You don’t hear many murmurs about Coca Cola Chicken Wings in the States these days, but it was all the rage among Asians in the early 1990s. These days, when I sit down to watch my trashy Chinese soap operas, they still write in scenarios of kids requesting Coca Cola Chicken Wings from their parents in intense anticipation of a yummy meal–it’s definitely a reward and incentive!
I tried to find some fun facts about this dish, like who invented it, but I think the jury is still out. Some of the (obvious and not that helpful) contenders cited are the Chinese, the Taiwanese, and the Americans. Provenance aside, one thing that I’m sure of is that these wings are finger-lickin’ good, and I do not use that term lightly.
But you’ve seen the photos, so you knew that.
Perhaps more important is the elephant in the room–we all know that soda is not good for your health. Under normal circumstances, soda is not found in my household at any time. Think of these Coca Cola Chicken Wings as a once-in-a-while treat–kind of like fried chicken or hotdogs. Moreover, this is not an endorsement for Coca-Cola! Any cola will do in this recipe.
So if you were born after the 90’s (or don’t remember much from the 90’s), think of this recipe as a piece of history. Invite a bunch of friends and give this recipe a try so you can see what all the hoopla is about AND save yourself from taking down a batch of Coca-Cola Chicken Wings all by yourself.
Coca Cola Chicken Wings: Recipe Instructions
Wash and clean the chicken wings. Cut the wings at the joint, and pat the chicken dry with a paper towel.
Pre-heat the wok until it starts to smoke. Add the oil, and spread it around to coat the bottom of the wok. Now add the ginger and the chicken wings. Spread out the wing pieces in a single layer, and lightly brown them for a few minutes on each side. The wok should be over high heat.
Now add the cola…
And the Shaoxing wine, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, and (if using), the dried orange peel and cinnamon stick.
Bring it to a boil, cover the lid, and turn down the heat to medium.
Let simmer for 12-15 minutes–until the sauce is almost dry (though there should still be a small pool of sauce at the bottom of the wok). Stir the wings, and add salt to taste.
Now turn up the heat, and quickly stir the wings until the sauce coats each piece. Serve!
Coca Cola Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken wings (900g)
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 3 slices ginger
- 1 can cola
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 1 piece of dried orange peel (optional)
- 1 small cinnamon stick (optional)
- Salt (to taste)
Instructions
- Wash and clean the chicken wings. Cut the wings at the joint, and pat the chicken dry with a paper towel.
- Pre-heat the wok until it starts to smoke. Add the oil, and spread it around to coat the bottom of the wok. Now add the ginger and the chicken wings. Spread out the wing pieces in a single layer, and lightly brown them for a few minutes on each side. The wok should be over high heat.
- Now add the cola, Shaoxing wine, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, and (if using), the orange peel and cinnamon stick. Bring it to a boil, cover the lid, and turn down the heat to medium. Let simmer for 12-15 minutes--until the sauce is almost dry (though there should still be a small pool of sauce at the bottom of the wok). Stir the wings, and add salt to taste.
- Now turn up the heat, and quickly stir the wings until the sauce coats each piece. Serve!
nutrition facts
Hi there! tbh I had no idea this dish existed till I was reading a manga and in a lot of episodes there was this little boy who loved eating coca-cola chicken wings and I was like hmmm I wanna try this lol. I checked your recipe and just by the looks of the ingredients, it looks amazing! but before I make this dish I was wondering what other dish/dishes would be best to eat with these wings as I wanna make a whole meal? Thank you (:
This dish is pretty saucy, sweet and savory. I’d serve it with 1 to 2 vegetable dishes that you can find in our vegetarian recipe index.
Oh my god I’ve just found my favourite ever meal , I’m 60 yrs old and tasted this for the first time , a friend from China said I should try it and I said Coca Cola in a recipe your off your head but oh they were right , whoever dreamt this cooking with coke should get a food Oscar
Hahaha…I know it wasn’t me ;-)
Did some last night but this recipe looks good. I generally use what I have available. Ginger, chilli, garlic, soy, bit oyster sauce, coca cola. Chopped spring onion and chilli after. Delicious! Will try this looks good. Mine changes all the time and what I like to do, after you serve the wings (or chicken portions) the wok has a good amount of sticky goodness in it! I deglaze it with a bit of coke and it makes a great sauce for your boiled rice!
Star anise too sorry most important for me! Gonna try with the orange and cinnamon sounds great will rate it shortly! Thanks
Sounds great, Pete. You certainly know your way around the kitchen! :-)
Hi Judy,
This recipe is great! I only had chicken Marylands in the fridge and used those instead. I think using wings will be better as the skin will absorb the sauce nicely and the meat won’t dry out as quickly – this I will do next time!
Rosalie
For sure, wings are the best part of the chicken for the dish.
These were very good. Would definitely make them again.
Yay!!! \^-^/
I love have try it and it look yummy
Hope you like it!
These look fun!! Just wondering what the best way to be to substitute drumsticks.
Hi Alexis, you can use drumsticks, but please give the drumsticks a few scores lengthwise, so they can cook faster and the sauce can get in as well.
Living in the U.S my entire life I had never heard of these until they were mentioned in a Chinese drama I was watching. After some quick googling I stumbled on your recipe and gave it a try. Needless to say it turned out amazing! My friends loved it as well and were completely baffled when I started pouring coke onto the wings lol. Anyways thanks for the recipe Judy it was great! I think next time I might try adding in red peppers since I like my wings with a little kick.
LOL, Frank, I believe I mentioned watching Chinese dramas in this post––this dish gets mentioned a lot in Chinese dramas. I do like the idea of adding some heat to these wings.
I don’t have a wok. I want to try it. Will any other kind of a pen work? I have stainless steel, non stick T-fal & all kinds of cast iron. Thanks in advance for what sounds & looks like a fabulous treat!
Hi Mary, any thick bottomed pan will work. You are in for a treat :-)