These Soy Garlic Chicken wings are the perfect combination of crispy and tender all in one dish! This recipe is a take on the Korean fried chicken wings you see in every Kdrama and a recipe from Takes Two Eggs with our own little spin to it. There is nothing better than traditional wings covered in a delicious glaze that will be the hit of your next party or the perfect flavorful appetizer for a movie marathon with the whole family! 

I love watching Kdramas and I am still trying to get Simona to watch one with me. But I am sure that if I will try to lure her in with some Korean soy garlic chicken wings like these and some more inspired recipes, I will make it in no time!

These soy garlic chicken wings would be the perfect add on to your favourite bbq recipe and can see them making an appearance beside some peach crostini and lemonade soon in our backyard.

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What is so special about chicken wings?

Well, many people might ask this question and I did the same before trying these soy garlic chicken wings. Wings have never been my favourite bit of chicken, but I get now the hype and why they are such a staple on game day or for a quick delicious snack or dinner.

Just imagine crispy skin, but still tender inside. Small enough to be perfect as a snack or for a quick meal and covered in a sticky soy glaze. Something easy to cook and so versatile, you can have them with sauce, without, you can bake them, fry them or pop them in the basket to get some delicious air fryer chicken wings. 

What ingredients will I need for soy garlic wings?

Everything you will need for these tasty wings is easy to find at any shop. You will start off with chicken wings, garlic, salt, soy sauce, chilli flakes, ginger and rice vinegar for the marinade. Then you will need frying oil and corn starch for the frying part. And lastly, for the soy garlic sauce, you will need honey, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, rice vinegar, cornstarch slurry (cornstarch and water), ginger and minced garlic. To garnish, sesame seeds and freshly chopped green onions. Lush!

Can I substitute anything in this soy garlic chicken wings recipe?

You sure can! This recipe is still quite versatile even with simple ingredients. If you don’t have enough chicken wings, or love a mix, you can also add chicken drumsticks. To substitute regular soy sauce you could go for low-sodium soy sauce, light soy sauce or tamari sauce. If you don’t have rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar can substitute it or mirin. Cornstarch can be substituted with all-purpose flour or potato starch. 

We used peanut oil for frying, but you can use whatever vegetable oil you think works best, just don’t deep fry in olive oil. Fresh garlic adds more flavour, but you could also swap it for garlic powder. Fresh ginger can be swapped with ground ginger and honey for maple syrup, but we haven’t tried that first-hand, so you might have to tweak the amount. You can avoid adding chilli flakes and keep it a non-spicy version, or add even more if you like to taste a kick of flavour. You could also add black pepper to the marinade if you prefer. 

Can I substitute the soy garlic sauce?

You absolutely can! This glaze is the most delicious one I have tried so far, but there’s so much out there. If you are going for a classic Korean fried chicken version, you could go for spicy gochujang sauce, which will add an even tastier kick to it. Or you could go for a sweet and sour sauce, hot honey butter garlic sauce, Korean bbq sauce or teriyaki sauce to mention a few. (Happy Muncher)

What is the secret to crispy wings?

There are actually two secrets to the perfect crispy chicken wings. Double frying and marinating your wings are the secrets to the perfectly crisp exterior. Marinating will allow your chicken wings to absorb all the flavour and get tender. The more you marinate them, the best results for flavour will be achieved and get an added layer to your plate. But the biggest difference stands on double frying. 

The first fry is done at a lower temperature which allows chicken skin, which is made of water and fat, to get brown and crispy as the water evaporates. In between, there’s a resting time on a wire rack, which will allow any excess water left to evaporate. When you put the wings back to fry at a higher temperature, any leftover water evaporates and let the wings cook completely, leaving a crispy golden brown skin and tender juicy middle. Crispy perfection achieved! (America’s Taste Kitchen) 

How to make soy garlic chicken wings 

Marinate your chicken. In a large mixing bowl, mix the chicken wings, minced garlic, salt, rice vinegar, soy sauce and chilli flakes. Mix well until they are all coated and leave to marinate for thirty minutes at room temperature (minimum – you can also leave them in the fridge overnight).  

Coat the chicken in cornstarch. Make sure to coat them individually and that the starch is well spread. Prepare a wire cooling rack and baking sheet with parchment paper or paper towels, to leave your wings to rest. 

​Start the first fry. In a large pot, heat the frying oil on medium heat to 175C. Start frying your wings, depending on your pot, make sure to fry a few of them at a time leaving them enough space. Fry until golden brown for 5-6 minutes take them out with a skimmer ladle and leave them to rest on the rack. Continue to fry all of them until you are done with the first fry. Clean off any bits of the oil. 

Start the second fry. Raise the temperature to 190C, and make sure to reach the right temperature with the help of a cooking thermometer before adding again the wings a few at a time. Fry them for another minute each and leave them to rest on the rack.

Prepare the soy garlic sauce. In a pan, mix the soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, brown sugar, ground ginger and minced garlic on medium heat and bring to a boil. Then add the cornstarch and water to the pan and mix well. Add the sesame oil and take off the heat. 

Serve the wings still hot and pour the glaze on top, garnish with fresh green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy your soy garlic chicken wings! 

What sides should I eat with these garlic soy chicken wings?

We had these easy chicken wings on their own, but they would work wonderfully just on white rice, a side of noodles or with a fresh salad. The soy garlic glaze would work so great on it, we also tested it on noodles and it worked like a treat!

You will also find plenty of pairing with beer and refreshing drinks for game day. More sides could be coleslaw, kimchi, fried rice and fries. These wings would also be an amazing add on to an Asian food night, you could make onigirazu, soy garlic chicken wings, tofu nigiri, some satay brussel sprouts and crispy rice with salmon. And wash everything off with a hojicha latte, a strawberry milk tea or a boba smoothie. Yum! 

How do I store the leftover chicken wings?

You can keep the wings in the fridge already fried for three days in an airtight container. When you need to reheat them, baking them in the oven or the air fryer basket and warm them up for ten minutes at 350 degrees. 

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