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How to Make Braised Chicken Wings

Braised chicken wings are a home-style dish that pairs well with rice, featuring a savory-sweet flavor and a glossy red color. Rich in protein, they are moderately difficult to prepare and take approximately 40 minutes to make.

Estimated Cooking Difficulty: ★★★

Essential Ingredients and Tools

  • Fresh chicken wings (wingettes are recommended for more tender meat)
  • Ginger slices (fresh ginger is recommended for better odor removal)
  • Green onion segments (the white part of large green onions is recommended for a richer aroma)
  • Garlic
  • Bay leaves
  • Star anise
  • Dried chili peppers (optional; omit if you do not like spicy food)
  • Rock sugar
  • Yellow rice wine or cooking wine (choose one; yellow rice wine offers a richer flavor)
  • Light soy sauce
  • Dark soy sauce
  • Salt
  • White sugar
  • Pepper powder (white pepper is recommended for a milder spiciness)
  • Toasted white sesame seeds
  • Finely chopped green onions (for garnish)

Quantities

Before each preparation, decide how many servings you want to make. One serving is sufficient for 3-4 people.

Per serving:

  • Fresh chicken wings: 500g (approximately 8-10 pieces, each weighing about 50-60g)
  • Ginger slices: 4-5 slices (approximately 10g, sliced to a thickness of about 2mm)
  • Green onion segments: 2-3 segments (approximately 15g, each segment about 3cm long)
  • Garlic: 3-4 cloves (approximately 15g)
  • Bay leaves: 1 leaf
  • Star anise: 1 piece
  • Dried chili peppers: 2 pieces (optional, approximately 5g; omit if you do not like spicy food)
  • Rock sugar: 15g (in granular form)
  • Yellow rice wine or cooking wine: 35ml
  • Light soy sauce: 15ml
  • Dark soy sauce: 5ml
  • Salt: 3g
  • White sugar: 2g
  • Pepper powder: 1g
  • Toasted white sesame seeds: 3g
  • Finely chopped green onions: 5g
  • Cooking oil: 10-15ml

Instructions

  • Rinse the chicken wings thoroughly. Make three shallow cuts on the thicker parts of the wings with a knife and poke one hole on the back side to help the flavors penetrate.
  • If the chicken wings are not fresh, soak them in ginger water for 10-20 minutes after scoring them.
  • Prepare 10g of ginger slices (3-4 slices), 15g of scallion segments (2-3 segments); crush 3-4 cloves of garlic (about 15g) with the flat side of a knife (no need to mince); set aside 1 bay leaf, 1 star anise, and 2 dried chili peppers (optional).
  • Heat a pot over medium-high heat and add enough water to submerge all the chicken wings. Add the prepared chicken wings to the cold water, along with 20ml of Huangjiu (Chinese yellow wine) or cooking wine, and 2 slices of ginger (about 5g). Bring to a boil over high heat, then maintain high heat for another 2-3 minutes, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface.
  • Remove the chicken wings from the pot and rinse them twice with warm water to thoroughly remove any blood foam. Drain the water and set aside.
  • Heat a clean pot over medium-high heat and add 10-15ml of cooking oil.
  • When the oil reaches 50% heat (approximately 150°C/300°F), add 15g of rock sugar. Stir over high heat until the rock sugar completely melts. Once the sugar changes color, reduce the heat to low and continue frying until the sugar turns a jujube-red color. Immediately add the drained chicken wings and stir-fry quickly for 1-2 minutes to ensure each wing is evenly coated with the caramelized sugar.
  • Add the prepared 1 bay leaf, 1 star anise, 2 dried chili peppers (optional), the remaining 2 slices of ginger (about 5g), 15g of scallion segments, and the crushed garlic. Continue stir-frying for 30 seconds until the aromas of the spices are fully released.
  • Pour 15ml of Huangjiu (Chinese yellow wine) or cooking wine and 15ml of light soy sauce along the side of the pot. Stir-fry quickly for 10 seconds.
  • Add warm water (approximately 50-60°C/122-140°F), enough to just barely submerge all the chicken wings.
  • Add 5ml of dark soy sauce, 3g of salt, 2g of white sugar, and 1g of white pepper. Gently stir to combine using a spatula.
  • Cover the pot and simmer over medium heat for 7-8 minutes.
  • Uncover the pot and use chopsticks to remove and discard the bay leaf, star anise, ginger slices, scallion segments, and garlic.
  • Increase the heat to high and continue stir-frying constantly until the sauce thickens (approximately 1-2 minutes).
  • Turn off the heat, transfer the chicken wings to a plate, and drizzle the remaining thick sauce from the pot over them.
  • Finally, sprinkle with 3g of white sesame seeds and 5g of finely chopped green onions to complete the dish.

Additional Notes

  • If you detect a strong fishy or gamey odor, double the amount of spices used.

If you encounter any issues or have suggestions for improving the process outlined in this guide, please submit an Issue or Pull request.