Crispy Sesame Sticky Squirrel Wings

Squirrel front legs make outstanding appetizers, and this quick and easy recipe will come in handy for your next party

By author of Timber 2 Table Wild Game Recipes Print Recipe
prep time
cook time
2-3
serves
11
ingredients
Easy
difficulty

My youngest son and his mountain feist squirrel hunt this time of year like the good Lord himself commanded it. That means we eat a lot of squirrels. When we clean our squirrels, we often package the front legs separate from the backs and hindquarters. The latter get fried, smoked, and added to soups, stews, burgoos, and dumplings. The former get cooked up in a variety of ways and served as appetizers. We call them squirrel wings since they sort of resemble a chicken wing when cooked and share a similar easy-to-grip bone handle, making them the perfect party snack food. 

Sticky, sweet, salty and crunchy, these squirrel wings will be a hit at your next get-together.

This recipe is a quick and easy stovetop version that turns out sweet, savory, crisp squirrel legs perfect for serving up at your next get-together. If you happen to take a few young gray squirrels, you can use the hindquarters for this dish as well.

Ingredients

 

8 to 12 squirrel front legs

Oil for pan-frying

1 teaspoon white pepper

1/2 cup cornstarch

1 to 2 tablespoons sesame seeds for garnish

Sauce:

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup mirin

1/4 cup rice wine

1/4 cup sugar

1 clove garlic, grated

1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder

 

Cooking Instructions

Heat 1/2 inch of vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Season the legs with white pepper, then coat them with cornstarch.

Pre-measure the sauce ingredients so that you can toss them all in a pan quickly while the squirrel fries.

Fry the legs 5 to 6 minutes per side or until just cooked through and brown and crispy on the surface. Fry in batches to prevent overcrowding the pan.

Season the legs with white pepper, then coat with cornstarch and pan-fry until golden, crispy brown.

While the squirrel cooks, in a separate pan, add the soy sauce, mirin, rice wine, sugar, garlic, and five-spice powder. Stir to combine and bring to a boil.

Mix the sauce ingredients in the pan and simmer until syrupy thick.

Reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce thickens. Add the fried legs to the saucepan and toss to coat evenly. Sprinkle on the sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Add the fried legs to the saucepan and toss to coat evenly.

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