Aunty Jenny's Braised Chicken Wings

Pailin Chongchitnant • May 3, 2019

Jump to video!

Aunty Jenny is my Chinese mother-in-law, and this is something she makes ALL the time. And we love it because it looks like a luxurious stew that took time and effort to make, yet it's really quick and easy. I don't know if this is a traditional Chinese dish, but I do know it is delicious! Chicken wings are braised with sweet caramelized onions, so the chicken comes out tender and the onions practically melt in your mouth.

Key to Flavourful Wings 

The recipe starts out with searning the chicken wings until well browned. Even though once the wings are braised you may not see the searing job you did, and you may be tempted to just skip it, don't! It is super important because that browning of the skin adds so much flavour—think the flavour of fried chicken skin VS boiled chicken skins...yeah, a LOT of flavour. So take the time to really get a beautiful sear.

Key to Tender Wings

Wings are small and technically can cook in just a few minutes, but in this recipe we want more than just "cooked". We want tender, which means we need to braise them. Braising is when you cook meat gently in a liquid for an extended period of time until the meat is fork tender. So as the meat cooks it goes from raw, to cooked, to overcooked, and then eventually to scrumptiously tender.

If we were doing red meat, this would take hours, but luckily for wings, it only takes 20 minutes! And this time also allows for flavour to penetrate the meat for a thoroughly flavourful wings. Not to mention the onions cook and become sweet and melty!

The Perfect Freezer Meal

Yes, you can freeze this dish! And it thaws and reheats so perfectly you couldn't tell the difference. Make the recipe as is, no need to modify anything, and freeze. You can let it thaw in the fridge first overnight (my preferred method) then microwave, or just microwave it from frozen. If using the microwave to reheat, I would stir it a few times in between for a more even heating. You can add some fresh green onions or cilantro to it after reheating to bring back some freshness, but otherwise, just eat! You can also freeze some rice to go with it so it can be a ready-made-meal for you.

Bonus content for Patreon members: For this episode I share a cooking time guideline for braising different types of meat, a useful thing to know for sure!  Click here to learn more about becoming a Patreon member.

Watch The Full Video Tutorial!

All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video below to ensure success - and if you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!

Print
Braised chicken wings with caramelized onions

Braised Wings with Caramelized Onion

Ingredients

  • 750g chicken wings
  • 2 Tbsp soy sauce
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • 2 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 - 2 tsp dark soy sauce
  • 1 large onion, cut into strips
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 5 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 -inch pc ginger, finely minced
  • 1 ½ Tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1 ½ Tbsp Chinese cooking wine (optional)
  • ½ tsp black or white pepper
  • About ½ cup water
  • 1 - 2 green onions
  • A squeeze lemon or lime juice (optional)
  • Jasmine rice for serving

Ingredients & Kitchen Tools I Use

Instructions

  1. Marinade chicken in soy sauce and sugar for at least 30 mins or overnight.
  2. Dry off excess liquid from chicken with paper towel, then add cornstarch and toss until evenly distributed.
  3. In a large heavy-bottomed skillet or pot (something with a lid), add enough oil to coat the bottom and heat over medium high heat.
  4. Once oil is hot, sear wings until well browned on both sides. Do not crowd the pan, you will likely need to do this in 2 batches. Once browned (inside will be raw, that's okay), remove wings from pan and set aside.
  5. In the same pan, add onions and salt and saute over medium high heat until onions are browned, deglazing with water as you notice brown bits forming on the bottom of the pan. You will need to deglaze a few times as you go. Do not worry about onions being super soft at this point, focus on browning as the onions will have time to soften later.
  6. Once browned, add garlic and ginger and saute for another 1 minute.
  7. Add chicken, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, Chinese cooking wine and just enough water so it comes halfway up the chicken. Cover and cook on low heat for 20-25 minutes or till chicken is fork tender.
  8. Taste and adjust seasoning. If you want, add a little squeeze of lemon juice to brighten up the flavour of the sauce. 
  9. Stir in green onions and serve with rice.

Join us on Patreon for bonus content & rewards!

A weeknight recipe that's luxurious tasting yet quick and easy to make! Tender chicken wings and soft caramelized onions braised in a flavourful sauce with soy sauce. #chickenwings #chineserecipe #weeknightmeals #hothaikitchen #wingrecipe

Tom Kha Gai ต้มข่าไก่ (Thai coconut chicken soup)

By Pailin Chongchitnant • May 7, 2022
Tom yum goong maybe the most famous soup of Thailand, but its milder creamier sister, tom kha gai , is my personal favourite. This comforting Thai coconut chicken soup recipe is infused with the classic Thai herbs: lemongrass, galangal, and makrut (kaffir) lime leaves. It's so easy yet so loveable that when someone asks, "I'm new to Thai food, what should I try/make first?" Tom kha gai is my answer.

No-Bake Icebox Mango Pie (Filipino Mango Royale)

By Pailin Chongchitnant • May 6, 2022
If you love mangoes, and you love mango desserts, Mango Royale, aka Mango Float, is an absolute must-try; right after mango and sticky rice , of course! It's a frozen Filipino dessert that takes advantage of peak-of-the-season mangoes, and uses only 5 ingredients. There's no baking involved, and it's so easy it's essentially fool-proof!

How to Save Your Basil - Thai Basil Stir Fry Sauce Recipe

By Pailin Chongchitnant • April 22, 2022
I LOVE all kinds of basil, but I don't love how quickly it goes bad and that it doesn't freeze well. So I came up with this recipe as a way to use up any amount of basil you have on hand . It's an easy and versatile sauce that only uses pantry staples, and can be stored in the fridge for at least a week. Reheat it and pour onto any cooked protein, or use it as a stir fry sauce - or heck, you can even use it as gravy for your mashed potatoes. It can also be made vegan. The possibilities are endless!

No-Machine Soft Ice Cream Bars - Thai Tea Flavor

By Pailin Chongchitnant • April 8, 2022
Imagine this: soft and creamy ice cream bars that you didn't need to whip or churn. All you have to do is cook the ice cream base, pour it into a mold, then cut it into pieces. And it's so soft your teeth will glide right through it as you take a bite, and it's wonderfully chewy. Yes, chewy.

3-Chili Thai Basil Fried Rice Recipe

By Pailin Chongchitnant • March 25, 2022
I wanted a fried rice recipe that really celebrates the flavours of chilies - not just their heat. This fried rice features not one, not two, but three different types of chilies, combined with the fragrance of Thai basil to tie it all together! And no, it doesn't make this dish overwhelmingly spicy, and you can indeed customize the heat level while still preserving all the delicious chili flavour. It's not something I created out of thin air, but a traditional Thai dish (with a couple of tweaks from me)!

What is Oyster Sauce And Which is the Best One?

By Pailin Chongchitnant • March 8, 2022
If you love cooking Asian food, oyster sauce is probably already in your kitchen. But do you know if the one you have is a "good one”? And is the expensive oyster sauce you bought (or didn't buy) worth the splurge?

Tom Yum Soup (Tom Yum Goong) Recipe

By Pailin Chongchitnant • March 3, 2022
With over 3 million views on YouTube, this recipe is one of the most popular, and an OG, on Hot Thai Kitchen. This world-famous tom yum soup is universally loved; and with this authentic recipe I promise you can make it as good as, if not better than, the ones in restaurants. It's one of the first dishes I learned to make as a child because it's so easy, making this a great first Thai dish to try!

Authentic Thai Green Curry Chicken

By Pailin Chongchitnant • March 1, 2022
Thai green curry chicken is my most popular recipe on the YouTube channel with over 4 million views . If you want a completely authentic recipe, and one that maximizes deliciousness, this is it right here. It is one of the best known dishes of Thai cuisine, and despite its complex flavours, it is actually quite easy to make at home. It's also gluten free, and adaptable for vegans!

Pad See Ew with Rice Vermicelli

By Pailin Chongchitnant • February 21, 2022
Pad see ew is one of the most well-known and well-loved Thai dishes, but most people only know of the more common version of pad see ew that uses fresh wide rice noodles (ho fun). This version however uses thin rice vermicelli, and it's the one that I actually grew up eating in Thailand. It’s an incredibly fast dish to make; from the time I get up to cook to the time I sit down to eat, it takes only 20 minutes! You can even watch me prep and cook it all up in real time in the video tutorial below just to see how fast it really is!

Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken with Nuoc Cham

By Pailin Chongchitnant • February 7, 2022
Easy, delicious, and versatile; what else could you ask for in a chicken recipe? Lemongrass chicken is a staple menu item in Vietnamese restaurants in Canada, and one that my husband gets all the time - which is why I was inspired to recreate it. It is so quick to prepare, kid-friendly, can last you the whole week in the fridge (yay meal prep), and you can grill or broil it!
More Posts
Share by: