My recipe for Indo-Chinese chicken Manchurian wings is what happens when you take an Indian-American who loves game day wings but also loves Indo-Chinese cuisine. It involves the same sweet and spicy flavors found in a chicken Manchurian dish but without the frying that is often done to get a crispy exterior. Instead, the chicken wings are baked in the oven until their skin gets golden and crispy and tossed in the spicy and sweet Manchurian sauce.
How to make Indo-Chinese Manchurian Sauce
Indo-Chinese Manchurian sauce perfectly balances sweet, heat, tang, and umami for a thick sauce that clings on and glistens to almost anything that you coat it with. Here are the ingredients in my recipe and the part each one plays in this delicious sauce…
Butter - This is the fat of choice to toast and infuse our aromatics in. You can easily swap with oil if you choose. Garlic - Garlic provides an umami richness to the sauce Fresh Ginger - Warming and peppery. It gives a brightness and depth to the dish. Fresno Chilis - This adds heat to the sauce. I like fresno chilis for their taste and medium spice level. If you want to kick it up a notch you can use thai chilis. If you want to reduce the spice level, you can reduce the amount of fresno chilis added or substitute serrano peppers. Ketchup - Gives the sauce a sweetness and tartness as well as a thick consistency Soy Sauce - Gives the sauce a rich saltiness Vinegar - Brightness up the sauce with it’s acidity. I like to use apple cider vinegar or white vinegar. Kashmiri Chili Powder - Gives an earthy heat as well as imparts its red color to the sauce Sugar - Rounds out all the flavors and gives a subtle sweetness to the sauce.
Secret to crispy oven baked chicken wings
Fried wings are great but they definitely require more active work and tend to be greasy. That is why I love oven baking my chicken wings especially if I am throwing a large party. However, there are a few tips to getting oven baked wings extra crispy. The secret to crispy oven baked chicken wings involves time, a wire rack, and baking powder. First, seasoning chicken wings and allowing them to air dry for 4-16 hours allow the excess moisture to be released from the wings leading to an extra crispy wing. The next is to have a wire rack. The wire rack allows air circulation around the chicken when it is first drying but also when it is in the oven allowing for an evenly brown chicken. The last trick for crunchy wings is baking powder. Baking powder helps break down the peptide bonds in chicken wings which helps the chicken wings brown faster!
Tips for serving wings at a party
Prep the wings the day before- The wings get extra crispy if coated in the spice rub the night before! Prep the sauce ahead of time - This sauce comes together pretty quickly but if you want to skip measuring and chopping garlic on the day of your party make it ahead. It can simply be reheated before you are ready to eat. Keep wings warm in the oven - Once the wings are cooked, you can keep them warm in the oven at 200 degrees Fahrenheit until you are ready to serve. Sauce the wings right before eating - You want to eat the wings right after being sauced for a crunchy wing. You can either sauce the wings right before you eat or serve it on the side. Serve about ¼ lb of wings per person if you have other appetizers at your party and ½ - 1 lb per person if this will be the main item at your party.
Other crowd favorite appetizers to serve
These wings are my go to when it comes to football parties. You can checkout more of those recipes for the Super Bowl here. If you like this recipe, you may also like these easy to make and tasty appetizers.
