When I visited the nearest Whole Foods the other day, I found a pack of full chicken wings and they were very good quality. I was looking for something like this to make this dish for a long time!
I think Teba Gyoza could be one of the most popular dishes on Izakaya (Japanese pub) menus.
I have cooked this dish for some Western people before and they all loved it, and even asked me the recipe in English.
Here's the English recipe I have provided to them including how to remove 2 bones from the chicken wings in detail.
Ingredients for 10 wings
10 chicken wings
1 teaspoon soy sauce (for the wings)
1 teaspoon Sake (for the wings)
5oz ground chicken breast
1 teaspoon soy sauce (for the stuffing)
1 teaspoon Sake (for the stuffing)
2 - 3 cabbage leaves
1 sprig fresh thyme (leaves only)
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon granulated chicken stock combined with 2 teaspoonful water
1 teaspoon cornstarch
salt & white pepper to taste
MSG to taste (optional)
Canola oil for frying
Instructions
Using your hands, break the joint between the wing and drumette (the part that comes directly off the breast), then cut off the drumette with a heavy duty knife or scissors. Store the drumettes in the fridge or freezer and use them for some other cooking.
Using scissors, separate the 2 bones in the chicken wings. Starting from the smaller bone, separate it from the flesh. When separated, twist it to break the join and pull it out. Do the same for the larger bone. Repeat for the rest of wings.
When the bones are removed, prick the skin 3 or 4 times with a skewer or fork. Place the chicken wings in a bowl and season with soy sauce and Sake. Cover well using your hands and leave to stand for 30 minutes.
Place the ground chicken breast in another mixing bowl, season with the second measures of soy sauce and Sake. Mix well with your hands and leave to stand for 30 minutes.
Blanch the whole leaves of cabbage in boiling water for a minute or two (depends on how thick or old the cabbage is). Empty them into a colander and rinse under cold running water, then squeeze them firmly to drain water completely. Finely chop.
Stir in the chopped cabbage, thyme leaves, lemon zest & juice to the ground chicken breast. Add the stock mixture and cornstarch. Season with salt & pepper and MSG (if you are using), then mix with your hands until evenly combined.
Reverse the chicken wing pockets and lightly flour the inside, then reverse them back.
Stuff the ground chicken breast mixture into the wing pockets. Close the pockets with toothpicks. Repeat for the rest of wings.
Heat the oil (should be about half an inch deep) and cook the stuffed wings until golden brown all over.
Serve with citrus soy sauce (Ponzu) and citrus paste (Yuzukosho).
If you would like to read this recipe in Japanese, please click HERE.
Bon appetit!
