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Chicken wings are not for the faint of heart. Leave your knife and fork at the door and plastic gloves WILL be frowned upon. If you’re not leaving a chicken-wing sesh with tears streaming down your face, spicy residue on your fingers and a plate full of stripped, ravaged bones, then you’re not doing it right. Everybody seems to have their own technique to ensure that no morsel of fat, meat or gristle is left untouched.
The notion that London’s regional delicacy is pie ’n’ mash is somewhat old hat these days. Ask any true Londoner what their after-school favourite or earliest memory of food is and they’ll say ‘chicken shop’. Whether it’s at a wallet-friendly takeaway or a bougie fine-dining interpretation, wings can be enjoyed anywhere in the city.
Chilli fish-sauce wings at Smoking Goat
If you’re lucky enough to secure a table at Thai-inspired restaurant goliath Smoking Goat in Shoreditch, you’d be stupid not to order their chilli fish-sauce wings. Originally a Vietnamese dish, this extra-crispy, sticky and sweet rendition is sure to send you into a pleasurable state of bewilderment. The contrast of spicy emulsion with fresh chilies and onions delivers crunch, spice and sugar in all the right places. The dish comes with a sprinkling of sesame seeds that is more of a victory lap than a seasoning. A longstanding member of the Smoking Goat menu, we don't see these chilli fish-sauce wings going anywhere any time soon.
Smoking Goat, 64 Shoreditch High St, E1 6JJ.
Chicken wings at Morley’s
A south London classic that is often imitated but rarely duplicated, something of a status symbol within the chicken-wing world, a nod to ‘those who know’. Don’t be fooled by ‘Murley’s’, ‘Moorley’s’, ‘Morey’s’ or any other variation of the name, there is only one original. Morley’s is cheap, tasty and fills that chicken-shaped hole in your stomach. Accompanied by a box of fries and washed down with a can of Coke or the traditional strawberry Mirinda, what’s not to love?
Branches across London.
Arbol chilli-and-butter wings at La Chingada
Somewhat under-acknowledged, La Chingada’s chilli-and-butter wings live in the shadow of the restaurant’s burrito and taco offerings. As an underdog of the chicken-wing world, these really deserve more recognition. The spicy marinade they’re drenched in is neutralised with butter that leaves a wing that is neither too spicy nor too fatty. The wings are absolutely smothered in hot sauce so you’re bound to leave La Chingada red-handed.
La Chingada, 206 Lower Rd, SE8 5DJ.
WingJam – London’s epic chicken-wing festival – returns for its final flight.