Crispy Wasabi Chicken Wings with Yuzu Mayo
Twice-cooked chicken wings with a wasabi-potato starch crust, served with creamy yuzu mayo and spiced wasabi salt. Wings are deep-fried until golden, then finished in a warm oven to ensure crispness throughout. The yuzu mayo provides tangy richness while the wasabi salt delivers sharp heat.
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ lb chicken wings, separated into drumstick and mid-wing pieces
- 7 oz potato starch, for coating
- ⅓ oz wasabi powder, for coating mixturefresh wasabi1g powder ≈ 3g freshcondiment
more pungent and aromatic
- ⅛ oz wasabi powder, for wasabi saltfresh wasabi1g powder ≈ 3g freshcondiment
more pungent and aromatic
- ⅓ oz smoked salt, for wasabi saltfleur de sel1:1salt
loses smoky note
- 8 ½ tbsp Kewpie mayonnaise, Japanese mayonnaiseregular mayonnaise1:1condiment
neutral flavor, thicker texture
- 2 teaspoons yuzu juice, fresh or bottledlemon juice1:1citrus
sharper acidity, less floral
- oil, for deep frying
Instructions
- 1
Remove wing tips and cut remaining wing in half at the joint to create drumstick-like and mid-wing pieces.
- 2
Pour oil into wok to approximately 2 ¾" depth. Heat wok to 350°F and preheat oven to 250°F. Line baking tray with baking paper.
- 3
Mix potato starch and wasabi powder in a large bowl.
- 4
Working with 3 or 4 pieces at a time, coat wings thoroughly in the starch mixture, shake off excess, and place in hot oil.
- 5
Fry for around 8 minutes, turn wings over, and continue frying until cooked through.
- 6
Remove wings from oil, drain on kitchen towel, then transfer to prepared baking tray and place in oven to keep warm.
- 7
Repeat coating and frying with remaining wing pieces.
- 8
Mix mayonnaise and yuzu juice in a small bowl.
- 9
Mix smoked salt and wasabi powder in a small bowl.
- 10
When all wings are cooked, sprinkle with wasabi salt and serve immediately with yuzu mayo.
Tips
Keeping wings warm in a low oven prevents them from cooling and losing crispness while you finish cooking the remaining batches.
Shake off excess starch mixture before frying to avoid clumping and ensure even crisping.
Use fresh yuzu juice if available for brighter flavor, though bottled works well.
Good to Know
Leftover wings can be refrigerated for up to 2 days in an airtight container. Reheat in a 180°C oven for 5-10 minutes to restore crispness.
Prepare wing pieces and make starch mixture up to 2 hours ahead. Make yuzu mayo and wasabi salt up to 1 day ahead. Fry wings no more than 2 hours before serving.
Serve immediately after sprinkling with wasabi salt while wings are still hot and crispy. Accompany with yuzu mayo for dipping.
Common Mistakes
Do not skip the oven step—wings will lose crispness if cooled completely between batches.
Do not fry at temperatures higher than 170°C to avoid burning the starch coating before the chicken cooks through.
Do not oversaturate wings with starch mixture; excess flour prevents crisping and creates clumps.
Substitutions
neutral flavor, thicker texture
more pungent and aromatic
loses smoky note