Sunday 4 August 2013

Coca Cola Chicken Wings


Every now and again there comes a dish that I make and after I've made it, I immediately wonder when I can make it again. I'd long forgotten about Coca Cola chicken wings; it's a popular home-style dish in Hong Kong, but you don't really see it on restaurant menus. It's incredibly simple to make, with few ingredients. Every time I make this now I end up abandoning the vegetable side dishes, slurping the meat off the bones in a pretty grim fashion and covering my face in sauce. Then I spoon more and more of that sauce onto my steamed rice; it really isn't a pretty sight. The combination of savoury, sweet stickiness with a hint of star anise is an addictive one. 

Coca Cola Chicken Wings

Serves 4 with a couple of side dishes

800gr chicken wings
3 cloves of garlic
3 slices of ginger
2 tbsp dark soy
2 tbsp light soy 
1 star anise
1 can of Coke (not diet, or flavoured) 
2 spring onions
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Joint the chicken wings - they're usually in 3 segments, you want to separate the middle bit from the fleshier end (not the wing tip). Place in a bowl and rub with the dark soy sauce. Leave to marinate and while doing so, crush the garlic and separate the whites from the greens of the spring onions and chop the whites roughly. Reserve the green parts, cut into slices diagonally.

Heat the oil up in the wok and brown the chicken pieces well. Remove and set to one side. Stir-fry the garlic, ginger and whites of the spring onions with the star anise. Add the chicken wings back in, stir to coat and add the light soy. Open the can of Coke and pour into the wok. Bring to the boil, then let it simmer for 20 minutes. It may not quite cover the chicken pieces, in which case now turn the pieces over and simmer for another 20 minutes. By this point the sauce should have reduced to become thick and glossy - if not, simmer for longer. 

To serve, place on a serving dish and garnish with the spring onion greens. Serve with steamed white rice.

8 comments:

Titch said...

In South Africa, I used to cook a dish of chicken drumsticks with Coca Cola. The recipe was given to me as "Hong Kong Chicken" but I thought that was just a nod to it's being sort of Chinese. I didn't realise that people in Hong Kong actually do love it! Over the intervening years I lost the recipe, so I'm glad to see your version here. Thanks, Lizzie.

Texas Titch

Anonymous said...

Not very Pure Package but seriously yum. I used to make a similar recipe but marinade ribs in coca cola. Have you tried this method with Ribs? Jenny

Su-Lin said...

Oh, and it's easy! Gotta try it one day.

Helen said...

YES.

That is all.

Hollow Legs said...

Texas Titch - Sounds like it actually is Hong Kong Chicken! Let me know if you try it.

Jenny - No, but perhaps Cherry Cola ribs might be a good one...

Su-Lin - Let me know if you do!

helen - YESSSHHHH.

Niamh said...

These look and sound *awesome*, Lizzie. I have made coca cola pork ribs in the past with chipotle and vinegar and they were ace (a la red eye gravy). I will definitely be trying these.

alittleofwhatyouwant said...

Wow - made these last night and they were glorious. Now forcing work colleagues to try them - they are not putting up much of a fight.

Hollow Legs said...

Niamh - Oooh that sounds awesome, will look up the recipe. Let me know how you get on with these!

A littleofwhatyouwant - that's great to hear!