Thai street food is some of my absolute favorite food in the world. The complex flavors and striking a balance of sweet, salty, sour and spicy are the true hallmarks of this cuisine.
Here is great take on the hot wing just in time for New Year’s Day parades and bowl games! The wings are marinated in an aromatic mixture of lemongrass, ginger, garlic, lime and, of course, chilies! I recommend marinating the wings overnight for maximum flavor that way they’re ready for grilling whenever you are.
The hot sauce is one I came back from Thailand with and the sweet and sour minty hotness compliments the richness of the wings. Both the marinade and the sauce couldn’t be easier – just add it all to a blender or food processor and blitz until smooth.
I used Thai Bird chilies… you know, the little HOT suckers…. in both the marinade and the mint hot sauce. Depending on your particular heat tolerance, you could add 1 to 4 chilies, each one sounding it’s own alarm. You can substitute the bird chilies for any other fresh chile with which you may be more comfortable.
For recipe purposes, I added 2 chilies to both the marinade and the sauce to give a nice little burn, but not so overwhelming that you can’t taste or eat them. You could adjust the heat scale by adding only one to the marinade for the heat-phobic and maybe more than 2 to the hot sauce to crank up the heat for those that want it.
- 4 pounds chicken wings, separated if desired
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, for grilling
- For the marinade:
- ¼ cup trimmed and sliced lemongrass (soft white potion only), about 2 large stalks
- ¼ cup minced shallots
- 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 bird chilies, chopped (seeded if desired)
- Grated zest and juice from 1 lime
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- For the hot sauce:
- ½ cup fresh mint leaves
- 3 cloves fresh garlic
- 2 bird chilies, chopped (seeded if desired)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup rice vinegar
- ⅓ cup water
- Separate the wings at the joints; discard the thin outer piece or save for making stock. Place wings in a large resealable bag. Add marinade ingredients to the bowl of a blender or food processor and blitz until smooth. Pour marinade into bag with the wings and massage to coat the wings. Seal the bag and marinate for at least 2 hours and up to overnight in the refrigerator.
- Add the sauce ingredients and blitz until smooth. Pour sauce into a small saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes; set aside until ready to grill. If using honey prepare just before grilling the wings and do not cook the sauce. The sauce is best used the same day.
- Set up your grill for direct cooking over medium-high heat. Make sure your grates are cleaned and oiled before you start cooking. Remove chicken from the marinade and discard the marinade. Blot the chicken with paper towels and season liberally with kosher salt and black pepper.
- Grill for 5 minutes and then flip and cook 5 more minutes. Repeat every couple minutes until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink at the bone. Total cooking time will be about 15 to 20 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature with mint hot sauce.
Cheers and Happy Grilling!
~Jeff
