Grilled Turmeric and Lemongrass Chicken Wings

By BobD

Cooking the wings slowly over medium-low coals and turning them often makes for crisp results; the skin will brown while the meat cooks through. Be sure to begin 1 day ahead; the chicken needs to marinate overnight for the flavors to infuse.

Ingredients

• 1 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk
• 3 shallots, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 lemongrass stalks (bottom third only, tough outer layers removed), finely chopped
• 2 jalapeños, stemmed
• 1 1" piece ginger, peeled, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons tamarind juice concentrate (not paste or pulp) or 1 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoons fish sauce (such as nuoc nam or nam pla)
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 3 pounds whole chicken wings
• Vegetable oil (for grill)
• Lime wedges

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from epicurious.com

Preparation

Step 1

Combine coconut milk, shallots, garlic,
lemongrass, jalapeños, ginger, lime
juice, tamarind juice, fish sauce, kosher
salt, turmeric, and 1 cup water in a
blender. Purée mixture until a smooth
marinade forms.

Place chicken wings in a large
baking dish. Pour marinade over; turn
wings to coat evenly. Cover chicken
and chill overnight.

Remove chicken from marinade,
shaking any excess marinade back
into dish. Transfer chicken to a large
platter. Let stand at room temperature
for 15 minutes.

Transfer marinade to a large saucepan
and bring to a boil over medium
heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and
simmer, stirring occasionally, until
marinade thickens, 10-15 minutes. Pour
half of marinade into a small bowl; set
aside for basting chicken while it grills.
Keep remaining marinade in saucepan;
cover and keep warm until ready to
serve the chicken.

Build a medium fire in a charcoal
grill, or heat a gas grill to medium-high.
Oil grill grates to prevent sticking. Grill
chicken wings, turning every 5 minutes
and basting occasionally with marinade
in small bowl, until fat is rendered and
skin is nicely charred in spots, 30-35
minutes. (The key here is to turn the
wings often so the skin doesn't burn.)

Continue cooking chicken without
basting (so it will get crisp) until wings
are cooked through, about 10 minutes
longer.

Transfer chicken to a large platter
and let it rest for 5 minutes. Squeeze
lime wedges over wings. Transfer
marinade in saucepan to a small bowl.
Serve warm marinade alongside
chicken as a dipping sauce.