Crispy Chinese Five-Spice Chicken Wings Recipe
Chicken wings marinated in a mix of five-spice powder, garlic, and soy sauce, then baked until the skin is deeply crispy. It’s a perfect dish for a party or movie night – in China, similar snacks are popular in bars and at street stalls, a bit like grilled wings where we live.
Five-spice powder is a classic Chinese seasoning blend that balances sweetness, bitterness, heat, sourness, and saltiness. Here it evokes the flavor of wings from Chinese street grills, but adapted to a home oven method.
These wings combine the aromatic depth of Chinese five-spice with a sticky, caramelised glaze and extra-crispy skin. They’re easy to make in the oven yet taste like a bar snack straight from a street stall.
Why this version works
- A long marinade with five-spice, garlic, and ginger flavors the meat all the way to the bone.
- Roasting on a rack or very hot tray lets the fat drip off and creates a drier, crisper skin.
- Brushing with the reserved marinade during baking builds up a caramelized, slightly sticky glaze.
Chef's tips
Dry the wings very thoroughly before marinating – excess moisture prevents the skin from getting really crispy. For even better texture, you can leave the marinated wings uncovered in the fridge for an extra few hours so the skin dries slightly. Use a rack over a tray if possible: the hot air circulates better and the fat drips off, which also helps with crispiness.
How to serve
Serve piled high on a large platter, sprinkled generously with sesame seeds and chives. Add small bowls of chili sauce, sweet chili sauce, or a garlic yogurt dip. They go well with cold beer, iced tea, or sparkling water with lime. For a more filling meal, serve with jasmine rice and a quick stir-fried vegetable side.
Watch out for
- Don’t crowd the wings – if they touch, they’ll release more liquid and the skin will stay soft.
- With the grill/broiler function on, honey caramelizes quickly – check the oven every 1–2 minutes.
- Don’t pour all the marinade onto the tray – too much liquid will start to simmer and soften the skin.
Substitutions
- If you don’t have five-spice powder, use a smaller amount of a mix of cinnamon, star anise, cloves, and pepper.
- You can replace the honey with maple syrup or brown sugar, watching the caramelization closely.
- Instead of chili flakes, use a hot chili sauce, adding it to the marinade gradually.
Ingredients
- chicken wings cut at the joints, tips can be removed - 1 kg
- soy sauce - 4 tablespoons
- honey - 2 tablespoons
- rice vinegar - 1.5 tablespoons
- oil - 2 tablespoons
- Chinese five-spice powder Chinese blend; can be bought ready-made - 2 teaspoons
- garlic pressed - 4 cloves
- fresh ginger grated - 2 cm
- chili flakes optional, for heat - 0.5 teaspoons
- salt to taste - 0.5 teaspoons
- white sesame seeds for sprinkling after baking - 1 tablespoon
- chives chopped, for serving - 2 tablespoons
Preparation
- Wash the wings and pat them very thoroughly dry with paper towels, including in the creases around the joints – the surface should look matte, not damp. If they are whole, cut them at the joints and trim off the thin tips, saving them for stock.
- In a large bowl, mix the soy sauce, honey, vinegar, oil, five-spice powder, grated garlic, ginger, chili flakes, and salt until the honey is completely dissolved. The marinade should be smooth, slightly thick, and smell strongly of anise and garlic.
- Add the wings to the marinade and coat them thoroughly, rubbing the sauce into the bends as well. Cover the bowl or seal the meat in a bag, squeeze out excess air, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably 8–12 hours – the meat will noticeably darken in that time.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C, top and bottom heat. Line a baking tray with parchment or set a rack on top and lightly grease it – the fat will drip down and the skin will dry and brown more easily; when you open the door it should feel distinctly hot.
- Remove the wings from the marinade, letting the excess drip back into the bowl. Arrange the meat in a single layer, skin side up, leaving gaps between the pieces – you should be able to see the tray between them, otherwise the wings will start to steam.
- Place the tray in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Then take it out, brush the wings with some of the reserved marinade, turn them over, and bake for another 10 minutes, until the meat at the ends starts to pucker slightly and pull away from the bone.
- Turn the wings skin side up again, brush with a thin layer of marinade, and bake for another 5–10 minutes, until the skin is deep golden, with some brown spots, and clearly drier to the touch rather than smooth and greasy.
- If you want the skin even more charred, turn on the grill/broiler to 230–240°C for 3–5 minutes, watching closely – the edges should only darken slightly and not burn black. The finished wings will make a dry “click” when you tap the skin.
- After taking them out of the oven, rest the wings for 3–5 minutes so the juices settle. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and chopped scallions, and serve while the skin is still distinctly crisp and the meat comes off the bone easily.
Storage
No storage information available for this dish.
This is one of those recipes that disappears from the table almost instantly. The marinade is very forgiving – you can adjust the sweetness, saltiness, and heat to your taste, and the wings will still come out beautifully caramelised and fragrant.
