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Spicy Fried Wings

Spicy fried chicken wings coated in a seasoned cornmeal batter and deep‑fried.

From the Wikibooks Cookbook · 10 ingredients
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Why it works: Pepper and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,047 recipes. Both carry trans-2-nonenal, which smells cardboard, fatty. The science ↓

Spicy Fried Wings

Time11–12 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Season and chill

  1. Combine all seasonings except lemon zest and sprinkle over chicken.

  2. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Coat the wings

  1. Combine egg and lemon zest in a pie plate.

  2. Place cornmeal in another pie plate.

  3. Dip chicken into egg mixture.

  4. Dredge chicken in cornmeal.

Fry and serve

  1. Heat oil to 350°F.

  2. Fry in batches for 11–12 minutes.

  3. Drain on a rack. Do not use paper towels unless you want greasy chicken.

  4. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes for hotter wings, optional.

  5. Serve.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

388Calories
38 gProtein
23 gFat
7 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Chicken100g cooked165
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Lemonjuice of 1 lemon (48ml)12
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Wikibooks Cookbook.

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Pepper + lemontop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together27,047 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

  2. Chicken + lemontop 16% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,092 recipes

    Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).

  3. Chicken + peppertop 16% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together19,958 recipes

    Shared aroma: piperonal (bitter, coconut).

  4. Lemon + eggtop 19% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together44,316 recipes

    Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).

  5. Chicken + eggtop 30% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together8,991 recipes

    Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).

Lemon and egg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 44,316 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Chicken wings
Provide the main protein and, with the coating, the crisp frying surface.
Egg
Acts as a binder so the cornmeal coating adheres to the chicken.
Cornmeal
Forms a crisp, browned coating when fried.
Cayenne pepper
Adds heat to the seasoning rub.
Smoked paprika
Adds smoky aroma and reddish color to the seasoning.

The step that matters

Fry in batches. Crowding the pot drops the oil temperature, so the coating absorbs oil and turns soggy instead of crisp. Frying in small batches keeps the oil near 350°F for a crisp, cooked result.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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