Sticky Garlic Soy Chicken Wings

Crispy yet delicately tender on the inside, and caramelized with a sticky, sweet, and savory marinade, these wings live up to the definition of being finger-lickin’ good, and can be highly addictive. You’ve been warned 😉

We love the piquant kick the ginger and garlic aromatics add to the marinade. Protip: the longer you marinate your wings, the more flavor they’ll soak up! As a general rule, aim to marinate chicken wings for 2 to 12 hours; but not more than that if your marinade is particularly acidic due to lemon juice, yogurt, or vinegar — and we don’t recommend marinating for more than a day, which can lead to unpleasant textures in the meat.

We’ve deep-fried our wings for maximum scrumptiousness, but if you’re not keen on deep frying, this recipe works perfectly well if you pan fry the wings instead.

Endlessly adaptable, chicken wings can be prepared in a multitude of ways — sweet, tangy, spicy — but whatever your flavor of choice is, wings tend to disappear pretty fast, so you may want to make a few more, just in case!

Star tip: Serve it as an appetizer, or pair it with rice and a side of greens, like boiled bok choy or sauteed Chinese broccoli.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  1. 500g chicken wings
  2. 1 litre oil (for deep frying); less if pan-frying

For the marinade

  1. 1 tbsp salt
  2. 1 tbsp cracked black pepper
  3. 2 tbsp light soy sauce
  4. 1 tbsp chilli garlic paste
  5. 1 egg
  6. 2 tbsp chopped ginger and garlic
  7. 1/3 cup cornstarch

For the sauce

  1. 2 tbsp groundnut oil
  2. 4 dried red chillies
  3. 8–10 garlic cloves
  4. 1 tbsp light soy sauce
  5. 1 tbsp sriracha sauce
  6. 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
  7. 2 tbsp honey
  8. 90ml water
  9. salt
  10. pepper
  11. 1 stalk sliced spring onion
  12. 3 tbsp cornstarch (dissolved in water)

For garnish

  1. Sliced spring onion
  2. Toasted sesame seeds

Steps:

  1. Marinating: Wash and clean the wings and keep them ready in a bowl; add salt, cracked black pepper, light soy sauce, chilli garlic paste, 1 egg, chopped ginger and garlic, and cornstarch. Mix thoroughly and keep in the refrigerator for 2–12 hours.
  2. Frying: In an Accent Ultra-Durable Nonstick Chef's Pan, heat oil for deep frying until it reaches 200°C or (400°F). Gently add in the wings piece by piece and let them fry until they are fully cooked and crispy. (Alternatively, you can simply pan fry the wings until crispy.) Set aside, and drain the pan.
  3. The Sauce: No need to wash the chef’s pan, which cools it down - wipe it clean with a paper towel, and add your groundnut oil to the pan, along with the dried red chillies and garlic cloves; sauté till the garlic starts becoming golden.
  4. Next, add the sauces and honey, bringing it all together.
  5. Add water to increase the volume of the sauce, and also to prevent it from getting too thick. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.
  6. Add in the crispy fried wings; start tossing. Then add in the sliced spring onion.
  7. Toss it all together and finish it with the cornflour dissolved in water to thicken the sauce and give the wings a lovely sheen.
  8. Garnish with sliced spring onions and toasted sesame seeds, and serve!