Chinese Takeout-Style Chicken Wings Recipe

There are many types of fried chicken out there, but how exactly do Chinese chicken wings differ from their Buffalo or BBQ counterparts? "White pepper is much preferred over black pepper for that authentic Asian flavor," Eric Ngo explains, who developed this recipe for chicken wings that remind you more of your favorite Chinese takeout spot rather than something you'd get at a sports bar. "Also, using cornstarch will balance out the crispy-to-chewy texture of Asian fried chicken." 

In this recipe, there's a marinade that gives the chicken a savory punch, and the wings (which are fried twice to ensure extra crispiness) get tossed with some diced and stir-fried vegetables for extra texture and flavor. What's not to like? If you're used to serving your friends a platter of Buffalo wings on game night, get ready to blow their minds when you present them with these Chinese chicken wings instead.

In addition to chicken wings, you'll need a variety of sauces, seasonings, and veggies. Specifically, you'll need both light and dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, white pepper, salt, sugar, cooking wine, garlic salt, flour, cornstarch, and vegetable oil for frying. In addition to that, you'll need garlic, green onion, green and red bell pepper, shallot, and red chile.

The most important part of fried chicken wings isn't the sauce you toss it in — it's what you use to season the meat. Here, you mix together a marinade of light and dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, Chinese cooking wine, salt, sugar, and white pepper. Cover your chicken with it, then pop it in the fridge for at least an hour. "You can marinate up to 24 hours," Ngo adds. 

Once your meat has marinated, combine the flour and cornstarch and coat each chicken wing in the mixture.

Make sure you have a wire rack ready (ideally with a towel or sheet pan underneath to catch any excess oil), and fill a large pot or Dutch oven with frying oil. Heat it to 300 F, then add the wings in, making sure not to crowd the pan. Take the wings out after about 5 minutes, increase the heat of the oil to 350 F, and put them back in for another couple of minutes. "The first fry is mainly to cook the meat; the second fry is to crisp up the skin even further by frying in hotter oil for a shorter amount of time," Ngo explains.

While your wings are cooling, heat some oil in a wok or large pan over medium heat. Toss in your veggies (bell peppers, shallots, garlic, green onion, and red chile) and briefly stir-fry. Then, toss the wings in so everything's combined. Finally, give everything a nice sprinkle of white pepper and garlic salt.

Your wings have been marinated, fried, fried again, tossed with veggies, and seasoned. Take a moment to congratulate yourself on a job well done — it's now time to dig into your crispy homemade Chinese chicken wings. "I like to pair this with pickled vegetables. A personal favorite is Korean cucumber salad," Ngo notes. And if you end up with more wings than you know what to do with? "Air frying is the best way to reheat [them]. 300 F for 5 minutes," he recommends.