This Easy Teriyaki Wings recipe is a crowd pleaser. The juicy chicken wings are coated in an addictive, sticky, sweet, and savory sauce. QUICK and EASY to cook on the stovetop with a few simple ingredients- great for busy weeknight dinners and the perfect appetizer for Super Bowl Sunday!
Jump to:
🥘 Ingredients
Some of the simple ingredients you'll need to marinade this easy Japanese chicken recipe are as follows (I have cooked the chicken wings without marinating, and they're tasty, but the flavor doesn't go deep into the meat. A 30 minute marinade makes a HUGE difference):
- chicken wings: you will need to use chicken wings that have been separated into drums and flats for even cooking on the stovetop.
- oil: I cooked my chicken in sesame oil but you need to be very careful not to burn it. (Also you'll need light sesame oil, not toasted sesame oil for cooking.) If not confident, brown the chicken in vegetable oil then garnish with sesame oil.
- fresh ginger and garlic: I have not tried this recipe using ginger powder or garlic powder.
- sliced chilies (optional): I love spice, so I garnish the chicken with some sliced red chilies, which goes very well with the sweet and sticky sauce. Other optional garnishes include lightly toasted sesame seeds and sliced green onions.
For teriyaki sauce, some ingredients you'll need include:
- sake and mirin: you can get this from the Asian grocery store (Whole Foods also sells it.) I've substituted sake with shoaxing or a dry sherry before, but for best results, use sake.
- light soy sauce: if on a GF diet, the typical alternative is coconut aminos or tamari.
- white rice vinegar: many teriyaki chicken recipes don't call for vinegar. I've tried it without the vinegar, and though tasty, the sweetness of the sauce can be a tad cloying (you need all that sugar to create the characteristic Teriyaki glaze), so I highly recommend adding the rice wine vinegar.
- brown sugar: use light brown sugar, not dark brown sugar. The former gives you a deep savory flavor but the latter makes the sticky asian wings taste of molasses- nice in a brown sugar cookie, but not in chicken wings!
We do not need cornstarch because of all the honey and sugar, which helps to naturally thicken the sauce after simmering.
Note: You can use store-bought teriyaki sauce. However, I prefer to make my own as it's healthier and tastier. (ingredients and steps in the recipe card below. If buying store bought, get a Japanese brand. Don't use the Lee Kum Kee Teriyaki sauce- it doesn't taste that good!) Alternatively, click through for the best teriyaki sauce substitutes.
🔪 Step-by-Step Instructions
1a. Prepare the marinade ingredients: grate the ginger, mince the garlic, and mix with the sake and salt. Pour the marinade over the chicken wings, ensuring every wing is all well-coated.
1b. Whilst the chicken is marinating, juice the remaining ginger then mix well with the rest of the teriyaki sauce ingredients (honey, sugar, sake, mirin, soy sauce, and vinegar.)
2. Over medium heat, heat the oil in a stainless steel pan. When the oil is just about to smoke, carefully place the chicken wings in a single layer in the sauce pan. (Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to do this in batches. Transfer wings to a place before browning the next batch.) Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes.
3a. After 4-5 minutes, uncover the small saucepan and check if the wings have browned. If they have, carefully flip the wings (Some of the skin may tear.) If they're not browned yet, cook for 1-2 minutes more (or increase the heat slightly.)
3b. Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes more (or till the other side is also brown.) Once browned, pour the mixed teriyaki sauce into the pan. (Stir first to disperse the sugar well.)
4a. Simmer for 13-14 minutes, or till the easy homemade teriyaki sauce has thickened, become sticky and coat the cooked wings well. (Make sure the internal temperature has reached 165 degrees F)
4b. Serve the golden brown wings in a large bowl and enjoy!
Optional Step: to recreate the smoky flavor that you get with yakitori, you can broil the wings for 3-4 minutes. Be careful not to overcook or burn the wings- place them in the middle and keep watch! (Remember to use oven-safe cookware in this case.) Garnish after broiling.
Honestly, the wings are tasty enough that I usually skip this step. (It seems too wasteful to switch on the oven for just this.)
🥡 How to Store
Extra chicken wings should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge and eaten within 1-2 days. To re-heat, I recommend steaming to keep the meat tender and juicy.
I have never tried freezing these sticky chicken wings as we never have enough left!
🥗 Other Teriyaki Recipes
Enjoyed this easy Japanese soy sauce chicken wings Recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below! If you REALLY liked these sticky chicken wings, please consider supporting it by buying me a bottle of soy sauce! 🙂 (No obligation though!) Thank you and have a great day!
Teriyaki Wings
Equipment
- 1 Grater
- 1 Knife and cutting board
- 1 Stainless Steel pan Dutch Oven
- 1 heat proof spatula
Ingredients
For the teriyaki marinade
- 1 lb chicken wings Buy wings that have been separated into drums and flats, as they cook more equally.
- 1-2 cloves garlic minced
- 1½ teaspoon fresh ginger (the grated ginger + the juice)
- 1⅓ Tablespoon sake (20ml) Don't substitute with mirin- it'll be too sweet!
- 1 Tablespoon oil sesame oil or vegetable oil (See Ingredients above.)
- pinch of seasalt
For the teriyaki sauce
- ¾ Tablespoon honey Don't use an expensive honey, as heat kills the nutrients in raw honey.
- ¾ Tablespoon sugar Use light brown sugar or white sugar, not dark brown sugar.
- 1⅓ Tablespoon sake (20ml)
- 1⅓ Tablespoon mirin (20ml) Don't omit this as we need the sugars to create the characteristic teriyaki lustre.
- 1⅓ Tablespoon light soy sauce (20ml) Don't use dark soy sauce or sweet soy sauce.
- 1 teaspoon ginger juice From grating 1-2 teaspoons of fresh ginger.
- 1 teaspoon white rice vinegar Don't use black vinegar.
Garnish
- ½ teaspoon Toasted sesame seeds
- 1 sprig Sliced Scallions
- 1 Sliced red chili
Instructions
Marinating the wings
- Prepare the marinade ingredients: grate the ginger, mince the garlic, and mix with the sake and salt. Pour the marinade over the chicken wings, ensuring every wing is all well-coated.
- Whilst the chicken is marinating, juice the remaining ginger. Mix well with the rest of the teriyaki sauce ingredients (honey, sugar, sake, mirin, soy sauce, and vinegar.)
Cook the wings
- Over medium heat, heat the oil in a stainless steel pan. When the oil is just about to smoke, carefully place the chicken wings in a single layer in the pan. (Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to do this in batches.)
- Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes.
- After 4-5 minutes, uncover and check if the wings have browned. If they have, carefully flip the wings (Some of the skin may tear.) If they're not browned yet, cook for 1-2 minutes more (or increase the heat slightly.)
- Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes more (or till the other side is also brown.) Once browned, pour the mixed teriyaki sauce into the pan. (Stir first to disperse the sugar well.)
- Simmer for 13-14 minutes, or till the sauce has thickened, become sticky and coat the wings well. (Refer to the photo under "Step-by-step Instructions" to see what the sauce should look like at the end.)
Notes
Note: the nutritional information is an estimate automatically calculated using the WPRM recipe maker and I am not responsible for its veracity.
Nutrition
If this delicious homemade teriyaki chicken wings recipe was helpful, maybe you'd like to sign up for my newsletter in which I send you more tips and tricks to make authentic Asian food?
J says
My fave wings recipe! Thank uou
Zen says
Thanks J, so glad you liked them- I love these wings too!