Chinese Chicken Wings (30-min, Braised)

⭐ Why This Recipe is a Star

1. These Sticky Chinese Chicken wings are delicious: If you enjoy Chinese food and Asian flavors, you'll love these braised wings which are better than Chinese takeout! (Healthier too!) The soy reduction sauce is gloriously sticky, making this a fingerlicking good finger food for Game Day or Date Night!
2. No marinating: so you can make this quick and easy Asian wings dish whenever you want to eat it! It's pretty much mix, rub, braise and enjoy in 30 minutes! Simple enough to make perfectly the first time!

Note: for more easy Asian appetisers, click here.

🐓 Ingredients

The main ingredients for this chicken wing recipe are:

• chicken wings: preferably separated in drums and flaps, so that the sauce can cover the meat. You can substitute wings with other parts of the chicken, such as skinless chicken thighs, but the cooking time will change. If using chicken breasts (not my recommended cut- so dry!), it is crucial that the sauce is simmering gently (on low heat) and not boiling to prevent the meat from becoming stringy.
• aromatics such as fresh garlic clove and fresh ginger, peeled and minced: you can also grate instead of mincing. Note that I have not tested this recipe with ginger powder or garlic powder.
• Hoisin sauce: You can buy hoisin sauce (and the other ingredients in this list) from most major supermarkets these days. If not, you'll have to check out your local Asian grocery stores or Amazon! (I will test this with oyster sauce as a replacement soon but hoisin is one of the key sauce ingredients.) The flavor is quite strong, so I did not add white pepper (a traditional ingredient in Chinese cooking, but which usually has to be bought from an Asian market.)
• Light soy sauce: this is regular soy sauce, not dark soy sauce, sweet soy sauce or thick soy sauce, which are different!
• Ketchup
• Rice vinegar: you can substitute with white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or lemon juice
• Shaoxing wine: alternatively, you can use another rice wine such as dry sherry, mirin, sake or 1 of these Chinese cooking wine substitutes. (If using mirin, which is sweet, you may want to reduce the sugar used.)
• 5 spice powder: if you can, make your own Chinese 5 spice from star anise and Szechuan peppercorns as spices lose their aroma very quickly.
• Light sesame oil
• White sugar: traditionally, Chinese food uses rock sugar, which gives food a glossier appearance. You have to go to the Asian grocery store for it- and pound it to smaller pieces- so I subbed with white sugar. Alternartively, you can use brown sugar, honey or maple syrup as a replacement, but note that heating honey reduces its health benefits!
• Sambal Oelek, optional but recommended, for Chinese chicken wings in a spicy sticky sauce: you can use Sriracha sauce, hot sauce, chili pepper, or another spicy sauce such as 1 of these Sambal alternatives as well.

📖 Variations & Substitutes

• Baked Chinese chicken wings: it's cheaper to braise where I live (than to bake) so I usually stew my Asian chicken wings for 20-30 mins (depending on the size of the wings.) However, you can also bake them- in a single layer on parchment paper on a wire rack/ baking sheet- at 400 degrees f (204C) for 25 minutes (or till cooked.) If baking the next time, I recommend marinating overnight for the savory flavors to really seep into the meat.

Note: For more baked chicken wing recipes, try this Pok Pok inspired baked-but-as-crispy-as-fried chicken recipe.

🥡 How to Store

Extras of this soy sauce chicken wings dish can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge and eaten within 2 days. (Make sure it doesn't spend more than 2hours out at room temperature!)

For longer storage, the Chinese wings can be frozen (although, preferably, for better meat texture, freeze the marinated wings before cooking, then cook them when you want to eat them.)

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