San Tung Chicken Wings

While living in San Francisco, we often had these sweet, spicy and saucy chicken wings at San Tung restaurant and they were the best! It is one of our favourite restaurants to go to when we visit and we did attempt to go during our last visit in the spring but to our disappointment, they were closed the day we went. This recipe is based on my memory of them so I hope I do them justice. SF peeps, please let me know if I’m even close!

I’ve been using avocado oil lately, but you can substitute it with any neutral tasting, high smoking oil like vegetable, canola, grapeseed, corn or peanut oils. Generally I don’t use extra virgin olive oil for Asian cooking because it’s flavour is not neutral and it smokes more easily but go ahead and use if you want.

I have also been trying different starches to coat chicken that is going into the air fryer. I like the tapioca starch, mochiko, potato starch and sweet potato starch. I haven’t found a huge difference between them. All work well at achieving a crispy texture.

Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients

2½ pounds chicken wings
1 tablespoon avocado oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground white pepper
½ – 1 cup tapioca or potato starch
¼ cup water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cilantro, roughly chopped

For the sauce
1 tablespoon avocado oil
½ ounce ginger, bruised
3 dried red chilis, seeds removed
6 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup honey
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
¼ cup sugar

Instructions

1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine chicken wings, oil, salt and ground white pepper.

Air Fryer

1. Preheat the air fryer for a couple of minutes at 400°F.
2. In a large resealable bag, add ½ cup potato starch and several chicken wings and give the bag a shake ensuring the wings are evenly coated. Repeat for all the wings, adding more potato starch if needed.
3. Place the chicken wings in the air fryer basket without overcrowding and spray evenly with vegetable or canola oil.
4. Cook the chicken wings at 400°F for 10 minutes, give them a toss and cook for another 10 minutes. You may need to give the wings another spray of vegetable or canola oil at the halfway mark. If you want even crispier wings, cook them for another 5-10 minutes. Remove and set aside. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to cook them in multiple batches.
5. Meanwhile, in a wok or large frying pan, on medium/low heat, add oil ginger and chilis. Stir fry for 1 minute. Remove and discard ginger. Add garlic and stir fry for another 30 seconds, until fragrant.
6. Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey and sugar and heat through. In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in water and stir the slurry into the sauce. Heat through until the sauce thickens and turns glossy.
7. Add the chicken wings, tossing them quickly. 
8. Serve on a platter and garnish with cilantro.

Oven

1. Preheat broiler. Line a sheet pan with foil, spray with vegetable or canola oil.
2. In a large resealable bag, add ½ cup potato starch and several chicken wings. Give the bag a shake ensuring the wings are evenly coated and place the wings flat side down on the sheet pan. Repeat for all the wings, adding more potato starch if needed. Spray evenly with vegetable or canola oil.
3. Place the wings three inches from the broiler. Cook for 8 minutes. Flip and cook for another 6-8 minutes. 
4. Meanwhile, in a wok or large frying pan, on medium/low heat, add oil ginger and chilis. Stir fry for 1 minute. Remove and discard ginger. Add garlic and stir fry for another 30 seconds, until fragrant.
5. Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey and sugar and heat through. In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in water and stir the slurry into the sauce. Heat through until the sauce thickens and turns glossy.
6. Add the chicken wings, tossing them quickly. 
7. Serve on a platter and garnish with cilantro.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

San Tung Chicken Wings

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine: Asian, Chinese

Keyword: chicken, wings

Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

• 2½ pounds chicken wings
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
• ½ – 1 cup potato starch
• ¼ cup water
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon cilantro roughly chopped

For the sauce

• 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• ½ ounce ginger bruised
• 3 dried red chilis seeds removed
• 6 cloves garlic minced
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup honey
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar

Instructions

• In a medium mixing bowl, combine chicken wings, 1 tablespoon oil, salt and ground white pepper.

Air Fryer

• Preheat the air fryer for a couple of minutes at 400°F.
• In a large resealable bag, add ½ cup potato starch and several chicken wings and give the bag a shake ensuring the wings are evenly coated. Repeat for all the wings, adding more potato starch if needed.
• Place the chicken wings in the air fryer basket without overcrowding and spray evenly with vegetable or canola oil.
• Cook the chicken wings at 400°F for 10 minutes, give them a toss and cook for another 10 minutes. You may need to give the wings another spray of vegetable or canola oil at the halfway mark. If you want even crispier wings, cook them for another 5-10 minutes. Remove and set aside. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to cook them in multiple batches.
• Meanwhile, in a wok or large frying pan, on medium/low heat, add oil ginger and chilis. Stir fry for 1 minute. Remove and discard ginger. Add garlic and stir fry for another 30 seconds, until fragrant.
• Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey and sugar and heat through. In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in water and stir the slurry into the sauce. Heat through until the sauce thickens and turns glossy.
• Add the chicken wings, tossing them quickly.
• Serve on a platter and garnish with cilantro.

Oven

• Preheat broiler. Line a sheet pan with foil, spray with vegetable or canola oil.
• In a large resealable bag, add ½ cup potato starch and several chicken wings. Give the bag a shake ensuring the wings are evenly coated and place the wings flat side down on the sheet pan. Repeat for all the wings, adding more potato starch if needed. Spray evenly with vegetable or canola oil.
• Place the wings three inches from the broiler. Cook for 8 minutes. Flip and cook for another 6-8 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a wok or large frying pan, on medium/low heat, add oil ginger and chilis. Stir fry for 1 minute. Remove and discard ginger. Add garlic and stir fry for another 30 seconds, until fragrant.
• Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey and sugar and heat through. In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in water and stir the slurry into the sauce. Heat through until the sauce thickens and turns glossy.
• Add the chicken wings, tossing them quickly.
• Serve on a platter and garnish with cilantro.