo ball soup for some sort of deliciously weird culinary mash up that I highly recommend. A favorite quick quarantine meal has become a bowl of spaghetti tossed with a few spoonfuls, maybe a knob of butter and perhaps some frozen shrimp I dig out of my freezer and throw into the pasta water during the last few minutes of cooking. Delicious, filling and comes together without a whole lot of effort or thought, which fits the bill frequently in these strange times.
The other day I was digging through my messy overpacked freezer and came across some chicken wings. When did I buy those? What if I baked them until crispy and tossed them in some chili crisp? That should work, right? Sort of an Asian buffalo wing type of thing? Well I am here to tell you, yes it does. It absolutely works and you should totally do this. It was also high time for a Chicken Wing Friday. It’s been a while. Welcome back old winged friend.
Though I much prefer the crispy texture of a fried wing, I’m not a big fan of frying at home. While I’ve baked some crispy wings, they’re never the same so I tried something new, a coating of baking powder I read about somewhere and was pleasantly surprised with the results. They turned out nice and crispy, the mixture drying out the skin and enhancing the crunch in just the right way. I was pretty pleased. I read that the baking powder should be aluminum free but I didn’t have that type and I didn’t notice any sort of flavor difference, so I’m not convinced it matters. I added some extra flavors to the initial rub – garlic powder, salt and pepper – and baked them until golden and crispy. They were pretty good plain, but I threw them into a bowl with a couple tablespoons of my homemade chili crisp and gave them a good toss. Delicious! I’m down to the bottom of my jar so my chili crisp was on the thick side and needed a bit of additional vegetable oil to get everything moving for a nice coating but if yours is nice and liquid, you should be fine.
STRESS THERAPY BAKING FACTOR: CRISPY SPICY GOODNESS. C’mon. They’re chicken wings. Crispy crunchy and especially spicy chicken wings are always a welcome thing. During this pandemic I’ve never felt like snacking more and if wings don’t fit that bill, well I don’t know what does. And this is just another great use of that wonderful chili crisp. I just cannot get enough of this stuff. So, fire up the oven and get on it.
Other Chicken Wing Friday posts: Kimchi Buffalo Wings, Sticky Northern Exposure Wings, Sticky Spicy Sweet Chicken Wings, Tamarind Five Spice Chicken Wings, Miso Honey Butter Chicken Wings, Green Curry Chicken Wings (It appears my chicken wing cravings have a distinct Asian bend. Huh.)
eleven years ago: Herbal Infused Simple Syrups, Corn Pudding, Fresh Tomato Pasta, Gazpacho
ten years ago: Peach Blackberry Cobbler
nine years ago: Raspberry Crème Croustilant
eight years ago: Breaking Bread with Emmanuel Hadjiandreou, Bastille Day Lunch – Figgy BBQ Sauce
seven years ago: Sunday Lunch – Pimento Cheese, Quick Cherry Tomato Pasta Sauce, Bombay Potato Wraps
six years ago: Coming Home
five years ago: Iced Tisane, Summer Corn & Tomato Salad, Stuffed Round Zucchini
four years ago: Zucchini Ricotta Galettes, Fresh Mango Coconut Tea Cake, Brazilian Coconut Quindim (Coconut Flan), Brazilian Seafood Stew (Moqueca)
three years ago: Salmon Rilettes
two years ago: Greek Salad Piadini Sandwiches
last year: Almond Summer Fruit Galette
CHILI CRISP CHICKEN WINGS
Servs 3-4 as a snack
Look for chili crisp at your local Asian market (Laoganma is a popular brand), buy it online, or try my recipe.
2 pounds chicken wings, cut into drumettes and flats
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
3-4 Tablespoons Sichuan chili crisp
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil, if needed
- Line a rimmed sheet pan with foil and set a wire rack inside.
- Pat the chicken wings dry with paper towels, removing as much moisture as possible. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the baking powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper, whisking well to combine.
- Add the dry wings to the bowl and toss to evenly coat with the spice mixture.
- Arrange the wings on the rack, leaving about 1” of space between each wing and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and preheat oven to 450°F.
- Bake for 30 minutes; flip and continue to cook until crisp and golden brown, about 20-30 minutes longer.
- Remove from the oven, place in a large bowl with the chili crisp and toss well to coat. If your chili crisp is a bit too thick and not coating the wings evenly, add a bit of vegetable oil to get it all moving. Serve hot.
STRESSCAKE 
I’ve been reading so much about chili crisp lately, I’m itching to try it. I’ve been doing baked wings a lot lately, since the parks around here where I’d normally be grilling seem to be full of people who refuse to wear the required masks.
There are two things in combination that seem to make our home baked wings crispier… a Memphis style dry rubbed wing that rests for at least six hours in the fridge, and using parchment paper on the baking tray instead of foil. Now I’ve got to get going on the chili crisp.
Chili Crisp is so good. Like stupid crazy good. Personally I think homemade is better than purchased (because of course I do) but it’s a bit of a production to make yourself. Not impossible, just time consuming. My friend buys chilis all ready to go from a spice merchant and that will save a lot of time. Give it a try!