Recipe
♢Seasoned Only with Salt!♢【Tender Salt-Simmered Chicken Wings】♢Mostly Hands-Off! Let Time Do the Work with Minimal Effort♢
Ingredients
- 12chicken drumettes
- 800ml water
- 2tsp salt (for finishing)
- 10gsalt (for brine)
- 10gsugar (for brine)
- 200ml water (for brine)
- 2cloves garlic
- 3–4slices ginger
- 1onion
- Boiledgreen vegetables (for color)
About "Tender Salt-Simmered Chicken Wings"
A simple yet deep dish where chicken drumettes are soaked in brine to tenderize, then simmered with garlic, ginger, and onion using only water and salt. By using a clever scum-removing hack with paper towels and foil, you can minimize effort. This hands-off cooking method yields an incredibly melt-in-your-mouth texture and a broth packed with rich chicken flavor.
Tips for Making "Tender Salt-Simmered Chicken Wings"
-
Prep
- Poking holes in the thickest parts of the chicken drumettes with the tip of a knife helps the brine penetrate, removes odors, and shortens cooking time.
-
Prep
- Soaking the chicken in a brine of 10g salt, 10g sugar, and 200 ml water for 15 minutes at room temperature tenderizes the meat and removes odors through osmotic pressure.
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Heat control
- Covering with a paper towel and aluminum foil allows the paper to absorb the scum, saving you the hassle of skimming it manually.
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Heat control
- The basic method is hands-off simmering: 30 minutes on medium-low heat, then add the onion, cover with only foil, and simmer on low for another 15 minutes.
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Seasoning
- Add 2 tsp of salt right before turning off the heat, then let it sit for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to meld into a mellow, deep taste.
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Other
- This versatile method can also be used to deliciously cook other chicken cuts, such as wings or thighs.
Ingredients for "Tender Salt-Simmered Chicken Wings"
10 items* Tap ingredient names to find on Amazon
How to Make "Tender Salt-Simmered Chicken Wings"
- 1
Poke holes in the chicken drumettes
Use the tip of a knife to poke holes into the thickest parts of the 12 chicken drumettes where heat doesn't penetrate easily. This helps the brine absorb better, shortens cooking time, and effectively removes any gamey odor.
- 2
Soak in the brine
In a bowl, mix 10g salt, 10g sugar, and 200 ml water to make the brine. Place the poked chicken drumettes in a plastic bag, pour in the brine, and gently massage to distribute it evenly. Let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- 3
Prepare the aromatics
Peel 2 cloves of garlic and crush them with the flat side of a knife to release their aroma. Slice 3 to 4 pieces of ginger. These will add a wonderful fragrance to the rich broth later.
- 4
Cut the onion
Peel 1 onion and cut it into large, chunky pieces to prevent it from falling apart while simmering.
- 5
Assemble in the pot
Thoroughly drain the chicken drumettes after their 15-minute soak, then place them in a deep pot. Pour in 800 ml of water, and add the crushed garlic and sliced ginger.
- 6
Simmer with a scum-removing hack
Bring the pot to a boil over medium heat. By covering it with a paper towel and then aluminum foil, the paper towel will cleanly absorb the scum, eliminating the need to skim it manually. Leave it to simmer on medium-low heat for 30 minutes.
- 7
Add onion and simmer
Add the cut onion to the pot after simmering for 30 minutes. Cover with just the aluminum foil and simmer on low heat for another 15 minutes.
- 8
Season with salt
After 15 minutes, remove the aluminum foil and add 2 tsp of salt. Scoop some broth with a ladle to taste, and add a pinch more salt if needed to adjust the flavor.
- 9
Let flavors meld with residual heat
Once the flavor is set, turn off the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes. As the temperature drops, the salty flavor will deeply penetrate the meat and onions, resulting in a very mellow and well-rounded taste.
- 10
Plate and serve
Bring it to a boil once more right before serving, then transfer to a bowl. The meat is so tender that it falls off the bone with just a gentle press of your chopsticks. Garnish with boiled green vegetables for color, and it's ready to serve.
Food Science
The salt and sugar brine increases the meat's water-holding capacity, preventing dehydration during cooking to keep it juicy. Additionally, slow cooking converts the collagen in the chicken drumettes into gelatin, creating a melt-in-your-mouth texture. Furthermore, the combination of inosinate from the chicken and glutamate from the onion creates a synergistic umami effect, producing a deep flavor even with simple salt seasoning.
Detailed Commentary on "Tender Salt-Simmered Chicken Wings"
* Content organized by topics from the video.
Prep Work and the Limits of 'Love'
The star of today's dish is chicken drumettes. We start by making cuts in the thickest parts where heat doesn't easily penetrate. The speaker begins slicing carefully, saying, 'This extra step is what you call love,' but by the second piece, they declare, 'And... my love is sold out.' Instantly finding it tedious, they switch tactics to simply poking holes with the tip of the knife. Joking that the idea of heat not penetrating is just a rumor, they tell themselves not to fall for such conspiracy theories, quickly finishing the prep and tossing them into a bag.
Tenderizing with a Magic Brine
To make the prepped chicken drumettes even more tender, we prepare a special brining liquid. In a bowl, thoroughly mix 10g of salt, 10g of sugar, and 200 ml of water. Pour this liquid into the bag with the chicken drumettes and gently massage to distribute it. Then, simply let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes. This simple step makes the meat shockingly tender. The salt, sweetness, and moisture penetrate deeply through the poked holes, which also beautifully eliminates any gamey odor.
Aromatics and the Garlic Peeling Championship
While the meat is marinating, we prepare the aromatics: 2 cloves of garlic and 3 to 4 slices of ginger. Here, the speaker humorously confesses their daily kitchen frustration: 'If there were a championship for getting annoyed while peeling garlic, I'd easily win the gold medal.' Once peeled, the garlic is firmly crushed with the flat side of a knife to release its aroma. Next, slice 3 to 4 pieces of ginger. These simple aromatics will later add a wonderful fragrance to the ultimate broth.
Hands-Off Simmering and a Scum-Removing Hack
Prepare a deep pot, thoroughly drain the chicken drumettes that have been brining for 15 minutes, and transfer them to the pot. Pour in 800 ml of water and add the prepared garlic and ginger. Today's seasoning is incredibly simple—just water and salt. Bring the pot to a boil over medium heat, where a handy hack comes into play. By covering the pot with a paper towel and aluminum foil, you eliminate the need for tedious skimming. The paper towel cleanly absorbs the scum, leaving you to just let it simmer hands-off on medium-low heat for 30 minutes.
Adding Onion with a 'Championship' Peel
While the meat is simmering, prepare 1 onion. The speaker vents their frustration once again: 'If there were a championship for getting mad while peeling onions, I'd take the grand prix.' Showcasing their unique peeling technique—which they claim has a 90% success rate in pre-competition practice—they roughly chop the onion while feeling slightly annoyed. To prevent it from falling apart, cutting it into large, chunky pieces is just right. Add this onion to the pot after 30 minutes of simmering, cover with just aluminum foil this time, and simmer on low heat for another 15 minutes.
Simple Salt Seasoning and Residual Heat
After 15 minutes, remove the aluminum foil and move on to the final seasoning. All we add here is 2 tsp of salt. Joking, 'If you could get by in this world with just water, we wouldn't need the police,' the speaker scoops up some broth with a ladle to taste. Finding it slightly lacking, they add an extra pinch of salt to adjust. The crucial point here is to turn off the heat once the flavor is set and let it sit for 10 minutes. As the temperature drops, the flavors deeply penetrate the meat and onion, resulting in a beautifully mellow taste.
Tasting the Fall-Off-the-Bone Chicken
Bring it to a boil once more right before serving, then plate. The meat is so tender it feels like it might fall apart if you even breathe on it, so plate it carefully using tongs or a ladle, and garnish with boiled green vegetables for color. When you take a bite, the meat slides effortlessly off the bone with just a gentle press of your chopsticks. It's an impressive result for a dish seasoned only with water and salt, with a broth rich in chicken flavor and collagen. By the end, even the cartilage is easily and cleanly eaten up.
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