“Japanese-style chicken wings” is a must-try dish if you looking for something different flavor.
Speaking of Japanese-style chicken wings, there are two kinds, one is simply salt and spicy black pepper seasoning, and another is the “Nagoya-style”, which is coated with sweet and spicy Teriyaki-based sauce.
Although wings will be glazed with teriyaki sauce to finish, they are still crispy just because of “double-fried”.
Today, I am going to tell you Nagoya style Chicken wings here!
Jump to RecipeWhat’s Nagoya-style Chicken Wings?
What’s Nagoya?
Nagoya is the 4th largest city in Japan that located in the center of the main island.
The city is famous for heavy industry and manufacturers business related with Toyota company mostly.
Although one of the cosmopolitan in Japan, the city is often overlooked by overseas tourists.
However, there are attractive attractions such as Nagoya Aquarium where you can see spectacular exciting dolphin shows and unique killer whales training shows. Moreover, we can’t wait for Ghibli park to open in 2022.
Nagoyameshi
The top foodie city in Japan is Osaka.
BUT! Nagoya is popular because of its unique local cuisine called Nagoyameshi.
“Nagoya-style chicken wings” are one of them and many foodies visit Nagoya because of them.
What You Need For Nagoya-Style Chicken Wings
Dredge Aesthetic For Deep-fried Food
As the worldwide common sense, deep-fried food is a popular super classic menu, and Japan is no exception- from the side dish of the Bento lunch box to the snacks.
Speaking of Japanese fried chicken and wings, as well as the important juiciness, the crispness of the batter is also an important point.
Basically, wheat flour (Japanese wheat flour is more like cake flour rather than all-purpose flour) is used but also we use potato starch or rice flour to give crispy easily.
Only Wheat Flour Coating
In the case of only the wheat flour in the basic, the flour adheres firmly to the surface of the chicken and, the juice is kept inside even after frying, giving an overall tender and juicy finish.
Only Potato Starch Coating
The fried only with potato starch is crispy. If you want to enjoy a crispy texture, it is recommended to use potato starch rather than wheat flour.
However, the crispy texture is lost and it becomes moist as time goes.
Mix Wheat Flour & Potato Starch
By adding potato starch to the wheat flour, you can add crispily to wings than the wheat flour only.
The juice is also kept enough inside, so the fried chicken has a very good balance of crispy and juicy finish. Freshly fried, you can enjoy a crispy and pleasant texture.
Mix the wheat flour and potato starch evenly. You can also use corn starch that you can get easily.
If you care about gluten contains, use rice flour instead of potato starch. Besides, rice flour gives food a slightly toasty flavor like rice crackers.
The Glaze For Nagoya-style Chicken Wings
To make ordinary chicken wings Nagoya-style, must need the glaze to finish deep-fried chicken wings.
You can make it at the same time, but Teriyaki sauce can also be used for this recipe.
If you want to make authentic Nagoya-style chicken wings, it’s better not to use American Teriyaki sauce.
Optional Nanami Chili Pepper
“Nanami chili pepper”(七味とうがらし) is one of the popular condiment in Japan.
We call it “Shichimi chili pepper” in Japanese, but the name changed to “Nanami” overseas.
Literary, Nanami (Shichimi) refers to seven (nana) kinds of flavors mixed in a bottle, and one contains only chili pepper flakes is called “Ichimi” which meant one taste.
What compose seven flavors in a bottle are,
- coarsely ground red chili pepper
- ground sanshō (“Japanese pepper”)
- orange peel
- sesame seed
- *hemp seed
- ground ginger
- Nori (seaweed)
It is commonly used for adding flavor to food such as Udon noodles, Yakitori ( Japanse style skewered chicken )
Some authentic “Nanami Togarashi” such as “Zenkouji Togarashi” is kicking hot, but this “S&B” Shichimi Togarashi is mildly hot.
It’s a kind of addictive flavor.
I often use this a lot for marinating meat when we want to change the taste.
Nagoya-Style Chicken Wings Recipe
Japanese (Nagoya) Style Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 4 lb Chicken wings Tops removed, flats & drumettes separated
- 1/2 cup Sake or White wine
- 2 cloves Garlic Grated
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Nanami Chili pepper *optional
For Frying
- 1/2 cup All-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup potato or corn starch
- Canola oil
Sauce
- 1/2 cup Soy Sauce
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 1/3 cup Sake or White wine
- 1/3 cup Honey
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
- Marinade chicken wings with 1/2 cup sake (white wine) and ground fresh black pepper for 10 minutes
- Take out chicken wings to the baking pan or a plate, use a paper towel to remove excess moisture from the surface
- Season Chicken wings with Kosher salt, black pepper, and ground garlic. (and Nanami Chili pepper if liked.)
- Make a sauce. Take out a saucepan, add all ingredients for sauce except for sesame seeds.
- Heat the sauce. Turn off the stove immediately once sugar begins to melt. Do not heat it for a long time.
- Start heating oil in a fryer or pan to 320 F.
- Meanwhile, cover chicken wings with flour and potato (corn) starch until they are evenly coated.
- When the oil is ready, shake off the excess flour, and deep fry chicken wings for 4-5 min each side. Take them out from the pan. (the color is still white or light brown )
- When all the wings will be cooked, reheat the oil to 350F, double-fry wings until they begin to turn brown for about 3 min.
- Get back to the sauce. Reheat the sauce carefully not to be burned. If needed reduce it down to 50-60 % of the original amount. (be aware to get too thick)
- Use the same pan or transfer to another bowl to coat wings with the sauce.
- Toss freshly ground black pepper again to make it more authentic. Toss sesame seeds to complete.
Notes
Last Thoughts
This is my favorite chicken wings.
Sweet and spicy with double black pepper. It’s so tasty without any explanation. The pile of chicken wings on the table will be gone quickly. It’s a hassle, but double-frying can bring crispy and juicy wings.
Don’t hesitate to use lots of black pepper to make it close to Nagoya-style!
The Classic Tender & Fluffy Grilled Chicken Wings
When you have done mastering Japanese-style chicken wings, don’t you like to try the different chicken wing dish?
These classic sweet and spicy chicken wings are not crispy but super tender, juicy, and addictive.