Chinese take-out fried chicken wings are just the same as regular old fried chicken, right?
Wrong. This fried chicken wings recipe is special.
I remember my father used to make a tray full of wings piled high each day at our restaurant and it was never written down but rest assured that this special deep fried chicken wings recipe was in his head and he could make them in his sleep if he had to.
They were pre-fried in the morning and re-fried to order throughout the day, and those mountains would turn into molehills real fast during the lunch, dinner and late night rush hours. Once a week, at the end of the night, we would toss a few into the fryer and serve them with our dinner. No matter what we were having, they were always a favorite.
Do I have to Fry Chicken Wings Twice?
These chicken wings are best when they are fried twice. When frying for the first time, the chicken coating will lose its crispiness quickly because of the juicy chicken. It’s best to let them rest for a period after the first fry to let the juices settle back inside the chicken wing.
Once they are cooled but still warm, you can return them to the fryer for a second fry so they get nice and crispy on the outside. The length of time for the second frying depends upon if you refry when they are still warm, allow them to cool completely, or if you have refrigerated them and allowed them to come up to room temperature. The second fry really makes a difference and trust me, all Chinese takeout restaurants follow this practice.
What do I serve with Fried Chicken Wings?
Serve these tasty fried chicken wings on a nice bed of roast pork fried rice or vegetable fried rice. For me, I actually prefer a bed of white rice with some hot sauce or spicy hot oil, like the one used in our Lanzhou Beef Noodle Soup, but hey, that’s just me.
Sooo, the next time you have a hankering for fried anything and are about to fire up a pot of oil, try this take-out fried chicken wings recipe and let me know what you think!
How to Make Fried Chicken Wings
Combine chicken wings, black pepper, white pepper, garlic powder, salt, sugar, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil and egg in a large mixing bowl. Mix everything until the wings are well-coated. Next, add the cornstarch and all purpose flour and mix again until the wings are coated.
Let the wings marinate for 2 hours at room temperature or in the refrigerator overnight for best results. (If you refrigerate the wings, be sure to let them come to room temperature again before cooking).
After marinating, if it looks like there is liquid in the bowl, be sure to mix them thoroughly again. The wings should be well coated with a thin batter-like coating. If it still looks too watery, add a bit more corn starch and flour. Cornstarch is a key ingredient for these fried chicken wings. For more information, see our post How to use Cornstarch in Chinese cooking.
Fill a medium pot about 2/3 of the way up with oil, and heat it to 325 degrees F.
Check out our Chinese Cooking Tools page to see where to get this thermometer and also for a collection of tools we use in our kitchen!
Fry the wings in small batches for 5 minutes and remove to a sheet pan lined with paper towels. After all of the wings are fried, return them in batches to the oil and fry again for 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels or a cooling rack.
Serve your Chinese fried chicken wings with your favorite hot sauce!
Fried Chicken Wings, Chinese Takeout-Style
Ingredients
- 10 whole chicken wings (washed and pat dry)
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- oil (for frying)
Instructions
- Combine chicken wings, black pepper, white pepper, garlic powder, salt, sugar, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil and egg in a large mixing bowl. Mix everything until the wings are well-coated. Next, add the cornstarch and all purpose flour and mix again until the wings are coated.
- Let the wings marinate for 2 hours at room temperature or in the refrigerator overnight for best results. (If you refrigerate the wings, be sure to let them come to room temperature again before cooking).
- After marinating, if it looks like there is liquid in the bowl, be sure to mix them thoroughly again. The wings should be well coated with a thin batter-like coating. If it still looks too watery, add a bit more cornstarch and flour.
- Fill a medium pot about 2/3 of the way up with oil, and heat it to 325 degrees F.
- Fry the wings in small batches for 5 minutes and remove to a sheet pan lined with paper towels. After all of the wings are fried, return them in batches to the oil and fry again for 3 minutes.
- Drain on paper towels or a cooling rack, and serve with hot sauce!
nutrition facts
Thank you for the secret series pack. It has been SUPER informative and has aided my cooking substantially. Very much appreciated the lessons
Hi Geoff, you’re welcome and glad you enjoyed our series on the secret to Chinese cooking!
Don’t make chicken wings any other way now. Thanks a lot. Now I HAVE to make them like this, even if I want to try something different it seems like a waste of wings
Hi Matt, thank you for your vote of confidence. Enjoy!
Hi, just wondering if you can use the air fryer? And if so, do you need to double fry it?
Hi Czarina, in my opinion, the air fryer is more like oven baking than deep frying so double frying is not needed when using the air fryer.
I made this recipe last night and they were soooooooo juicy and crispy and delicious! I will never, ever order this type of chicken at an Asian restaurant again! The flavor is so spot on that I didn’t need any type of sauce to go with them. I slightly increased the soy sauce and sesame oil called for in the recipe. I also left out the sugar. I am very impressed by the authentic taste and ingredients! I want to send you a “thank you” for your talent! I, too, am a chef and you definitely won me over. Thanks again!
Hi Chef Leslie, thank you for the endorsement! For next time, try a pinch of sugar at least. It really does help in the flavor profile ;-)
I tried this recipe with my mom and we loved it!
Hi Gorp, love that you cooked and enjoyed these chicken wings with your mom!
I have been looking for this recipe! Thank you Bill, just like the wings from my birthplace in Brooklyn, NY! I’ll serve it with pork fried rice, using your Char shiu recipe.
Hi ANNETTE, excellent choice of a roast pork fried rice pairing with these chicken wings – definitely a double classic!
I don’t think I’ll ever purchase wings from the Chinese restaurant anymore!! The wings were amazing and was definitely a hit in my household. Thanks for sharing your recipe!!!!!
Hi LaToya, you’re welcome – keep up the great cooking!
How about 10 minutes first cook 10 minutes second cook so the chicken won’t killz you
Ahhhh i see you like your chicken dry and overcooked David.
Thank you for this yummy recipe!
You’re welcome Jane!
The recipe looks easy and the chicken wing pictures look so delicious. Can I bake the chicken wings instead of deep frying it ? Our family is trying to cut down on fried food
Hi Jill, yes, you can make the chicken wings in the oven.
What temp to bake and how long
Hi Irene, to get a crispy wing, preheat your oven to 475 degrees F, and bake 30 to 40 minutes until crispy.
I put this batter on some sliced tofu (sans egg) and it came out delicious too!
Hi Aj, good thinking to apply our fried chicken wing method on tofu!