Spicy Cumin Wings Recipe

By
Joshua Bousel
a photo of Joshua Bousel, a Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Joshua Bousel
Joshua Bousel is a Serious Eats old-timer, having started sharing his passion for grilling and barbecue recipes on the site back in 2008. He continues to develop grilling and barbecue recipes on his own site, The Meatwave, out of his home base of Durham, North Carolina.
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Updated Aug. 29, 2018
20140122-280849-cumin-wings.jpg
Joshua Bousel

Earthy cumin coats whole wings that are grilled and then brushed with a spicy soy glaze to create a multi-layered, uniquely flavored wing.

Recipe Details

Spicy Cumin Wings Recipe

Active 30 mins
Total 9 hrs
Serves 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

For the Chicken:

  • 2 tablespoons ground cumin

  • 1 tablespoon baking powder

  • 2 teaspoons ground Szechuan peppercorns

  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt

  • 3 pounds chicken wings

For the Sauce:

  • 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

  • 1 tablespoon freshly minced garlic, about 3 medium cloves

  • 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

  • 1/2 cup soy sauce

  • 1/4 cup dry sherry

  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar

  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Directions

  1. For the chicken: In a small bowl, mix together cumin, baking powder, ground szechuan peppercorns, and salt. Pat chicken wings dry with paper towels. Place wings in a large bowl and sprinkle with cumin mixture, tossing to coat evenly. Arrange wings in a single layer on wire rack placed over a baking sheet. Refrigerate uncovered for at least 8 hours.

  2. To make the sauce: Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add in garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in soy sauce, sherry, vinegar, and sesame oil. Bring to a boil and let simmer until sauce has thickened into a thin glaze, about 10 minutes. Set sauce aside.

  3. Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and arrange the coals on one side of the charcoal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate. Place wings, skin side up, over cool side of grill, cover, and cook until skins are crisp and are starting to brown, about 40 minutes. If wings have not browned, transfer to hot side of grill and cook until browned, 30-60 seconds per side; move wings back to cool side of grill. Brush wings all over with glaze. Transfer wings to a platter and serve immediately.

Special Equipment

Grill

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
372 Calories
24g Fat
5g Carbs
34g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 372
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 24g 30%
Saturated Fat 6g 28%
Cholesterol 124mg 41%
Sodium 1984mg 86%
Total Carbohydrate 5g 2%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 34g
Vitamin C 2mg 8%
Calcium 187mg 14%
Iron 4mg 23%
Potassium 432mg 9%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)