Out of all of the drunken dishes in Chinese culture, drunken chicken wings has become the most popular in western culture. Making them is a surprisingly easy process with flavorful results.
To make drunken chicken wings, simply cook the chicken wings in Chinese rice wine with spring onion and spices. Serve them hot or cold with rice, drizzled with Chinese wine broth and topped with green spring onion.
If you are looking to try making a delicious, classic Chinese dish, this simple recipe will give you the steps you need to start experimenting and learning more about Chinese cooking. Read on to learn how to make drunken chicken wings, how to choose Chinese rice wine, and more.
How To Make Drunken Chicken Wings
The process of making drunken chicken wings is straightforward. Place your chicken wings into a pot with Chinese rice wine and water until the wings are submerged. Trim, clean, and cut the spring onion and add the white parts of it to the pot. Add the ginger, lemongrass, chicken bouillon cube, soy sauce, and star anise and bring the pot to a boil over high heat.
Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down, put a lid on the pot, and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and allow the wings to fully cool down. Drizzle the wings with the Chinese wine broth and garnish with the green part of the spring onion, then serve.
Serving and Storing Drunken Chicken Wings
Drunken chicken is traditionally served cold, but you can serve it hot if you wish. Typically, it will be served with rice. You can also add a vegetable side dish to your meal.
You can store the drunken chicken wings in the fridge. Letting the chicken sit in the broth overnight often improves the flavor, so some people opt to store the drunken chicken wings in the fridge overnight before serving.
Ingredients
The ingredients list for this recipe is fairly short, with most of it being spices and garnish. Here’s the full list of ingredients you will need and brief notes on why you need them:
- Chicken wings: This will be the majority of the meal. Try to get fresh chicken wings rather than frozen for better taste and texture.
- Chinese rice wine: This is what will give the chicken its flavor. It also makes up the broth that is essential to the meal.
- Chicken bouillon cube: This will be added to the broth to give it a little more flavor. You only need half of a cube.
- Fresh peeled ginger: Ginger is a flavorful root used in many Chinese recipes. Although there are other spices in this dish, ginger will help add a lot of flavor to the chicken wings.
- Spring onion: The white part will be used to cook the chicken wings, while the green part will be used as a garnish at the end of cooking the chicken wings.
- Lemongrass, soy sauce, and star anise: These are the spices selected for this recipe, but feel free to experiment with your own blend of preferred spices and sauces.
See Also: Hello Fresh Recipes
Chinese Rice Wine
The most popular Chinese rice wine commonly found in stores is Shaoxing rice wine. However, you can also use Shuan Sui rice wine. These types of Chinese rice wine can also be used to cook drunken shrimp and drunken tofu.
When buying Chinese rice wine, if you can find high-quality aged Shaoxing wine, that will provide better flavor for cooking. Liquor that has been aged for at least 5 years and that does not have “cooking” in the name will prove to be a better quality ingredient. However, whatever Chinese rice wine is available near you will suffice for this recipe.
Yellow wine is typically paired with Chinese meat dishes and has a nice sweetness that complements meat well. Types of yellow wine such as Huadiao Wine, Shao Hsing Wine, and Hu-er Hong work well with meat dishes. As mentioned previously, aged wine will provide a nicer, well rounded flavor.
If Chinese rice wine is not available anywhere near you, you can use a high-quality aged sherry wine as an alternative.
Drunken Chicken Wings Recipe
Drunken Chicken Wings Recipe
Course: MainCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy2
servings10
minutes20
minutes349
kcalLearn how to make tasty drunken chicken wings and dive into the world of delicious Chinese rice wine with this simple recipe.
Ingredients
10 ounces 10 chicken wings
2 cups 2 Chinese rice wine
½ of a chicken bouillon cube
1 1 inch of fresh peeled ginger
1 1 stalk of lemongrass
1 medium 1 spring onion
1 tablespoon 1 soy sauce
½ of a star anise
Directions
- Place the chicken wings on the bottom of a large pot. Arrange them in one layer, then add the Chinese rice wine. Add water until the wings are just submerged.
- Trim and clean the spring onion, then chop it in half. Add the white part of the spring onion to the wings and keep the green part for garnish later. Add the fresh ginger, lemongrass, chicken bouillon cube, soy sauce, and star anise.
- Place the pot of wings over high heat and bring them to a boil. Turn the heat to low and place a lid on the pan. Let the wings simmer for 20 minutes.
- Once the wings are cooked, take the pot off of the heat and let the wings cool down fully in the Chinese wine broth.
- Divide the chicken wings over plates and drizzle them with the Chinese wine broth. Garnish the chicken wings with the finely sliced green part of the spring onions. Serve the drunken chicken wings cold with boiled or steamed rice.
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Tips And Tricks
The most popular Chinese rice wing is Shaoxing rice wine. You can find this and other Chinese rice wines at your local Asian supermarket. However, it is important to note that Chinese rice wine is for cooking purposes only and is not meant for straight consumption.
Star anise and lemongrass are not typically part of this dish but have been added to this recipe to bring out the flavor of the Chinese wine broth even more. However, if you have other spices and flavors you prefer, you can experiment with the Chinese wine broth. You can also try adding fish sauce to the dish.
FAQs
Do I serve drunken chicken wings hot or cold?
Drunken chicken is traditionally served chilled or cold. However, if you want to serve it hot, you certainly can.
Can I use other parts of chicken for this recipe?
You can make this drunken chicken recipe with any cut of the chicken, including the leg, breast, drumsticks, or wings.
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Conclusion
A simple but flavorful traditional Chinese meal that can be served hot or cold will be a great addition to any cookbook.
Try making the recipe with different spices, or explore the world of Chinese rice wines to bring out even more delicious flavors when making drunken chicken.
Regardless of your experience, making drunken chicken is an uncomplicated process with delicious rewards.
