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Recipe photo for Canadian Honey-Garlic Chicken Wings

Canadian Honey-Garlic Chicken Wings

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Canadian Honey-Garlic Chicken Wings

Crispy deep-fried chicken wings tossed in a glossy, sweet honey-garlic sauce, a Chinese-Canadian classic that became a staple of Ontario takeout counters and pub menus.

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🇨🇦 Canada ·North America · $
Prep
Cook
Total
4 portions
Canadian honey-garlic wings are a beloved Chinese-Canadian creation, built around a sweet honey-garlic sauce that grew out of mid-20th-century Chinese-Canadian restaurants and became a distinctly Canadian condiment. The wings are washed, dried, and given a light coating of flour or cornstarch before being deep-fried until golden and crisp. Once out of the oil, they are tossed while still hot in a sticky sauce of honey, garlic, and soy that clings to every piece. The flavour is sweet and savoury rather than spicy, with the roasted garlic balancing the honey. A simmered cornstarch slurry gives the sauce its thick, shiny finish. Sesame seeds and sliced green onion are the usual garnish, and the wings are best served right away while the coating is still crunchy.

Ingredients

Wings

1 kg chicken wings split into drumettes and flats, wing tips removed
1 cup all-purpose flour or substitute cornstarch for a crispier crust
0.5 cup cornstarch blend with the flour for extra crispness (optional)
1 tsp salt
0.5 tsp black pepper
1 l vegetable oil for deep-frying, a neutral high-heat oil

Honey-garlic sauce

3 tbsp butter
6 clove garlic minced
0.5 cup honey
0.25 cup soy sauce
0.5 cup water
1.5 tbsp cornstarch whisked into the water as a slurry
1 tbsp lemon juice brightens the sauce (optional)

Garnish

1 tbsp sesame seeds toasted (optional)
2 piece green onion thinly sliced (optional)

Ingredients

4 portions

Wings

1 kgchicken wings split into drumettes and flats, wing tips removed
1 cupall-purpose flour or substitute cornstarch for a crispier crust
0.5 cupcornstarch blend with the flour for extra crispness (optional)
1 tspsalt
0.5 tspblack pepper
1 lvegetable oil for deep-frying, a neutral high-heat oil

Honey-garlic sauce

3 tbspbutter
6 clovegarlic minced
0.5 cuphoney
0.25 cupsoy sauce
0.5 cupwater
1.5 tbspcornstarch whisked into the water as a slurry
1 tbsplemon juice brightens the sauce (optional)

Garnish

1 tbspsesame seeds toasted (optional)
2 piecegreen onion thinly sliced (optional)

Instructions

Make the honey-garlic sauce

  1. 1

    Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, add the minced garlic, and cook gently for a couple of minutes until fragrant, without letting it brown.

    ~3 min
  2. 2

    Stir in the honey and soy sauce and bring to a gentle boil, then lower the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.

    ~6 min
  3. 3

    Whisk the cornstarch into the water, pour it into the saucepan, and stir constantly until the sauce thickens to a glossy, pourable glaze. Stir in the lemon juice if using, then set aside.

    ~6 min

Coat and fry the wings

  1. 1

    Pat the chicken wings completely dry. Combine the flour, optional cornstarch, salt, and black pepper in a bowl, then toss the wings in the mixture and shake off the excess.

    ~10 min
  2. 2

    Heat the vegetable oil in a deep heavy pot to 350F (175C).

    ~8 min
  3. 3

    Fry the wings in batches for 8 to 12 minutes, until golden brown, crisp, and cooked through. Lift onto a rack or paper towels to drain.

    ~12 min

Toss and serve

  1. 1

    Put the hot wings in a large bowl, pour over enough warm honey-garlic sauce to coat, and toss until every piece is glossy and sticky.

    ~2 min
  2. 2

    Scatter with toasted sesame seeds and sliced green onion and serve right away while the coating is still crisp.

    ~1 min

Credits & Inspiration

  • Rock Recipes

    Newfoundland blogger Barry C. Parsons shares a deep-fried, floured honey-garlic wing with a honey, soy, and garlic sauce.

  • The Black Peppercorn

    A Canadian recipe for flour-dredged, deep-fried wings tossed in a butter, garlic, honey, soy, and cornstarch sauce.

  • Khin's Kitchen

    Cornstarch-coated crispy fried wings glazed in a sticky honey, garlic, soy, and lemon sauce, with fry, bake, and air-fry methods.

  • Wikipedia: Honey garlic sauce

    Reference on the sweet and savoury sauce popular in Canada and used on wings, ribs, and meatballs.

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