Baked Chinese Hot Wings

It’s hard not to love wings. But some wings are better than others. Unfortunately, so many are fried, which is not always the healthiest option and takes a ton of oil to make. But there’s a shortcut.

That’s why my Chinese Baked Hot Wings should be on your table. When you bake wings the right way, they come out with a crunchy and crispy exterior while retaining perfect juiciness within. Just like fried, but better, because they don’t skimp on flavor but they save you tons in calories.

I marinated the wings with a spice savory sauce, then finished with a hot, sweet, and spicy glaze. You can’t miss this one if you like bold tasting wings!

Secret ingredient

Doubanjiang

My secret is to use doubanjiang for the marinade and the dipping sauce. It’s a Chinese fermented spicy bean paste which helps keep the meat juicy while adding a spicy and fermented savory umami to the wings.

Baking powder

Baking powder helps baked wings turn out extra crispy. It raises the pH level of the chicken skin, which breaks down proteins and speeds up browning in the oven. The starch in baking powder also absorbs surface moisture, so as the wings bake, the skin dries out and crisps up, mimicking the texture of deep-fried wings without the oil.

How to make

It’s super easy to make these crispy baked wings, but you do need to get organized and marinate the wings beforehand. The longer you marinate the wings, the more flavorful they will become.

1. Mix the marinade in a big bowl. Toss the wings with the marinade. Marinate overnight in the fridge or at room temperature for at least one hour.

2. Mix the dry rub. Pat dry the marinated chicken wings before tossing the marinated wings with the dry rub. It is very important to dry out the wings, so they yield a crispy texture after baking.

3. Bake at 250°F for 30 minutes. This process slowly cooks the inside of the chicken so it remains juicy. The fat is rendered off from the skin. Then bake at 450°F for another 15 minutes, to crisp up the skin.

4. Cook the dipping sauce during baking the chicken. Saute the doubanjiang and ginger until fragrant, then cook with vinegar and Shaoxing wine. Once done, add honey and blend the sauce with an immersion blender until smooth. 

5. Once the wings are baked, they will be crispy on the outside and extra juicy inside. The dipping sauce is on the salty side, due to the doubanjiang. I highly recommend brushing a thin layer of the sauce onto the wings instead of dipping the wings in the sauce.

Also, don’t forget to save the leftover sauce for later. It goes well with other leftover meat, such as rotisserie chicken. It is also a perfect veggie dipping sauce.

Afterthought

While these would certainly be a party pleaser, my Chinese baked hot wings are a perfect, welcome treat any night of the week. They’ve got the same appeal as deep fried hot wings but they’re much easier to cook at home, and not to mention, much healthier, too. Turn on your favorite Netflix shows and snack on these wings with some cold beer, and you’ll have a great party going in no time.

Frequently asked questions

Is it possible to sub the wings for drumsticks? If so, does the cooking time change?

You can! Depending on the size of your chicken drumsticks, I would add cooking time. If they are on the larger end, bake at 250°F for 40 to 50 minutes. If they are small, follow the recipe as it is.

More delicious Chinese appetizer recipes

• Salt and Pepper Shrimp
• Crispy Marinated Tofu
• Chinese Bang Bang Chicken
• Barter-Worthy Spam Musubi
• Sichuan Spicy Wonton in Red Oil

Chinese Baked Hot Wings

By Maggie Zhu

5 from 9 votes

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Marinate time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 2 hours hours

Servings: 4 to 6

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Learn how to make Chinese baked hot wings that have a crisp outer texture with a savory spicy heat. They’re perfect for game days, parties, or any time you’re craving wings. Brush them with my homemade honey hot sauce – they are literally finger-lickering good!

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

• 3 lbs chicken wings
• Oil spray

Marinade

• 1/4 cup Doubanjiang
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon ginger powder

Dry Rub

• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon chili flakes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon ginger powder

Hot Sauce (*Footnote 1)

• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1/4 cup Doubanjiang
• 1 " ginger , grated
• 4 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 green onion , sliced

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Instructions

Marinade

• Combine all the marinade ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Add the chicken wings and toss with your hands (or a pair of tongs), until the chicken is evenly coated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Marinate for at least an hour at room temperature, or overnight in the fridge.
• (Optional) Before cooking, take the top off of your marinating container and place it in the fridge, uncovered, for an hour. This will help dry out the outer layer of this skin to encourage crisping when baked.

Bake

• Preheat the oven to 250°F (120°C).
• Combine the dry rub ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
• Pat dry the marinated chicken with kitchen paper towels, and remove the large pieces of chili pepper from the Doubanjiang. Place the chicken wings in the dry rub bowl and toss to coat evenly.
• Line a baking tray with foil and place a wire rack on top. Spray the rack with oil and spread the wings evenly across it.
• Bake at 250°F for 30 minutes.
• Turn the oven up to 450°F and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
• After 15 minutes, flip the wings to allow the bottom to crisp up, 5 to 10 minutes.

Hot sauce

• While baking the chicken, heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the doubanjiang and ginger and saute until fragrant, around 30 seconds.
• Add the vinegar and Shaoxing wine. Cook until some moisture is evaporated, about a minute.
• Remove the sauce from the heat and pour it into a tall glass. Add the honey. Mix with an immersion blender until it forms a smooth sauce. Depending on the thickness of your Doubanjiang, you might need to add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water to the sauce to get the desired texture.

Serve

• Once the wings are cooked, remove them from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes before serving.
• To serve, brush a thin layer of sauce onto the wings (*Footnote 2) and garnish with green onions. Enjoy!

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Notes

1. The recipe yields more sauce than needed, so it will blend better with an immersion blender. You don’t need to double the sauce if you plan to cook a double batch of chicken wings.
2. The hot sauce is on the salty side. Brushing a thin layer of sauce onto the wings will yield a better taste than dipping the wings into the sauce directly.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 478kcal, Carbohydrates: 10.2g, Protein: 65.8g, Fat: 17.6g, Saturated Fat: 4.7g, Cholesterol: 202mg, Sodium: 598mg, Potassium: 575mg, Fiber: 0.2g, Sugar: 9.3g, Calcium: 38mg, Iron: 3mg

Did you make this recipe?

I’d love to hear how it turned out for you! Please take a moment to leave a 5-star rating ⭐️ and share your thoughts in the comments further down the page. It really helps others discover the recipe too.

And if you snapped a photo, don’t forget to tag @omnivorescookbook on Instagram. I can’t wait to see your creations!

Lilja Walter is a part of the Omnivore’s Cookbook team and worked closely with Maggie to develop and test this recipe.