Miss Hays Stuffed Chicken Wings
New Orleans is home to a vibrant Vietnamese community that has always played a big role in the shrimping and seafood industry here. These Vietnamese-style wings are a mainstay dish that’s on the menu at my restaurant NOLA – named after Miss Hay, one of my long-time cooks who has worked with me for over 19 years. She comes in early and makes these from scratch every morning – she’s the only one who’s allowed to make them! Miss Hay’s Stuffed Chicken Wings will always be a guest favorite.
Ingredients
- Green Onions - 1/4 cups, chopped
- Celery hearts - 1/4 cup, finely chopped
- Sugar - 2 tablespoons
- Shrimp - 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon, finely chopped, raw
- White Onion - 2 cups, finely chopped
- Cilantro - 1/4 cup, finely chopped fresh
- Wood Ear Black Mushrooms - 2 oz, chopped
- Ground Pork - 1 pound
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Fish sauce - To taste
- Chicken Wings - 12-18
- Flour - 1 1/2 cups
- Emeril’s Original Essence - 3 tablespoons (alt. Creole Seasoning), as needed
- Lettuce - Thinly sliced, for serving
- Roasted Peanuts - 1/4 cup, chopped
- Parsley - 2 tablespoons, finely chopped
- Hoisin Dipping Sauce - (for serving), recipe follows
- EMERIL’S CREOLE SEASONING
- Paprika - 2 1/2 tablespoons
- Salt - 2 tablespoons
- Garlic powder - 2 tablespoons
- Black Pepper - 1 tablespoon
- Onion Powder - 1 tablespoon
- Cayenne Pepper - 1 tablespoon
- Dried Oregano - 1 tablespoon
- Dried Thyme - 1 tablespoon
- HOISIN DIPPING SAUCE
- Jalapeno - 1 large, seeded and finely chopped
- Sugar - ¾ cups
- Hoisin sauce - 2 cups
- Water - 1 cup
- Lime - Juice of one small lime
- Garlic - 1 tablespoon, minced
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325 ºF.
In a mixing bowl, combine the green onions, celery, sugar, shrimp, white onions, cilantro, mushrooms and pork. Mix thoroughly. Season with salt, pepper, and fish sauce and set aside in the refrigerator until ready to stuff the wings.
Before stuffing the wings, you will need to remove the bones from the first two sections of the wing, leaving the tip end attached. Working with the first section, slide the knife along the underside of the skin to separate the skin from the meat all the way to the first joint, keeping the skin intact. Using the blunt side of your knife, scrape the meat away from the bone until you expose the joint of the next wing section. Cut through the joint to remove the large bone. Continue in the same manner to remove the two small bones in the next section. The end tip will remain on your boneless wing.
Once the bones have been removed, season each chicken wing inside and out with Creole seasoning. Roll back the skin, and cup the edges of the skin to begin stuffing the forcemeat into the cavity. Stuff the entire cavity and fold the leftover meat and skin over the top to “close” the wing. Place the wings on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the wings from the oven and cool completely.
Season the flour with Creole seasoning. Dredge the wings in seasoned flour.
Preheat the fryer to 350° F.
Fry the wing in batches by carefully laying several wings in the hot oil and fry 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Remove and drain on a paper towels. Season with Creole seasoning. Arrange the wings on top of the lettuce and drizzle with Hoisin Dipping Sauce. Garnish with chopped peanuts and parsley.
Serve warm.
EMERIL’S CREOLE SEASONING
Combine all ingredients thoroughly.
Makes 2/3 cup
HOISIN DIPPING SAUCE
In a food processor, puree the jalapenos with the sugar. Add the hoisin sauce, water, and lime juice. Add the minced garlic. Puree until fully incorporated. Transfer to a container and allow the sauce to sit for at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally to allow the sugar to dissolve. Serve with Mrs. Hays Stuffed Chicken Wings. Sauce can be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
