Black Tea Smoked Chicken Wings

Black Tea Smoked Chicken Wings

Smoking with tea is an ancient way of preparing and even preserving food. The scent and aroma created by burning some tea leaves with a little sugar is a magic that is released all over the dish. 

The smoke infuses everything you are cooking with a smoky flavor that has the essence of the tea leaf as a background note.

You can use any type of tea leaves, but we like to use a darker, full-bodied tea such as our Yunnan Fengqing Maofeng red tea tea. The tea combined with notes of honey and ginger that make up the marinade melt into the soy sauce and give the wings a unique flavor. 

Ingredients

  • 16 whole chicken wings
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger root
  • 1 tablespoon of honey
  • Soy sauce 3/4 cup 
  • Brown sugar 3/4 cup
  • 1 cup of loose tea leaves – Yunnan Fengqing Maofeng 
  • Sesame seeds 

How to prepare smoked chicken wings 

Rinse the flaps and dry them by making an incision in the back. 

Place the garlic, ginger, honey, and soy sauce in a blender and blend for 20 seconds to create a silky marinade. Pour the marinade into a baking dish and add the wings.

Cover the pan and let rest for at least two hours, turning the wings in the marinade after about an hour.

In a high-bottomed pan sprinkle tea and sugar, place chicken wings on top on a sheet of baking paper. Cover with lid. Over high heat, heat the pan for 30 minutes, let stand. 

Keep the wings covered for another 20 minutes so they have time to absorb the tea smoke created by the intense heat.

To make the wings more browned and crispy grease them with oil and the sesame seeds and roast in the oven at 200°C for about 5 minutes.

Great served with mustard sauce.

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