Ponzu Wings Put a Japanese Spin on Chicken Wings

I think Ive said it a few times before, but fried chicken is one of my favorite foods of all time. Whether its buttermilk fried chicken, Korean fried chicken or Japanese fried chicken, theres a warm fuzzy place in my heart for each and every one.

As the name implies, Ponzu wings are the Japanese cousin of Buffalo wings. Deep fried and doused in a tangy spicy sauce that clings to each wing. Its similar to Karaage, but uses a simpler marinade with the bulk of the seasoning coming from the Ponzu, a Japanese citrus sauce. The potato starch on the outside wont stay crisp after being doused with ponzu, but it helps the chicken hold onto the tangy sauce while thickening it enough to form a dark shiny glaze.

While it may seem like a lot of work, butterflying the chicken drumlettes does a couple of things. The most obvious is that it makes them a lot easier to eat. It also makes them cook faster and more evenly since the meat is the same thickness. Lastly, whether youre marinating, breading, or coating in a sauce, butterflying the drumlettes exposes more surface area for flavor to be absorbed.

I served the wings with curls of tamed scallions. They not only make for an attractive garnish, but they also taste great with the chicken. Soaking shredded scallions (or any onion for that matter) for about 12 hours will mellow out the sharp raw onion taste. The problem is that it requires a lot of forethought for a garnish. As it turns out, soaking them in a solution of baking soda and water neutralizes the sulfur compounds, taming the onions in as little as 15 minutes.