Cook’s notes
It is, as you may have guessed, inspired by two chicken dishes that I thought were Chinese when, in fact, they were both “invented” in America. I am, of course, referring to orange chicken and lemon chicken.
Why combine the two dishes? Curiosity. While lemon chicken has a pronounced tang and the sauce can be on the tart side if the amount of sugar is reduced, orange chicken is decidedly sweet. I like the sweetness of orange but when used as the base of a sauce, it can get cloying. By using only the zest and not the juice in making the glaze, we get the sweet orange-y aroma and flavor without added sweetness.
Chicken wings
If you’re wondering why you’re seeing only the drumettes, it’s because I find it easier to separate them from the flat portion of the wings popularly called “wingettes” (more about chicken parts). The drumettes go into one dish while the wingettes go into another. Not always, but more often than not. Why? Because the drumettes with thicker meat require a longer cooking time. If I drump both the drumettes and wingettes into the hot oil, the wingettes will cook faster and they have to be fished out earlier. It’s extra work, really, while cooking the drumettes without the wingettes means all the pieces will cook at the same time, and I can just scoop them all out with a kitchen spider.Lemon-orange glaze
The glaze is melted sugar and lemon juice. They are boiled together until syrupy. It takes anywhere from five to 10 minutes depending on the thickness of the bottom of the pan the you use. Note: Please use a thick-bottomed pan so that the sugar doesn’t start burning just after melting. The flavor and aroma are supplied by lemon zest and orange zest. There is no orange juice in the glaze to avoid making it too sweet. The grated garlic is added off the heat so that the flavor doesn’t get overpowered by the zests during cooking.Garnish
The fried garlic and scallions are optional, really, but highly recommended. For instructions on making homemade fried garlic, and details about scallions, see:Fried chicken wings with lemon-orange glaze
Ingredients
Chicken
- 750 grams chicken wings (about 1.6 pounds)
- salt
- pepper
Lemon-orange glaze
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ½ cup white sugar
- ¼ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- ¼ teaspoon finely grated orange zest
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon finely grated garlic
- 1 pinch turmeric powder
To fry
- 3 tablespoons potato starch
- cooking oil for deep frying
Garnish
- crispy fried garlic
- finely sliced scallions
Instructions
Marinate the chicken
- Rinse the chicken and press with a kitchen towel to remove surface moisture.
- Place the chicken in a bowl, add the salt and pepper, and toss well. Set aside.
Cook the glaze
- In a sauce pan over medium heat, boil the lemon juice, sugar, salt and zests until the sugar is melted and the mixture has thickened.
- Stir in the garlic and turmeric.
- Set aside to cool and thicken some more.
Fry the chicken
- In a pan, heat enough cooking oil to reach a depth of about two inches.
- Toss the chicken with the potato starch making sure that every inch of the surface of every piece is dusted.
- Over medium heat (310F to 325F), fry the chicken until a pale crust forms on the surface.
- Drain the chicken on a rack or wire strainer.
- Turn up the heat to high (350F to 375F) and fry the chicken a second time until the crust turns a shade or two darker.
Glaze and serve
- Place the twice-fried chicken in a mixing bowl, drizzle in the cooled glaze and toss to coat each piece evenly.
- Transfer the fried chicken to a serving plate. Pour any sauce remaining in the bowl over them.
- Garnish with fried garlic and sliced scallions.
Pork adobo with lechon sauce
