Chicken Wings Stuffed with Thai Pork
Prep. Time:
40 minutes
Baking Time:
20 minutes
Total Time:
60 minutes
Serves:
8 stuffed wings (serves 4 as a starter, 2 as a main)
Dhananjai created this dish for Masterchef UK Professionals Season 18. Thai-flavoured stuffed chicken wings with a soy caramel dipping sauce, based on Philli Armitage-Mattin's Skills Test challenge. This improved recipe addresses judge feedback — Matt Tebbutt's criticism that the sauce lacked sweetness and lime juice has been corrected with a proper caramel base and assertive citrus, while the deep-frying method (rather than Dhananjai's pan-fry) ensures raw filling cooks through reliably. Dhananjai's excellent chilli-spiked pork filling is preserved — Monica Galetti loved the hit of chilli. Marcus Wareing noted that Dhananjai's instinct to pre-cook the filling saved the dish when frying time was too short.
Chef's Notes
Addressing the judge feedback - what this recipe fixes:
"The sauce, there's not enough sweetness in there. There's not enough lime juice in there to balance it. It's not great" (Matt Tebbutt): The soy caramel here has proper balance - a genuine caramel base (not just soy reduced with sugar), two tablespoons of lime juice added off heat for brightness, and fish sauce for the savoury counterpoint. The caramel step is what transforms this from a dipping sauce into something with depth and complexity.
"Your chicken wings, clearly you're out of practice. The way that you boned them out, they weren't going to seal" (Monica Galetti): The deboning instructions here are detailed step-by-step. The key is always keeping the knife angled toward the bone, not the skin. If skin tears, flour is a legitimate fix - Monica approved Dhananjai's instinct to grab it. Practice on a couple of extra wings if it's your first time.
"You cooked the pork mince, but in hindsight, if you hadn't, we wouldn't be eating this right now" (Marcus Wareing): With proper deep-frying at 170°C for 8–10 minutes, raw filling cooks through reliably. Dhananjai's pan-frying only gave the wings "a few minutes" of heat, hence the necessity of pre-cooking. The recipe uses the intended method (raw filling, deep-fried), but if pan-frying, follow Dhananjai's lead and pre-cook.
"Your pork filling, I love that hit of the chili through that is delicious" (Monica Galetti): Preserved exactly as Dhananjai delivered it. The bird's eye chilli through the filling was the element that genuinely impressed, and the aromatics (garlic, coriander stems, spring onions) give it an authentically Thai character.
Troubleshooting
Filling leaks out during frying: Wings were overstuffed, the skin was torn, or the oil wasn't hot enough (causing the wing to sit in oil longer, softening the seal). Fill only to flush, patch tears with flour, and maintain 170°C oil temperature.
Wings are golden outside but filling is raw inside: Oil was too hot (exterior cooked before heat reached the centre) or wings were too large. Lower the oil temperature to 160°C and fry for longer. Using a probe thermometer eliminates guesswork - 75°C internal.
Skin isn't crispy: Oil wasn't hot enough, wings were crowded in the pan (dropping the temperature), or wings were drained on paper rather than a rack. A light flour coating also helps with crispness.
Soy caramel is too thick or has seized: The caramel was taken too dark before the soy sauce was added. Next time, pull the caramel at a medium amber rather than dark. If seized, return to low heat and stir until the sugar re-dissolves.
Soy caramel tastes bitter: Caramel was burnt. This happens in seconds once it passes the amber stage. Start over - caramel is cheap to make and worth doing right.
Storage
Stuffed raw wings: Refrigerate for up to 24 hours before frying. Can also be frozen on a tray, then bagged. Fry from frozen at a slightly lower temperature (160°C) for 12–14 minutes.
Cooked wings: Best served immediately. Can be refrigerated and reheated in a 200°C oven for 8–10 minutes, but the skin won't be as crisp.
Soy caramel sauce: Refrigerates well for up to 1 week. Gently reheat, adding a splash of water if it's thickened too much. Add fresh lime juice after reheating to restore brightness.
Raw filling: Refrigerate for up to 24 hours, or freeze for 1 month.
Variations
Pan-fry method (Dhananjai's approach): If deep-frying isn't practical, pre-cook the pork filling in a pan with a splash of oil until cooked through, then cool before stuffing. Dust stuffed wings in flour, dip in beaten egg, then pan-fry in 2cm of oil over medium heat, turning frequently, for 10–12 minutes until golden all over. This is a legitimate alternative, as Marcus acknowledged.
Oven-baked method: Steam the stuffed wings for 10 minutes first, then roast at 220°C (425°F) for 20 minutes until crisp. Less dramatic than frying but more practical for larger batches.
Glass noodle addition: Traditional Thai and Vietnamese stuffed wings almost always include glass noodles (mung bean vermicelli). They add a chewy, slightly bouncy texture that makes the filling more interesting. Soak, chop, and fold through the raw filling.
Indian-spiced filling (Dhananjai's roots): Replace the Thai aromatics with a teaspoon of garam masala, half a teaspoon of turmeric, a teaspoon of ground coriander, and minced green chillies. Use a tamarind-jaggery sauce instead of soy caramel - closer to Dhananjai's heritage and equally delicious.
Dipping sauce alternative: A simple Thai sweet chilli sauce mixed with extra lime juice and chopped coriander makes a quicker, still excellent accompaniment.
Ingredients
Instructions
PREPARE THE FILLING
1. If using glass noodles, soak in boiling water for 5 minutes until softened, then drain and chop into short lengths of about 1cm.
2. Combine the pork mince, garlic, chillies, coriander stems, spring onions, fish sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar and white pepper in a mixing bowl. Add the chopped glass noodles if using. Mix thoroughly with your hands until well combined and slightly sticky — this cohesion helps the filling hold together inside the wing. Refrigerate until ready to use.
DEBONE THE CHICKEN WINGS
3. Separate the joints: locate the three sections of each wing — drumette, wingette and wing tip. Cut through the joint between the drumette and wingette to separate them. Reserve the drumettes for another use. You want the wingette with the wing tip still attached.
4. Hold the wingette with the wider end facing up. Using the tip of a small, sharp paring knife, cut around the exposed ends of the two thin bones. Scrape the flesh downward away from the bones, keeping the blade angled toward the bone, not the skin. Once loosened along both bones, carefully twist and pull each bone free from the joint at the wing tip end.
5. You should now have a small pocket of boneless meat encased in skin, with the wing tip as a handle. If the skin tears, press the edges together and dust with flour to seal.
STUFF THE WINGS
6. Open each deboned wingette and spoon in about 1.5–2 tablespoons of filling, pressing firmly to eliminate air pockets. Fill generously but not to overflowing — the meat shrinks during cooking.
7. Press the skin closed over the filling and dust the opening with a little plain flour to help seal. For extra security, pin the opening with a wooden toothpick, removing before serving.
8. Set the stuffed wings on a plate, seam-side down, and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
MAKE THE SOY CARAMEL SAUCE
9. Place the sugar and water in a small, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Do not stir — swirl the pan gently if needed. Cook until the sugar turns a deep amber caramel, about 5–6 minutes. Watch closely in the final minute.
10. Remove from the heat and carefully add the soy sauce — it will spit and bubble violently, so stand back. Stir to combine, returning to low heat if the caramel seizes. Once smooth, stir in the fish sauce, rice wine vinegar, garlic and sliced chilli.
11. Remove from the heat and add the lime juice last — off heat preserves its brightness. The sauce should be glossy, sweet-salty-sour, with gentle caramel bitterness and chilli warmth. Taste and adjust.
DEEP-FRY THE WINGS
12. Fill a deep, heavy-based pan or Dutch oven with enough neutral oil to submerge the wings — at least 8cm deep. Heat to 170°C (340°F).
13. Lightly dust the stuffed wings all over with flour, shaking off excess.
14. Lower 3–4 wings at a time into the hot oil. Fry for 8–10 minutes, turning occasionally with tongs, until the skin is deep golden-brown and crispy all over. The internal temperature should reach 75°C (165°F).
15. Drain on a wire rack set over a tray, not directly on kitchen paper. Rest for 2 minutes before cutting.
SERVE
16. Slice each wing in half on an angle to reveal the filling — showing the contrast between crispy golden skin and the speckled pork inside.
17. Arrange on a warm plate with the soy caramel sauce drizzled over and pooled alongside. Scatter with fresh coriander leaves and sesame seeds if using. Serve with lime wedges.
