Baked Chinese Chicken Wings
Sweet, sour, salty, spicy, and bitter, these baked Chinese chicken wings hit on all the right notes from Chinese cuisine. The recipe keeps things simple by using ingredients common in most grocery stores and doesn’t require a trip to a specialty store.
Ingredients
For the Chicken & Sauce:
- 1 pound chicken wings, cut
- 2 teaspoons baking powder, aluminum-free
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon Chinese 5-spice,, divided
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2-3 cloves garlic,, minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger,, grated
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar,, packed
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon sambal oelek
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar, unseasoned
For the Garnish:
- Red chili, (red jalapeño, Fresno, etc.)
- Green onions/scallions
- Sesame seeds,, toasted
Directions
- Cut the chicken wings into separate flats, drumettes, and tips if you haven’t already, reserving or tossing out the wing tips. Preheat your oven to 475°F / 250°C, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the baking powder, salt, pepper, and half the Chinese 5-spice in a bowl or a zipper-locked gallon bag and mix to combine. Add the chicken and toss/shake to coat in the seasoned baking powder mixture. Set the chicken aside for 10-15 minutes and let the baking powder do its work.
- Place the chicken wings onto the baking sheet and add a few pieces of butter scattered around the chicken. Place on the middle rack of the oven and cook for 45 minutes, flipping once, about half-way through.
- While the chicken wings are cooking, begin making the sauce. In a saucepan set over medium heat, add the sesame oil, minced garlic, and minced/grated ginger. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the soy, brown sugar, hoisin, oyster sauce, sambal oelek, and 5-spice powder. Stir to combine and continue cooking on medium about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the rice vinegar and cook about 1 minute longer then remove from the heat and set aside.
- Remove the wings from the oven when done and transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the sauce and stir/toss to coat the chicken wings. Remove from the bowl, garnish, and enjoy!
Equipment Used
Notes
1) Baking Powder? Yup! The baking powder is alkaline and helps breakdown some of the peptide bonds in the skin. Basically, it’s slightly dehydrating the chicken skin and helps it crisp up even more when cooked. Be sure to use baking POWDER and not baking SODA. Also, use aluminum-free baking powder to avoid an odd and metallic aftertaste.
2) Butter? This is how I like to do wings in the oven. I find the small pads of butter help crisp the skin while also keeping the chicken moist while cooking at a high temperature. If you want to skip the butter, you can cook the chicken on a baking rack set inside the baking sheet instead. I recommend spraying the rack with cooking spray before setting the chicken on it though to keep the skin from sticking.
3) Substitutions – All of the ingredients should be readily available from almost any grocery store. The soy, hoisin, and oyster sauces should have gluten-free versions available if needed.
- Rice Vinegar – you can use white vinegar instead, or even just lemon or lime juice for some acidity.
- Oyster Sauce – can be replaced with more hoisin but cut back on the 5-spice if your hoisin includes similar seasoning.
- Sambal Oelek – can be replaced with chili-garlic sauce, but cut back one garlic clove, or with sriracha, but cut back one garlic clove and omit the brown sugar. Alternatively, use 2 teaspoons instead of one for spicier wings.
- Brown Sugar – feel free to omit altogether if you’re cutting back on sugar.
Nutrition
Serving: 1personCalories: 806kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 49gFat: 55gSaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 219mgSodium: 2991mgPotassium: 596mgFiber: 1gSugar: 17gCalcium: 555mgIron: 5mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
