Our family recipe for sticky Chinese Chicken Wings! Tossed in a savoury, sweet, garlicky Asian marinade, then baked in the oven and basted until deeply golden and very, very sticky…..
As with ribs, there’s no way to look elegant when you annihilate a plate of wings. And we wouldn’t have it any other way!
Sticky Chinese Chicken Wings
These Sticky Chinese Chicken Wings are so moorish, once you start you won’t be able to stop!
This is my family recipe for Sticky Chinese Chicken Wings which has been tweaked and perfected over years, with input from everyone (mother, brother, sister and me) and many heated debates! We finally agreed this is The Recipe and have been loyal to it for years and I don’t see it changing soon. After all, why tinker with perfection?
The marinade for this recipe is a perfect balance of slightly spicy (very mild), salty, sweet with a touch of tang, and the subtle fragrance of Chinese Five Spice from hoisin sauce as well as five spice powder.
Chicken Wing Marinade
Here’s what you need for the Chinese chicken wing marinade.
We have a rule that it is acceptable to omit one ingredient from the marinade, but if you are missing more than one, then don’t bother making it……. 😂 However, it IS acceptable to substitute with similar ingredients, and I’ve provided a fairly lengthy list of “acceptable” substitutions in the recipe!
(PS If you’re querying the inclusion of ketchup in this marinade – yes, it really is used in Chinese cooking and you’ll find it used in other Chinese recipes you know and love like Sweet and Sour Chicken!)
Chinese Cooking Wine
* Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing / shaoshing wine) is, as with many Chinese recipes, the “secret ingredient” that takes this marinade from “tasty” to “NAILED IT!!” It’s an essential ingredient in all your favourite Chinese restaurant recipes, from Fried Rice to Beef and Broccoli, Chow Mein to Cashew Chicken. It adds complexity to the flavour as well as seasoning (it’s salty).
I use it so often, I even wrote an entire post about it! If you’ve ever followed a recipe for a Chinese takeout copycat recipe but found it just wasn’t quite as good as the real deal, the missing ingredient was probably Chinese cooking wine.
You can get a bottle for $2 (sometimes less!) from Asian stores, though it’s sold in grocery stores in Australia nowadays. It lasts “forever” in the pantry, and I use it in virtually every Chinese recipe.
I try to include substitutions in every recipe and in this case, the best substitutes for Chinese Cooking Wine are (in order of preference):
Mirin
Dry sherry
Drinking sake or other drinking rice wine
Chicken broth/stock
The chicken wings
I typically make my wings recipes using wings that have been cut into drumettes (the mini chicken leg / drumstick looking part) and wingettes (the other part). Most grocery stores sell them pre cut, otherwise, follow the steps here for how to cut up whole wings OR cook them whole.
How to make it
The making part is very simple:
mix the Chinese chicken wing marinade and pour over wings;
marinade for a mere 10 to 15 minutes – don’t marinade for longer otherwise it will make the wings too salty and also makes the marinade watery (from drawing moisture out of the wings) which makes it harder to baste;
Spread wings out on tray lined with foil and paper. Yes, use both. You’ll thank me later – when you’re sleeping tonight instead of scraping super-glued marinade off the tray; and
bake for 50 minutes until golden and sticky, basting 2 – 3 times with reserved marinade and tray juices.
How to serve these Chinese wings
I must admit, the times I have enjoyed this the most have involved a few glasses of wine….this is the ultimate midnight snack. Forget kebab stands, we need chicken wing carts outside pubs and clubs, and definitely at every taxi queue! 😂
So they really do make fabulous finger food for sharing, whether passing around as a starter or a casual grazing-platter style gathering.
Or serve these chicken wings as a meal with a side of Fried Rice and a fresh, crunchy Asian Slaw.
However you serve it, be sure to have plenty of napkins handy – or to suck each an every finger clean!! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Sticky Chinese Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg /3 lb chicken wings , cut into drumettes and wingettes (Note 1)
Chicken Wing Marinade (Note 2 for substitutions)
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil , toasted
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing wine, sub Mirin, dry sherry)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce , light or all purpose
- 2 tbsp brown sugar or honey
- 1 1/2 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1/4 cup ketchup or Aussie tomato sauce
- 1 tbsp chilli garlic sauce or sambal oelek (adjust spiciness to taste)
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 tbsp ginger , finely grated
- 1/2 tsp five spice powder
Garnishes (optional)
- Finely sliced shallots/scallions
- Sesame seeds
- Coriander/cilantro leaves
- Finely sliced fresh chili
Instructions
- Mix Marinade ingredients.
- Place wings in large bowl, pour over Marinade and toss well. Set aside for 10 minutes – do not marinate for longer than 1 hour. (Note 3)
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.
- Line baking tray with foil then greaseproof paper (you'll thank me later).
- Shake excess marinade off wings (but reserve the marinade) and spread on baking tray – can be fairly snug but not super squished (use 2 trays if needed).
- Bake 45 – 50 minutes, basting with a brush at 25 minutes and 35 minutes, using the reserved marinade and juieces on the tray.
- The meat should be able to be pulled off the bones quite easily, they should be just starting to char on the edges and a sticky, dark red/golden colour all over.
- Sprinkle with garnishes – coriander/cilantro leaves, sesame seeds, chilli, sliced shallots/scallions – then serve!
Recipe Notes:
- Sesame oil – use toasted (dark brown, not yellow oil). In Australia, toasted is the norm, untoasted is hard to find.
- Lemon juice can be substituted with rice vinegar – or any white / clear plain vinegar (not balsamic)
- Chinese Cooking Wine (Shaoxing Wine) best subs are Mirin (reduce sugar by half) or dry sherry. Next best – cooking sake, drinking sake or other rice wine. No alcoholic sub – chicken broth/stock.
- Soy sauce – use light or all purpose. Do not use dark soy sauce – it’s far too intense!
- Hoisin Sauce can be substituted with oyster sauce but then you should add an extra 1/4 tsp of Chinese Five Spice Powder
- Oyster Sauce can be substituted with Hoisin Sauce but if you do so then do not add the 1/2 tsp of five spice powder.
- Chilli Garlic Sauce or Sambal Oelak – sub with any other Asian chilli sauce or paste, such as Chilli Bean Sauce or Sriracha.
- Garlic and ginger – fresh is best! But in an emergency, can sub with 1/2 tsp dried powder
- Five Spice Powder – a Chinese mix of five spices sold in everyday grocery stores!
Nutrition Information:
Originally published June 2014, updated September 2019 with new photos, brand new video and most importantly, new Life of Dozer section added!
Life of Dozer
Oi! Back off dog!!!
I want to freeze chicken wings with the marinade so I can pull them out of the freezer when I need them and throw them in the oven for a quick snack, would this work with this recipe?
Very good. As someone of Asian descent who very much appreciates oyster sauce, I suggest only adding a tsp or let this be the one ingredient that can be omitted. I had been tasting the sauce as I was making it and it was phenomenal—until the oyster sauce which has never been an issue before. The sauce lost its punch of fabulousness and took on a darker flavor that was less palatable. I’ll make it again with a reminder to omit the oyster sauce. 20 out of 10 sans oyster sauce.
Love these. Just made another batch for a cold Saturday night. However at 2o or so minutes a lot of water comes out. I scoop that out with a spoon so they don’t ‘boil’ before basting again. I then flip them at 30 minutes baste, wait 5 or so then baste again to get all over colour and sticky goodness. 40 to 45 mins cook time I find is more than enough. Only get leftovers if I don’t add chilli otherwise kids annihilate them. Thanks Nagi
OMG – yummy!
Great marinade, full of flavour.
Garnishes add that little something extra!
These are to die for. Absolutely delicious!
So easy.
I tend to cook them a little longer.
These were spectacular and so easy. Thanks Nagi for another great recipe.
These are currently in the oven for SuperBowl snack! I switched up this year from my usual buffalo wings, and can I just say they smell amazing! About to do my first baste, mouth watering for ‘eating time’! Watching the game, going for the Eagles as we have an Aussie on the team. Fly eagles! And eat these wings they are yummo! (I did a test run a week ago) 😝
Sooo good – definite winner for the whole family from 14yr old to 83yr old!
I wanted to make these for a potluck lunch. They would be eaten cold – would this still work as well?
Despite a lot of water cooking out of the chicken wings, they were delicious. Didn’t turn out quite as good as the pics but easy to cook and yummy to eat! Will def cook again!
This is it! I’ve tried many recipes for sticky glazes on chicken and while they were okay, I always went back to my favourite commercial sauce. I made it using all brown sugar and left out the extra Chinese 5 spice as I prefer it to be subtle. My husband thought it was a little too sweet (his preference) and I thought it was a tiny bit salty.
I couldn’t get it off my mind, so fixed them again a week later. This time I added the sweetness with half brown sugar and half honey. I used low salt soy sauce. It was PERFECT for us! I would fix these every day if I could get away with it. Since I only cook wings for two, I used half of the marinade and saved the other half in a jar. I’m using it this week on some pork ribs. I can’t wait!
My kids adore this recipe. 4 year old calls it lightning chicken and insists this is the only wing recipe for him now.
My son makes these all of the time. Ton8ght was my turn. These never disappoint & are always devoured.
Followed as directed. Flavor was okay, wings were not crispy at all. I had to do an extra broil at the end, which helped a little. Maybe placing them on a wire rack would help?
Did you read the adjective in the title of the recipe?
Best wings ever! Sweet spicy rich! Delish! Worth the effort to make the marinade and slow cook in the oven.
NAGI..I luv you…YOU ARE A LEGEND!!!
Delicious & so easy. Great idea to double line the tray. Thanks Nagi x
Has anyone made with drumettes?
The complexity of flavour in this recipe is OUT OF THIS WORLD! This will be my new go to for Asian chicken wings and leg quarters. Thanks to your fam for all the input to perfect it!
Love this recipe. Does anyone know if the marinade can be made a few days in advance. Heading away for Easter weekend and would love to make ahead and not cart around so many bottles!
This was incredible!!! Made exactly as written and doubled the marinade. It turned out so good and will most definitely go in our rotation. Thank you for another amazing recipe!