Korean Fried Chicken Wings

Makes about 2 dozen wings

For the brine (optional)
1 lemon, washed and halved
4 1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, unpeeled and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons honey
4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1/4 cup fine sea salt
8 cups water

For the chicken
3 lbs chicken wings
5 cloves garlic, peeled
1 ½-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons gochujang (Korean chili paste, see Recipe Notes)
1 ½ tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey
Canola or peanut oil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 1/3 cups water

Make the optional brine: In a large pot, mix all the brine ingredients. Bring to a boil. Boil for one minute, stirring to dissolve the salt. Remove from the heat, pour into a covered container and refrigerate until cool.

Prep the chicken wings by cutting them apart at the joints. Discard the tips (or save for chicken stock). If brining, place the chicken in a large container and cover with cooled brine. Let sit in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours.

Make the sauce: In a mini food chopper or by hand, finely mince the ginger and garlic. Put the ginger, garlic and remaining sauce ingredients in a small pot. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly thickened. Set aside.

In a large, deep pot, pour oil to a depth of two inches and heat to 350°F. Set one or two cooling racks over a large baking sheet and keep near the pot.

Mix the flour and cornstarch in a medium bowl. If chicken was not brined, add a large pinch of salt and few grinds of pepper to the mixture. Add the water and whisk until smooth. Working in batches, dip chicken in batter. Fry until golden, about 5-7 minutes. Remove chicken pieces to a rack over the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken pieces, adjusting the oil temperature to maintain a steady 350°F. Fry chicken a second time until a deep reddish-brown, about 4-6 minutes. Let chicken rest a few minutes, until cool enough to handle. With a small spoon or brush, spread about 2 teaspoons of sauce over each piece of chicken. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Recipe Notes:
• Gochujang is Korean fermented chili paste. It cannot be substituted for in this recipe, so look for it in Asian markets or buy it online. (You can purchase it on Amazon here.)

• You can vary the level of heat in the wings by using more or less gochujang while making the sauce.

• You can use either whole chicken wings or drummettes for this recipe. Whole wings require a little more work since they need to be cut into pieces, but I prefer their skin-to-meat ratio. Drummettes are meatier, but less crisp.