Adapted from a recipe called Vietnamese Golden Chicken Wings, by Nelson Huynh on . Serves 4 to 6.
Ingredients
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/4 white onion, roughly chopped
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup fish sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 tablespoons freshly ground star anise (use your mortar and pestle)
15-20 chicken wings
Directions
Place all ingredients except for 1 tablespoon of the ground star anise and the chicken wings in a gallon-size Ziploc bag and mix together. Add the chicken wings. Place bag in the refrigerator for at least an hour or as long as 12 hours.
Set up your grill for direct grilling using a two-zone fire, meaning the coals are piled up close to the grate on one side of the grill and slope down so that at the opposite side of the grill, the coals are not close to the grate. If you are using a gas grill, just preheat one burner to medium and one to medium-high.
Remove meat from marinade and brush off excess marinade. Place wings in a large baking dish, meaty sides up. Take the remaining tablespoon of ground star anise, sprinkle most of the star anise over the wings and with your fingers press it into them. Turn the wings over, sprinkle the remaining anise over the other side and press the spice into the meat.
Brush grill grate with a cooking oil (grapeseed, vegetable, canola, olive, etc.). Place wings on the hot side of the grate for about three minutes, then sear them on the other side, over the hot part of the grate, for another three minutes. Move wings to the cooler part of the grill and cook for another 10 or 15 minutes—until they are golden and crisp outside and when the meatiest part of a wing is cut to the bone, there is no pink.
Place the wings on a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve with grilled lemon slices and parsley leaves.
