If you’re looking for a simple yet flavour-packed dish that’s sure to impress, look no further than these Teriyaki Wings. Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and coated in a homemade teriyaki sauce that balances sweetness and savoury goodness. This recipe is the ultimate crowd-pleaser. Whether you’re preparing a quick weeknight meal or serving up snacks for friends and family, these wings offer the perfect combination of textures and flavours.
Table of Contents
- Ingredient Breakdown
- How to Get the Crispiest Chicken Wings
- Perfecting the Cooking Process
- Why Homemade Teriyaki Sauce Is Worth the Effort
- Variations and Customisations
- More Wing Recipes
Ingredient Breakdown
- Chicken wings: The star of the dish, providing the tender yet crispy meat that pairs beautifully with the homemade teriyaki sauce.
- Cornstarch (cornflour): A crucial ingredient for creating a crispy coating on the wings. It helps absorb moisture while aiding in the crisping process.
- Garlic granules: A milder alternative to fresh garlic, adding a subtle garlic flavour without the sharpness.
- Chilli flakes: Optional, but they add a pleasant heat and balance out the sweetness of the teriyaki sauce.
- Ground ginger: Adds a warm, aromatic depth to the wings that complements the teriyaki sauce.
- Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda): This is the secret ingredient for achieving crispy wings. It increases the pH level of the chicken’s skin, helping it to brown and crisp up better.
- Water: Used to create a slurry to thicken the teriyaki sauce.
- Soy sauce: A salty, umami-packed base for the teriyaki sauce.
- Mirin: A sweet rice wine that adds depth of flavour and a subtle sweetness to the sauce.
- Sugar: To enhance the sweetness and balance the saltiness from the soy sauce.
How to Get the Crispiest Chicken Wings
Crispy chicken wings are always a crowd-pleaser. And when it comes to getting that perfect crisp, baking is the way to go. The key to this recipe’s success lies in a double bake. First, a low-temperature bake to dry out the wings, followed by a high-temperature roast to crisp up the skin. But there’s more to it than just the baking method itself.
The bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) plays a critical role in this crispy process. When sprinkled on the wings, it raises the pH of the skin, encouraging it to brown and crisp more effectively. Along with the cornstarch, which helps absorb moisture, these two ingredients work in tandem to create the perfect golden brown exterior. The secret? It’s not just about cooking time. It’s about manipulating the surface of the chicken to maximise texture and flavour.
Perfecting the Cooking Process
Achieving the ideal balance of crispy skin and tender meat in these Teriyaki Wings takes careful attention. The first step is to ensure the chicken is dry before seasoning. Moisture is the enemy of crispiness, so use a clean kitchen towel to pat the wings dry thoroughly. When preparing the wings, remember to season them with cornstarch, garlic granules, ginger, and bicarbonate of soda.
The low-temperature bake at 120°C allows the wings to cook slowly, rendering out excess fat, which contributes to their crispiness. Once they’ve reached the right texture, turn the heat up to 230°C (or 250°C if possible) to give the wings their final crisping. This high-temperature roast is essential to getting that golden-brown perfection. After the wings are finished roasting, let them rest for a few minutes to allow the skin to crisp even more. Following this method ensures that your wings will be perfectly cooked and irresistibly crispy every time.
Why Homemade Teriyaki Sauce Is Worth the Effort
Store-bought teriyaki sauce can often be overly sweet or packed with preservatives. This is why making your own sauce at home gives you full control over the flavour profile. By combining soy sauce, mirin, and sugar, you get the classic balance of salty, sweet, and umami that makes teriyaki sauce so beloved. The addition of cornstarch and water allows you to control the consistency. This transforms the sauce into a glossy, thick coating that adheres perfectly to the wings.
Homemade teriyaki sauce also gives you the freedom to adjust the levels of sweetness and saltiness, ensuring that it complements the wings exactly how you like. Furthermore, making the sauce fresh ensures a clean, pure taste, free of any additives or artificial flavouring. Once it’s reduced to a syrup-like consistency, the sauce clings to the wings, delivering a rich and satisfying bite in every mouthful.
Variations and Customisations
While these Teriyaki Wings are delicious on their own, they are also highly customisable depending on your preferences.
- For a spicier version, increase the amount of chilli flakes or add some finely chopped fresh chillies to the teriyaki sauce. You could even add a bit of sriracha for an extra kick.
- If you prefer a sweeter teriyaki sauce, adjust the sugar and mirin to taste, adding a bit more sweetness to balance the saltiness of the soy sauce.
- Try experimenting with different types of chicken cuts. Though chicken wings are ideal for this recipe, you could also use drumsticks or thighs. The key to making the most of this recipe is to adjust the cooking time based on the size of the chicken pieces.
- Feel free to get creative with your seasonings too; a touch of sesame oil or a sprinkle of sesame seeds can add an extra layer of flavour and texture to these wings.
More Wing Recipes
If you’ve enjoyed the sweet, spicy and utterly addictive flavours in these Teriyaki Wings, here are some more wing recipes for you to give a go:
- Honey Chipotle Chicken Wings: Sweet, sticky and spicy. These wings are finger-licking good! They’re incredibly easy to make and only require a few ingredients.
- Crispy Baked Sriracha Honey Wings: Crispy baked wings finished with a delicious sriracha honey glaze. They’re the perfect combination of sweet and spicy!
- Crispy Baked Buffalo Wings: These wings are the perfect solution for anyone who loves buffalo wings but wants to skip the deep-frying. Crispy, crunchy, and drenched in a tangy, spicy sauce, buffalo wings are a favourite for many.
See how I make all these recipes and more over on my Instagram!
Teriyaki Wings
Crispy chicken wings baked to golden brown perfection and coated in a delicious homemade teriyaki sauce.
The secret to crispy oven-baked wings is twofold: bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) and a double bake. First, bicarbonate of soda increases the alkalinity of the surface of the chicken, which makes it brown and crisp up better and faster. You’re only adding a very small amount – not enough to coat the chicken, but enough to increase its pH. Second, baking your wings at a very low temperature before roasting them on high helps to dry them out and render out some of the fat, which make for delicious, crispy wings. It’s a process, but it’s so worth it!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 kg chicken wings, halved at the joint
- 1 tbsp cornstarch (cornflour)
- 1 tsp garlic granules
- 1 tsp chilli flakes, optional
- ½ ground ginger
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 1 tbsp cornstarch (cornflour)
- 6 tbsps water
- 2 tbsps soy sauce
- 4 tbsps mirin
- 1 tbsp sugar
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 120℃. Place a wire rack in a large baking tray – cooking the wings on the rack rather than directly on the baking tray allows the hot air to circulate around the wings, making for crispier chicken.
- Pat the wings dry with some clean kitchen towel – moisture is the enemy of crispiness! Transfer them to a large bowl.
- Add the corn starch, garlic granules, chilli flakes, ground ginger and bicarbonate of soda to a small bowl and mix until well combined. The mixture doesn’t need any salt – the glaze has enough sodium.
- Sprinkle the seasoning over the chicken and toss with your hands to coat, ensuring that all the wings are seasoned.
- Arrange the wings in a single layer on the wire rack. Bake the wings at 120℃ for 25 minutes then take them out the oven. They will look pale and dry, and that’s the point! Note: they are still raw at this point, so don’t go in for a bite (at this stage, they won’t look appetising so I doubt you’ll want to anyway).
- Increase the oven temperature to 230℃, or, if possible, 250℃. Once your oven is up to temperature, roast the wings for 25 to 30 minutes, turning them around halfway through, or until golden and crisp. Let them rest for a few minutes – this will help them crisp up even more.
- While the wings are resting, make the teriyaki sauce. Whisk together the cornstarch and water until it forms a slurry. Add the remaining ingredients to a small saucepan and whisk to combine. Add the cornstarch slurry and whisk to combine.
- Heat the sauce over high heat and bring to a boil, whisking continuously until the sauce thickens into a syrup. The sauce should easily coat the back of a spoon. Remove the sauce from the heat.
- Transfer the wings to a large bowl. Add the teriyaki sauce and use tongs or a spatula to toss to coat. Serve immediately – enjoy!
