The best Vietnamese chicken wings

A nice photo posted on Instagram sparked a recipe request from a fellow 'Grammer... Here it is: sticky, juicy, flavourful Vietnamese chicken wings - bookmark it now for dinner this week!

The recipe is one of Pete Evans', from his The Paleo Way website. Argh, yes... I've gone semi-paleo for a little while (summer bodies are made in winter, blah blah). To be honest, the paleo lifestyle is more or less what I aspire to: it's a lifestyle of good, healthy, organic food with no nasties, and the recipes for the most part, are d'lish! It's the no sugar and no grains that I am finding challenging. I digress, this is not a post about going paleo! 

The ingredients as per the official recipe are paleo but I'll include the more conventional alternatives. 

Knock up a tray-full for dinner or as a popular 'bring a plate'. Don't skimp on the herbs as they really lift the dish. Enjoy!

Vietnamese Chicken Wings

Adapted from Pete Evans' recipe

Ingredients

2 tablespoons wheat free coconut aminos / soya sauce
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil / other light flavoured oil like rice bran oil
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup / brown sugar
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 spring onions, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
1/2 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
12 chicken wings
small handful of coriander leaves
small handful of Vietnamese mint / ordinary mint
small handful of Vietnamese basil / ordinary basil

For the fried shallots and chillies 

250 ml melted coconut oil / other neutral flavoured oil like rice bran oil
4 shallots, finely sliced
2 long red chillies, finely sliced

Method

1. Combine the first 8 ingredients - whisk in a bowl or shake it all together in a jar
2. Add the chicken wings and coat them well with the marinade. Put into a covered bowl or container and refrigerate for at least an hour, ideally overnight
3. Heat oven to 200°C. Transfer the wings to a baking tray, lay them out in a single layer and cook for 20-30 mins, turning once, until cooked and brown
4. To make the fried shallots and chillies, heat the oil in a small pan and fry the shallots and chillies separately for a few minutes until crisp. The oil can be cooled and used in your cooking over the next few days - the oil will have a d'lish chilli/shallot flavour... yum! 
5. Serve with plenty of herbs, shallots and chillies sprinkled on top.