Sticky Chinese-influenced chicken wings with a glaze inspired by the majesty that is takeaway spare ribs. Air Fryer and Oven Instructions.
These wings will take around 45 minutes to prepare and cook if you are using an air fryer and just over 1 hour if you are cooking them in an oven.
"Spare Rib" Glazed Wings
I love chicken wings, and my site is littered with recipes with diverse global flavours. Everything from Japanese teriyaki wings to European lemon and pepper chicken wings, and American buttermilk fried chicken wings to Korean-influenced chicken wings.
My chicken wings recipe visits the flavours of the Chinese takeaway; they are coated with the same glaze as my takeaway-style spare ribs!
A glaze that combines hoisin sauce and ketchup with honey, vinegar and soy sauce. The wings themselves are cooked with garlic, Szechuan pepper and five-spice before being glazed.
They are delicious, sticky, and all sorts of moreish, and just like most of my wing recipes, I give you a couple of cooking options.
So you get to choose between cooking them in the oven or in an air fryer; the latter is my usual choice, because it is incredibly easy to get them perfect every time!
This dish will go from your fridge to your table in around 45 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these better air-fried or baked?
In terms of the final dish, there is very little to choose between them.
The air fryer is the most "efficient" way of cooking them; however, if you are cooking them with wedges or potatoes, then baking them in the oven often ends up being the better option.
Can I use this glaze on other pieces of chicken?
Yes, knock yourself out, naturally, you will need to cook leg meat or breast meat differently, but the glaze works perfectly.
Can I make this in advance?
You can, although I tend not to!
To reheat them, wrap them in a foil tent and cook them in the oven or air fryer until piping hot. Then tear open the tent and cook for another few minutes to get some crispy bits.
What is Chinkiang vinegar?
Chinkiang vinegar is a black rice vinegar, and it has a more complex and "rounder" flavour profile than regular rice vinegar.
It is my go-to choice for rice vinegar, but you can substitute it for any rice vinegar.
Serving Suggestions
For me, wings usually get served with some form of potato/chip side dish, and this Chinese-influenced number is no different!
They are pictured here with some oven-baked potato wedges, which I cooked at the same time as the wings.
They would be awesome with some chip shop style chips served without the vinegar, or even some fried straw potatoes.
If you have an air fryer with two drawers, then some air fryer French fries would be perfect too.
Equipment Used
I only mention brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Oven or Air Fryer.
- Hob/Stovetop.
- A baking tray and a grid if you are cooking this in an oven.
- Tin foil is useful if you are baking these wings, as it will cut down on the washing up.
- Mixing bowls.
- Kitchen tongs.
- Whisk.
- Chopping board and kitchen knife: only required if your wings are not separated.
- A combination of weighing scales, a measuring jug, measuring cups and spoons.
Chinese Chicken Wings Recipe with a Spare Rib Style Glaze
Ingredients
For the Wings:
- 1 kg Chicken Wings 14-16 Wings broken into drumettes and winglets
- 1 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice
- 1 teaspoon Szechuan Peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon Onion Granules
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Granules
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ⅛ teaspoon White Pepper
- Spray Oil Use a few "squirts"
For the Glaze:
- 75 ml Hoisin Sauce ⅓ Cup
- 50 ml Tomato Ketchup 3 tablespoon + 1 Tsp
- 20 g Honey 1 Tbsp
- 1½ tablespoon Chinkiang Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
- ½ tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce
- ⅛ teaspoon MSG Optional
Instructions
- Heat a small frying pan over a medium high heat and toast the Szechuan peppercorns for a minute or two, then transfer them to a pestle and mortar (or spice grinder) and grind them.
- Combine the ground Szechuan pepper with the remaining spices for the wings in a small bowl.
- Place the wings in a large mixing bowl, sprinkle over the spice mix and toss to coat.
Air Fryer Cooking Instructions:
- Spray the basket of the air fryer with oil.
- Add the seasoned chicken wings to the basket of an air fryer and cook for 20 minutes at 160°C or 320°F, shake them halfway through.
- Now is the ideal time to make the sauce (See Further down the recipe)
- Turn up the heat to 200°C or 400°F and cook for another 10 minutes.
- Transfer the wings to a bowl, pour over the sauce (see below for the sauce instructions) and toss to coat.
- Return to the air fryer and cook for another 3-5 minutes at 200°C or 400°F.
Oven Cooking Instructions:
- Arrange the chicken wings "presentation" side down on a baking rack placed on top of a baking tray. I like to give the upper sides of the wings a little spray with cooking oil at this point.Lining the tray with foil reduces the washing up.
- Cook the wings in the oven for 30 minutes at 130ºC or 250ºF.
- Remove the chicken wings, crank the heat up to 200ºC or 400ºF, flip the wings and return them to the oven for 15 minutes.
- Transfer the wings to a large mixing bowl and pour over the sauce (see below for the sauce instructions) and toss to coat. Return the wings to the tray and baking grid, then pop them back into the oven for a final 10-12 minutes. If you have a fan-assisted oven, flipping over to this mode now gives the best results.
For the Sauce:
- Add all of the ingredients for the sauce/glaze to a 15cm or 6" saucepan and bring it to a boil over a medium high heat.When the sauce is boiling, reduce the heat to low and keep the glaze warm until the wings are ready to be glazed.
