Sticky Cantonese Barbecue Baked Chicken Wings Recipe

Looking for a new way to enjoy your wings? Look no further than this recipe for sticky Cantonese barbecue baked chicken wings. Now that football season is upon us, there's more of an excuse than ever to load up on wings. While buffalo wings are the most popular, they're kinda "been there, done that," so why not try something new? Enter the spicy Cantonese barbecue baked chicken wings, which are sure to be a hit at your next gathering.

Recipe developer Kate Shungu came up with this fun wing recipe. "I love how easy it is to make crispy wings in the oven. They have all of the crispiness of fried wings, but they're much easier to make, and you don't have to deal with frying in hot oil," she raves. Shungu also shares why she loves the Cantonese twist. "The skin on crispy chicken wings has an umami-like flavor, so by adding an umami-rich sauce, we are layering the umami flavor." We love the sound of that!

This recipe requires just a handful of ingredients that you will need from the store. Be sure to get split chicken wings, salt, hoisin, ketchup, rice vinegar, honey, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, and fresh ginger. The recipe also calls for a few optional ingredients like sesame seeds and chopped green onions to top your wings.

Once you have those things, you can make these sticky Cantonese barbecue baked chicken wings.

Since you need to use your oven to cook the wings, preheat it to 400 F. Then, take out the wings and sprinkle them with salt. Add the wings to a wire rack, keeping them in a single layer so they don't overlap. Place the wire rack over a sheet pan to collect any drippings that may occur during the cooking time. "The secret technique is using a wire rack to cook the wings," Shungu notes. "The wire rack allows hot air to circulate all around the wings, ensuring they are crispy on all sides."

Once the oven finishes preheating, pop in the tray and back for 40 minutes or until the wings begin to brown.

While the wings are baking, take out a small skillet and add the ingredients for the sauce. This includes hoisin, ketchup, rice vinegar, honey, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, and fresh ginger. Turn the heat to medium, bring the mixture to a simmer, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the sauce slightly thickens. Please note that the sauce will continue to thicken as it cools so it doesn't have to be super thick. 

"The glaze is sweet and tangy, like a Cantonese-inspired bbq sauce," Shungu says of the flavor.

When they are done baking, remove the wings from the oven. Use a pastry brush to coat both sides of the wings with the glaze. Return the wings to the oven and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Let the wings cool for 5 minutes and they will be ready to serve. If you choose to use the optional green onions and sesame seeds, sprinkle them on now and enjoy. While these crispy wings are so good you may not have any leftover, if you do be sure to store them — Shungu says they will keep for 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator and should be reheated in the oven for best results.

We hope you love these sticky Cantonese baked chicken wings!