Sticky Baked Chinese Chicken Wings

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