Baked Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings (Chinese Takeaway Style)

Name: Baked Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings (Chinese Takeaway Style)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 900 g (32 oz) chicken wings; 50 g (½ cup) cornflour; 1 tsp sea salt; 1 tsp black peppercorns (crushed ); 3 cloves garlic (minced); 1 inch fresh ginger (minced/chopped finely); 3 tbsp mirin (can be substituted for 3 tbsp of chicken stock); 2 spring onions (thinly sliced); 2 red chilli (thinly sliced); 4 cloves garlic (thinly sliced); 10 g (⅓ oz) dairy free butter (I used Flora plant butter)

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These Baked Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings are the perfect Chinese-style takeaway side dish that you can make at home! Marinated in salt, pepper and ginger then garnished with chilli, garlic and spring onion, these oven-baked wings are deliciously crispy & surprisingly gluten-free!

chinese style salt and pepper chicken wings on a white serving dish

Who doesn’t love a Chinese takeaway? I think it would be the top of my takeaway list, however it can be challenging when dealing with food allergies as a lot of Chinese dishes tend to contain gluten and sesame.

These Chinese takeaway style baked salt and pepper chicken wings are both gluten and sesame free!! They get their gorgeous crunch from …. Cornflour!! Despite its name, cornflour is naturally gluten-free as it is made from grinding corn kernels into a fine powder.

I have decided to oven bake the wings in this recipe, but they can also be made in the air fryer or by deep frying them too. Read on to find out how.

In the mood to cook up a Chinese feast? Why not pair these fried chicken wings with my simple “no egg” fried rice with prawns, Chinese Crispy Chilli Chicken or kids chicken noodle stir fry with broccoli.

If you are looking for a vegan option, these crispy baked cauliflower bites make a delicious vegan alternative to chicken wings!

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🤔 How Do You Cut A Chicken Wing?
🥘 Ingredients You Will Need
⚡ Substitutions
✏️ How To Make- Step-By-Step Instructions
💡 Top Tips
🥡 Storage, Reheating & Freezing
💬 Recipe FAQs
🌶️ More Spicy Recipes
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

🤔 How Do You Cut A Chicken Wing?

Chicken wings are usually sold whole, unless you buy them from a butcher and ask them to cut them up for you. You can leave them whole, but I prefer to cut them into pieces.

To do this you will need a really sharp knife & a chopping board.

different parts of a chicken wing labelled, showing you where to cut them.

There are three parts to a chicken wing, the wing tip (the pointy bit at the end), the wingette (in the middle) and the drumette (the meaty bit at the other end).

Step 1: First lay the chicken wing flat on the chopping board, so the underside is pointing up facing you. You will be able to see the joints easier this way up.

Step 2: Next, cut off the wing tip. To do this make a sharp cut on the joint between the wing tip and the wingette. I haven’t used the wing tips in this recipe, but you can set them aside and use them to make a flavoursome chicken stock. You can also freeze the wing tips in a freezer bag until you are ready to make the stock.

Step 3: Then you need to separate the wingette & drumette. To do this, place the knife on the joint between the two pieces and push down with force. If you are struggling to get the knife through try wiggling it as you push down.

You will now have your chicken pieces ready to make the salt and pepper wings!

🥘 Ingredients You Will Need

✋ Be sure to double check all packaging for allergens. ✋

ingredients laid out to make salt and pepper chinese style chicken wings

Chicken Wings - I prefer to use skin-on wings as this helps to achieve the crispy outside on the chicken. You can either prepare the wings as I have detailed above or leave them whole. If leaving whole, you may need to increase the cooking time by 10-15 minutes.
Cornflour - This is used to coat the chicken wings and is what gives them the delicious crunchy golden brown finish.
Salt - I have used Cornish Sea Salt. I wouldn’t recommend using table salt in this recipe.
Pepper - You can either use black peppercorns or Szechuan crushed peppercorns for a more authentic feel.
Mirin - Traditionally Shaoxing Rice Wine is used, however, this contains gluten so I have used Mirin instead, which is a Japanese sweet rice wine with a slightly tangy flavor. You can also use a dry sherry. Read on to the substitutions section below to find an alcohol free version.
Garlic
Ginger - Either use some fresh ginger and chop very finely or I always have this Very Lazy ginger in the fridge which is really handy.
Spring Onion
Red Chilli
Dairy Free Butter - This is used to fry off the spring onion and red chilli. You can use regular butter if you don't need the recipe to be dairy-free.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

⚡ Substitutions

✔️ Mirin - If you want to make this dish alcohol free (although most of the alcohol is burned off during cooking) you can substitute the mirin for a couple of tablespoons of made-up chicken stock. I like to use the Knorr chicken stock pots as they are gluten and dairy free. (Please double check the packaging as ingredients can change)
✔️ Chilli - If you are not a fan of spice, replace the chilli with chopped red bell pepper.

✏️ How To Make- Step-By-Step Instructions

⬇️ Here you will find an overview of how to make the recipe. For full information on ingredients and quantities please see the recipe card at the bottom of the page ⬇️

raw chicken wings topped with salt and pepper and ginger in a white bowl

Step 1: First, chop the chicken wings into wingettes and drumettes using the instructions above if you are not leaving the wings whole.

Step 2: Next, prep the ingredients for the marinade. You will need to mince the garlic cloves & ginger with a garlic press or chop very finely.

Put these in a large mixing bowl along with the chicken wings, salt, pepper and mirin and stir well.

Step 3: Leave in the fridge to marinate for at least 30 minutes, but ideally overnight to really allow the flavours to seep into the chicken.

Step 4: When you are ready to cook, remove the wings from the fridge and coat the chicken in cornflour, mix well until the cornflour has evenly coated the chicken wings.

close up of cooked chicken wings on a baking tray

chillis and spring onions being cut with a knife on a blue chopping board

Step 5: Place the wings on a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper in a single layer (you may need to use two trays) and bake them in a pre-heated oven until golden and crispy, turning half way through.

Use a meat thermometer to check the chicken is cooked through. The internal temperature of the chicken should be at least 165˚F / 75˚C.

Step 6: Chop the chilli, spring onion and garlic into thin slices and fry these in a non stick frying pan in some dairy free butter on a low/medium heat for a couple of minutes. You don’t want to cook them fully, just until they start to cook a little bit.

Put the chicken wings into the frying pan with the garnishing and mix through well.

Then simply serve on a platter and all tuck in!

💡 Top Tips

✔️ For an even more authentic flavour, add a tablespoon of either some Chinese salt & pepper style seasoning, chicken stock powder or MSG to the cornflour for a deep umami taste!
✔️ Marinate the wings for as long as possible, ideally overnight, to allow the flavours to infuse into the chicken.
✔️ Use a meat thermometer to check the chicken is properly cooked. It is cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 75˚C / 165˚F.
✔️ Keep the off cut wing tips to make a delicious homemade chicken stock.

🥡 Storage, Reheating & Freezing

These Chinese style baked salt & pepper chicken wings are best served immediately after cooking, as this is when the skin will be at it crunchiest. However, you can make the raw chicken and marinade mixture ahead of time and leave this in the fridge overnight.

Storage

If you do want to store them in the fridge, they will keep for up to two days.

Reheating

To re-heat the chicken wings, simply pop them in the oven at 180˚C for 10-15 mins until piping hot. Alternatively, you can reheat them in the microwave for a couple of minutes, although they will lose their crispiness this way.

Freezing

You can freeze the cooked wings for up to 3 months in a freezer zip lock bag. Defrost in the fridge overnight and then reheat as above.

salt and pepper chicken wings garnished with chilli and spring onion on a white serving plate

💬 Recipe FAQs

Should I wash raw chicken?

No, don’t wash raw chicken. This can cause any bacteria in the chicken to splash around and contaminate your kitchen surfaces. The bacteria will be destroyed once the chicken has been cooked safely to at least 165˚F.

Can I deep fry the wings?

Yes!

You can use a deep fat fryer or heat around 2 inches of oil (mild oils like sunflower, vegetable or canola work best) in a high sided saucepan. Heat the oil until it reaches 350˚F then add the chicken.

Cook the chicken in batches (around 6-8 pieces at a time) for 5 minutes, then turn the chicken over and cook for a further 5 minutes or until cooked through.

Once cooked, leave to drain on kitchen roll/paper towel to let the excess oil soak off.

Can I cook salt & pepper wings in the air fryer?

You sure can! Pre-heat the air fryer to 200˚C / 390˚F, then place the coated wings in the air fryer basket in a single layer and cook for 14-16 minutes, or until they are cooked through and crispy.

What are some good dipping sauces for salt and pepper chicken wings?

Some good dipping sauces include sweet chilli sauce, sweet and sour sauce, plum sauce, and soy sauce. You can also make your own dipping sauce by combining soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar.