Crispy Tandoori Masala Wings

Most people I’ve met have either heard of or tasted Tandoori Chicken. And those same people have definitely had a chicken wing, flavored in some way!

But wait till you try this new extremely crispy version of an Indian chicken wing with loads of Tandoori flavoring from freshly ground spices, and covered in the most incredible sweet, spicy and “oh-so-Indian-flavored” sauce. The wings are double cooked- first they are broiled in the oven to get a nice crispy golden-brown skin. THEN – they are dunked in a crispy batter and fried again till insanely crispy on the outside, and the chicken meat is juicy and tender inside. The result is a wing that has that perfect “crunch factor” and loads of delicious Indian flavor that you can enjoy anytime!

Check out my recipe!

CRISPY TANDOORI MASALA WINGS

Servings: 12-16 wings

Ingredients:

Tandoori Masala Wing Sauce:
- 1 cup of water
- 1 cup of honey
- ½ cup of tomato sauce
- ¼ cup of sugar
- 2 tsp. minced garlic
- 2 tsp. ginger paste
- 1 tsp. salt (add more to taste)
Tandoori Spice Mix: (Grind again into a fine powder)1 tsp. ground coriander 1 tsp. ground cumin1 tsp. turmeric powder1 tsp. garam masala powder1 tsp. ground nutmeg1 tsp. salt (add more to taste)1 tsp. cinnamon powder1 tsp. cardamom powder1 tsp. ginger powder1 tsp. garlic powder½ tsp. ground black peppercorn½ tsp. ground clove½ tsp. Kashmiri red chili powder or cayenne (add more to taste)½ tsp. paprika

Crispy Batter Preparation:
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
- 1.5 cups water

Chicken:
- 2 quarts of oil for frying (8 cups)
- 12-16 chicken wings (wingtips removed and discarded)

*NOTE: * A cooking thermometer, tongs and spider strainer is helpful in the preparation of this recipe.

VEGETARIAN OPTION: Use Cauliflower florets, Paneer, Tempeh, Seitan or any firm vegetarian/vegan ingredient.

Instructions:

In a foil lined baking sheet, place chicken wings evenly spaced apart and broil for 30-35 minutes on middle rack till golden brown. Remove from oven & set aside.
In a medium saucepan, add in water, honey, tomato sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger, salt, and all ground Tandoori Spices. Heat mixture on medium-low heat for about 10-12 minutes or until it is bubbly and thicker in consistency. You can blitz the mixture for about 30 seconds to make sure the sauce is smooth and has no large bits/pieces in it. Set aside.
In a large deep pan, add frying oil and heat to 375F. (Use thermometer if possible)
Place a wire rack on top of a baking sheet and set aside to place cooked wings after frying.
In a separate mixing bowl, add flour, cornstarch and water and whisk all together till any lumps/clumps are broken down and you have a smooth, watery flour mixture.
To fry the wings, drop 3-4 of the broiled wings into the flour slurry and when oil is hot, place wings individually into the hot oil. *With tongs, pick up and drain off any excess flour off the wing before placing into the frying pan. You want a thin layer of the flour on the wing – not too much.
With wings in the hot oil, stir occasionally to prevent the wings from sticking to the bottom. Fry for 7-10 minutes. (The temperature of the oil will decrease substantially so increase the heat to allow even cooking of the wings.)
After time, remove first batch of wings and place on wire rack to cool off while second batch is fried.
Check temperature of oil with thermometer and allow to heat back up to 375F before adding wings.
Once temperature is reached, repeat cooking Steps 6 to Step 9 for the rest of the wings, until all of them are fried.
Take ½ portion of the wing sauce and place in a large bowl to toss wings in. Using hands, toss all the wings in the sauce till they fully coated. Add in more sauce as desired. Save the rest of the sauce as a dipping sauce when serving.
Once coated, place back on wire rack for another 5 minutes for sauce to caramelize around the wings and absorb into the crispy coating. After 5 minutes, wings are ready to eat/serve.
Enjoy hot with extra tandoori masala sauce.

These wings are irresistable! You will want to make a double batch or even a triple batch once you taste them!