Asian BBQ Chicken Wings
By Ming Tsai

If you’re like most people, your first encounter with hoisin sauce involved the Chinese dish mu shu pork, in which the sauce serves as a dipper for meat- enclosed pancakes. Today I bring you the flavor of hoisin along with one of my favorite finger foods- WINGS.

Serves 4

Ingredients
2 red onions, rough chopped
2 cups whole San Marzano tomatoes (canned or super ripe)
1 tablespoon sambal
1 cup hoisin sauce
1 cup naturally brewed rice vinegar
3 pounds chicken wings, washed, dried
Canola oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Jicama sticks, for serving

Directions
In a sauce pan coated lightly with oil over medium-high heat, saute onions for about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, sambal, hoisin and naturally brewed rice vinegar. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes. Add kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Using an immersion blender, buzz sauce and check seasoning. Season wings with salt and toss wings in sauce. Marinate as long as you can, up to 24 hours, ideally.
Preheat oven to 475 degrees standard or 450 degrees convection.

Line a rimmed sheet pan with foil and place wings in a single layer in pan. Bake wings for 10-12 minutes or until cooked through and crispy. You could also grill these wings. Serve with jicama sticks.

Drink pairing
Rocca delle Macie Chianti Classico
—Chianti Classico DOCG, Tuscany, Italy

Taste: Rich, well-structured, berry fruit flavors, pairs exceptionally with the Turkey-Tomato Loaf and Michela Larsen’s Hoisin-Glazed Salmon with Heirloom Tomato Salad.

Aroma: Intense, mature fruit aromas

—Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Guarantita, or “controlled and guaranteed designation of origin,” an Italian wine classification for wines with more strict regulations than DOCs, including a specific bottle size, lower allowed yield, required tasting checks and in-depth chemical analyses.

—95% Sangiovese, 5% Merlot

—Produced with grapes from estates situated in the heart of the historical zone of Chianti Classico



Ming Tsai is the host and executive producer of public television series Simply Ming.