Oyster Sauce Braised Chicken Wings. Tender chicken wings simmered in a savory oyster soy garlic sauce. An quick and easy chicken recipe that serves well as a main dish that the whole family will love! Made of simple ingredients in one pan!
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Tender chicken wings braised in a delicious dark brown sauce containing oyster sauce as the star ingredient, soy sauce, shaoxing wine, rice vinegar, sugar, garlic, ginger, sesame oil and black pepper.
The sauce is deep in umami flavor making it a wonderful companion to these wings. It's best served with steamed rice and veggies.
Growing up, my mother made this Chinese dish for us. Our whole family enjoyed it and us kids would be eyeing the last wing! When there were no more wings left, we'd pour the leftover sauce over our rice for another meal.
It was so good and I still remember the taste of it to this day! It brings back so much nostalgia of sitting at our old wooden dining table as we talked about our day.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
Note: Most Asian grocers will carry these ingredients. You may find some at your select grocery store or online, like on Amazon.
- Chicken wings and drummettes
- Green onions
- Neutral oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil with a high smoke point. Avoid olive oil that has a low smoke point.
- Salt
Braising Sauce
- Oyster sauce: or sub with vegetarian stir fry sauce if you don't like oysters. If you're gluten-free make sure it's a gluten-free version.
- Dark soy sauce: this is thicker and darker than regular soy sauce. But if you don’t have this, substitute with regular soy sauce.
- Regular soy sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce. If you’re gluten-free, substitute with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce.
- Rice wine vinegar
- Shaoxing wine: this is a Chinese rice cooking wine. Or substitute with Dry Sherry. For a non-alcoholic version, substitute with any broth. If you're gluten-free, substitute with rice vinegar or any broth.
- Sugar
- Sesame oil
- Black Pepper
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Cold water
Cornstarch slurry
- Cornstarch
- Cold water
Expert Tips
- Want better tasting chicken wings? Applying 3 tablespoon of salt and rub the wings to clean them of any bacteria and odors.
- Pat the chicken wings dry to allow them to sear better in the oil.
- Brown the chicken wings for more flavor!
- Pre-mix your sauce ahead of time to prevent overcooking the wings.
- Aromatics are key in this dish so don’t skip them!
- Low and slow wins the race! Give these wings some time to simmer over low heat (Level 3/10). This low flame will cook the wings and keep them tender and juicy.
- Make sure to flip wings over to ensure they’re evenly braised.
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine your sauce ingredients as listed above and set aside.
- In a smaller bowl, mix your corn starch slurry and set aside.
- Optional: To prepare your chicken wings, place them in a colander. Apply salt and rub them wings. Then rinse off with water and let the water drain. This cleans the wings making them taste better.
- Pat the wings dry with paper towel.
- Heat vegetable oil in large pan on medium high heat and lower in the wings. Sear wings on both sides for 5 minutes.
- Once browned, add the sauce (do not add the cornstarch slurry yet). Mix well. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes covered.
- In the last minute, uncover and add the cornstarch slurry. Increase the heat to allow the sauce to thicken and reduce. Serve and enjoy!
Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat: microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat.
- Freezer friendly? This can be stored in a freezer friendly bag and frozen up to 3 months or until you see freezer burn. To reheat, defrost it and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop in a pan.
Pairing Ideas
This dish serves well with:
- white or brown rice, cauliflower rice, fried rice, chow mein, lo mein, plain noodles, soup noodles
- egg drop soup, hot and sour soup
- cooked vegetables like bok choy, spicy garlic bok choy, choy sum, gai lan, garlic green beans
FAQ
Yes, you can use other cuts of chicken like chicken drumsticks, chicken thighs or any bone-in, skin-on chicken. These cuts will the same braising time and I recommend a meat thermometer to check when the chicken has reached 165 F for safe consumption.
I wouldn't recommend that or the wings will become crispy rather than tender and braised unless you want them crispy.
📖 Recipe
Easy Oyster Sauce Braised Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken wings about 20-25 wings
- 3 tablespoon salt optional for cleaning the wings
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
Sauce:
- 3 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon regular soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing Cooking Wine
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoon white granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ginger sliced with skin on
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup water cold
Cornstarch slurry:
- 2 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoon water cold
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine your sauce ingredients as listed above and set aside.
- In a smaller bowl, mix your corn starch slurry and set aside.
- Optional: To prepare your chicken wings, place them in a colander. Apply salt and rub them wings. Then rinse off with water and let the water drain. This cleans the wings making them taste better.
- Pat the wings dry with paper towel.
- Heat vegetable oil in large pan on medium high heat and lower in the wings. Sear wings on both sides for 5 minutes.
- Once browned, add the sauce (do not add the cornstarch slurry yet). Mix well. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes covered.
- In the last minute, uncover and add the cornstarch slurry. Increase the heat to allow the sauce to thicken and reduce. Serve and enjoy!
Victoria
This recipe tastes just like from my childhood! I added an onion into the sauce as well and it was perfect. Thank you for sharing!
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe and so glad it brought you back to your childhood memories! What a great idea with the onion addition!
Linda
I have been making this recipe for 30 years - ever since it was first published in Stephen Yan’s “Wok with Yan” cookbook. It is a family favourite and one of my signature comfort food meals. The only additions I have made are to add 6-8 quartered crimini mushrooms and a couple of handfuls of broccoli flowers to the wok in the last 10 minutes of cooking. Absolute gorgeousness!
christieathome
Wonderful to hear, Linda! I remember watching his show when I was very young. Glad this dish is family favourite and thank you for making my recipe 🙂
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
These wings look finger licking fantastic! I loved your idea to pair your homemade oyster sauce with these wings.
Katherine | Love In My Oven
These wings look sooo saucy and delicious. Chicken wings is one thing my whole family enjoys. Yours look like they have so much flavor!