Wingstickers (Teba Gyoza)

手羽先餃子

Wingsticker (noun): The unabashedly gluttonous lovechild of a chicken wing and a potsticker.

Ingredients

WINGS

  • 8 chicken wings with tips

  • 8 toothpicks

  • 1/4 cup toasted sesame oil

  • 1/2 lemon

  • 1 scallion, green part only, thinly sliced

DUMPLING FILLING

  • 4 oz (114g) fatty minced pork

  • 4 oz (114g) Chinese chives

  • 1 garlic clove

  • 2 inches (1/2oz) ginger

  • 1 tsp soy sauce

  • 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

  • 1/4 tsp tsp white pepper

  • 1 tbsp katakuriko (potato starch) or cornstarch

  • 1/4 tsp salt

  • 1 tsp sugar

TARE (SAUCE)

  • 1/4 cup soy sauce

  • 1/4 cup mirin

  • 2 tbsp sake

  • 2 tbsp water

  • 1 scallion, chopped

  • 1 inch (1/4 oz) ginger, smashed

  1. Mix all the ingredients for the dumpling filling in a bowl and set aside.

  2. Combine the tare ingredients in a saucepan and simmer until reduced slightly. Strain and set aside to cool.

  3. To prep the chicken wings for stuffing, separate the drumettes from the remainder of the wings with a chef’s knife, leaving the wing tips attached. Reserve the drumettes for another use. 

  4. Using kitchen shears, snip between the two wing bones to separate them. Carefully cut each bone away from the surrounding meat, inverting the skin as you go, until you can snip them off at the bottom. Once the bones are removed, the skin should form a pocket that can be stuffed with filling. (Don’t worry if you accidentally pierce the skin a bit–it won’t be as pretty, but the dish will still work!)

  5. Stuff each wing with filling, then use a toothpick to secure the opening. It won’t be entirely closed, but the toothpick will help keep the filling in place while you fry the wings.

  6. Fill a 10” cast-iron pan with 1/4″ oil. Heat over medium until sizzling, then add four chicken wings and fry for 4-5 minutes, brushing with tare occasionally. Flip and repeat on the other side. The wings are done when the skin is golden brown and the filling is cooked through (if you have an instant-read thermometer, aim for a minimum temperature of 165°F / 75°C). Drain briefly on paper towels, then transfer to a 200°F / 95°C oven or tent with tinfoil to keep the first batch warm. Repeat with the remaining four chicken wings.

  7. Garnish with lemon juice and sliced scallions and serve immediately.

Grace Kwan © 2020