Make a Chinese takeout classic at home! These deep-fried chicken wings are marinated and fried until GBD -- golden brown delicious! A simple, savory marinade of sesame oil, corn starch, soy sauce, and spices make these super crispy Chinese fried chicken wings juicy and flavorful. Every bite tastes just like the takeout classic!
In South Florida, aka the Lost Borough of New York, we were spoiled with a great Chinese takeout spot just across the street of our old apartment so we'd just walk over for a casual night of wings, fried rice, and Mario Kart. Two bags of wings, hot oil splotching up a brown paper bag and I'd burn the ever loving eff out of my fingers trying to eat them on the walk back.
You're going to love this recipe, specifically because it took me right back to burning the eff out of my fingers walking back into my neighborhood. They were too good to not just devour fresh from the fryer.
We may live in the countryside now, but we are only a bit away from Washington, D.C. where Chinese restaurants are aplenty and we have taken the drive several times to get that crispy wing fix. And in D.C., your local Chinese restaurant takes their wings seriously. With mumbo sauce.
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Jump to:
- Restaurant Style Chinese Takeout Wings
- Why is Chinese fried chicken so crispy?
- Ingredients Needed for Chinese Fried Wings
- How to Make Crispy Chinese Chicken Wings
- Pro Tips for the Best Chinese Wings
- Storage and Reheating
- Equipment I Used
- FAQs
- More Chicken Wing Recipes
- Chinese Fried Chicken Wings (Chinese Takeout Copycat)
Restaurant Style Chinese Takeout Wings
While we were developing this homemade Chinese fried chicken wings recipe we took some things into consideration: infusing these wings with those classic takeout flavors, getting that authentic crispy texture, and making the recipe simple enough for anyone to make at home.
And honestly, I think we really did it! Y'all know my husband is a newbie cook, but he is hella confident in cooking this recipe any time I'm craving wings. That says a LOT.
The chicken wings get marinated in a savory mix of Chinese seasonings and flavors, then deep fried to peak crispiness. It really can't be easier than that!
Why is Chinese fried chicken so crispy?
Many Chinese take-out dishes have a coating that gives us that addictive crunch, while also making the meat juicy and tender. This technique is called velveting, and it's often used in stir fries and dishes like Mongolian Beef.
Velveting needs an alkaline ingredient, like baking powder or egg whites, to tenderize the protein. With the addition of liquids and corn starch, the marinade creates a complex structure that locks in moisture! And when it's fried, it makes a thin crust on the chicken skin that's obscenely crisp, y'all.
Ingredients Needed for Chinese Fried Wings
Full ingredients, measurements, and printable instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Chicken Wings - Use party wings (flats and drums separated) or if you're not a flats-fiend like me, go classic with whole wings.
- Cornstarch + egg and a yolk - these are our velveting ingredients! You can swap the cornstarch for rice flour or potato starch, which will give that thin and crispy crust.
- Rice Vinegar - this acid is a classic flavor in Asian cuisine, you'll find it often in things like sushi rice!
- Sesame Oil - toasted sesame oil has a nutty flavor that is a must have in this.
- Chinese Five Spice - this is a blend of cinnamon, cloves, fennel seed, star anise, and peppercorns. It gives a classic warm flavor with a bit of licorice, and this hint of five spice will make you say 'that's that flavor I was looking for!'. I know I did, haha!
- Soy Sauce - Not only does the salt help season and give juiciness while marinating, but soy sauce also has umami savoriness.
- Spices - Sugar, Salt, Black Pepper, Ground Ginger, Garlic Powder, and Onion Powder!
- Shaoxing Wine - this is a Chinese cooking wine with a deep complex flavor.
- Vegetable Oil - if you want the real secret to the fried foods in restaurants, it'll be peanut oil. But because that allergy is so common (even I have it!) I use another high heat oil like canola oil or vegetable oil.
How to Make Crispy Chinese Chicken Wings
Step 1 | Pat the wings dry, then add them to a large zip top bag with all the marinade ingredients. Massage it in well.
Step 2 | Add the egg, yolk, and cornstarch to the bag and massage again to really incorporate these ingredients. Let the wings marinate for 2 hours.
Step 3 | Fill a fryer or a large heavy bottom pot with at least 3 inches worth of vegetable oil to fry in. Heat the oil to 325 degrees F. Fry the wings in your pot of oil in small batches, no more than 4-5 wings at a time, for 5-7 minutes.
Step 4 | Use an Asian spider spoon or tongs to remove the wings from the oil. Let them drain on a wire rack that's over a baking sheet lined with paper towels to remove the excess oil.
Step 5 | Serve your Chinese-style chicken wings with your favorite take out sides like crispy french fries, pork fried rice or vegetable fried rice, and definitely with hot sauce or Mumbo sauce, a D.C. must-have.
Pro Tips for the Best Chinese Wings
- Thicker crust - the velveting technique makes a thin, crispy crust. If you want it thicker, make it a 50/50 mix of cornstarch and all-purpose flour.
- Double deep fried chicken wings - this is how my husband likes his wings, 'fried hardt' as we say. You'll want to make that thicker crust of 50/50 starch and flour, then fry the wings in two stages: first for 4 minutes, then again for another 3 minutes.
- You can marinate the chicken wings at room temperature, in fact I recommend it. The marinade tends to stiffen in the fridge, and it's perfectly safe for the wings to stay out for a couple of hours.
- About that Shaoxing Wine... - if you live in a diverse area you may be able to find it at a local grocery store, but if not, try the Asian grocery stores around your city or find it online. Can't find it at all? Replace it with dry sherry or omit it in a pinch!
Storage and Reheating
Store the fried wings in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
To reheat, you'll want to put the wings in the airfryer at 350ºF for 3-4 minutes, or in the oven at 325 for 10 minutes. These methods will crisp them back up!
Equipment I Used
- Candy Thermometer - this is also called a deep fry thermometer, it's a must have to properly deep fry anything!
- Dutch Oven
- Asian Spider spoon or high-heat-safe slotted spoon
- Paper Towels
- Wire Rack - use this as a cooling rack
FAQs
Mumbo sauce (also called Mambo sauce for legal reasons) is a spicy sauce that can be found in any Chinese restaurant in D.C.! It's like a very loose barbecue sauce mixed with hot sauce, tomato based with vinegar and spices. There is a very popular family-owned company, Capital City Mambo Sauce, that sells it in stores now!
No. This chicken wing batter won't react the same in the oven or air fryer.
More Chicken Wing Recipes
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Chinese Fried Chicken Wings (Chinese Takeout Copycat)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 18 chicken wing segments, or ten whole chicken wings
- 3 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon shaoxing rice wine
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoon rice vinegar, unseasoned
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon Chinese five spice
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- vegetable oil, for frying
Instructions
- Pat the chicken wings dry.18 chicken wing segments
- In a large zip top bag or in a large mixing bowl, mix together the chicken wings with the marinade liquids and spices. Zip up the bag and massage the marinade into the chicken wings with your hands (or mix it well with a wooden spoon in your large mixing bowl).3 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce, 1 tablespoon shaoxing rice wine, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, 2 teaspoon rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon Chinese five spice
- Add the cornstarch, egg, and egg yolk to the zip top bag and seal again. Massage everything together with your hands until it's a homogenous marinade, or stir in well with a spoon in your large mixing bowl, if using that method. Marinate for 2 hours.1 cup cornstarch, 1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk
- Pour enough vegetable oil to be 3 inches deep in your dutch oven or heavy bottom pot. Heat the oil to 325℉, then use tongs to carefully place the marinated chicken wings into the hot oil in small batches, about 5-6 wing segments or 3-4 whole wings at a time.vegetable oil
- Fry for 6-7 minutes then remove from the oil with a heat safe slotted spoon or an Asian spider spoon. Place the fried wings onto a wire rack over a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain any excess oil. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until all wings are fried.
- Serve the wings hot with mumbo sauce or hot sauce!
Recipe Notes
Storage and Reheating
Store the fried wings in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
To reheat, you'll want to put the wings in the airfryer at 350ºF for 3-4 minutes, or in the oven at 325 for 10 minutes. These methods will crisp them back up!
Pro Tips for the Best Chinese Wings
-
- Thicker crust - the velveting technique makes a thin, crispy crust. If you want it thicker, make it a 50/50 mix of cornstarch and all-purpose flour.
-
- Double deep fried chicken wings - You'll want to make that thicker crust of 50/50 starch and flour, then fry the wings in two stages: first for 4 minutes, then again for another 3 minutes.
-
- You can marinate the chicken wings at room temperature, in fact I recommend it. The marinade tends to stiffen in the fridge, and it's perfectly safe for the wings to stay out for a couple of hours.
-
- About that Shaoxing Wine... - if you live in a diverse area you may be able to find it at a local grocery store, but if not, try the Asian grocery stores around your city or find it online. Can't find it at all? Replace it with dry sherry or omit it in a pinch!
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