Name: Har Cheong Gai (虾酱鸡) Prawn Paste Chicken Wings
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 kg chicken wings; 3 tbsp fermented prawn paste; 3 tbsp Shaoxing wine; 2 tbsp sesame oil; 2 tsp sugar; 2 tsp light soy sauce; 1 tbsp oyster sauce; 1 tsp white pepper; 80 g all-purpose flour; 80 g potato starch; 2 tbsp rice flour; 1 piece egg; 1 tsp baking powder; 0.25 tsp baking soda; 50 ml water; 1 l vegetable oil; 1 piece lime; 0 sweet chili sauce

Har Cheong Gai (虾酱鸡) Prawn Paste Chicken Wings

Singapore's beloved zi char fried chicken, where chicken wings soak in funky fermented prawn paste before being battered and double-fried to a shattering crunch. Each bite is deeply savory, faintly briny, and impossible to stop eating.

🇸🇬 Singapore ·Asia · $

30 min Prep

30 min Cook

60 min Total

4 portions

Har Cheong Gai, literally prawn paste chicken, is one of the most addictive dishes to come out of Singapore's zi char home-style restaurant kitchens. Chicken wings and drumlets are marinated in har cheong, a thick fermented shrimp paste that smells pungent in the jar but turns into pure umami once it hits hot oil. Instead of keeping the marinade and batter separate, the flour, potato starch, and a beaten egg are mixed straight into the seasoned chicken, creating a clingy coating that fries up lacy and crisp. The real secret to the texture is the double fry: a first pass cooks the meat through, then a hotter second pass drives out the oil and locks in that signature crackle. The flavor lands mildly spicy, intensely savory, and unmistakably funky in the best possible way. Serve it the hawker way, blistering hot with a squeeze of fresh lime and a dish of sweet chili sauce on the side.

Ingredients

Chicken and marinade

1 kg chicken wings mid-wings and drumlets, skin on, patted dry

3 tbsp fermented prawn paste har cheong, thick jarred shrimp paste, essential

3 tbsp Shaoxing wine Hua Tiao

2 tbsp sesame oil

2 tsp sugar

2 tsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce (optional)

1 tsp white pepper

Batter coating

80 g all-purpose flour plain flour

80 g potato starch or tapioca starch

2 tbsp rice flour (optional)

1 piece egg lightly beaten

1 tsp baking powder

0.25 tsp baking soda

50 ml water add gradually until the coating just clings

For frying and serving

1 l vegetable oil for deep frying

1 piece lime cut into wedges, for squeezing

0 sweet chili sauce for dipping, to taste (optional)

Ingredients

4 portions

Chicken and marinade

1 kgchicken wings mid-wings and drumlets, skin on, patted dry

3 tbspfermented prawn paste har cheong, thick jarred shrimp paste, essential

3 tbspShaoxing wine Hua Tiao

2 tbspsesame oil

2 tspsugar

2 tsplight soy sauce

1 tbspoyster sauce (optional)

1 tspwhite pepper

Batter coating

80 gall-purpose flour plain flour

80 gpotato starch or tapioca starch

2 tbsprice flour (optional)

1 pieceegg lightly beaten

1 tspbaking powder

0.25 tspbaking soda

50 mlwater add gradually until the coating just clings

For frying and serving

1 lvegetable oil for deep frying

1 piecelime cut into wedges, for squeezing

sweet chili sauce for dipping, to taste (optional)

Instructions

Marinate the chicken

1

Rub the chicken pieces with a little coarse salt to clean the skin, then rinse and pat thoroughly dry. Place in a large bowl.
2

Add the fermented prawn paste, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, sugar, light soy sauce, oyster sauce if using, and white pepper. Massage everything into the chicken until every piece is evenly coated.
3

Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight, stirring once halfway through so the flavor soaks in evenly.
~240 min

Mix the batter coating

1

In a separate bowl, whisk together the plain flour, potato starch, rice flour if using, baking powder, and baking soda.
2

Add the beaten egg and water to the marinated chicken, then sprinkle in the flour mixture. Stir until the chicken is wrapped in a thick, clingy coating that holds on the surface. Add a splash more water only if it looks dry.
3

Let the bowl sit out for about 30 minutes so the chicken comes up toward room temperature, which helps it cook evenly.
~30 min

Double fry until crisp

1

Heat the oil in a wok or deep pot to about 150C, medium heat. The oil is ready when a drop of batter sizzles gently and rises.
2

Fry the chicken in small batches of 4 to 5 pieces. After 30 seconds, separate the pieces with chopsticks so they do not stick. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes until pale golden and cooked through, then lift out and rest on a rack.
~6 min
3

Raise the oil temperature to about 190C, high heat. Return the chicken in batches and fry a second time for 1 to 2 minutes until deep golden brown and crackling crisp. This second fry drives out the oil and sets the crunch.
~2 min
4

Drain briefly on a wire rack so the crust stays crisp. Pile onto a serving plate and serve hot with lime wedges and sweet chili sauce.

Credits & Inspiration

The Burning Kitchen
Authentic Singapore recipe with a combined marinade-batter and a high-heat double fry to keep the chicken from turning greasy.
Foodelicacy
Detailed zi char style version explaining the prawn paste marinade, overnight rest, and why to drain on a rack.
What To Cook Today
Ultra crispy method that breaks the double fry into a lower first fry and a hotter second fry, with an optional chili dipping sauce.
Kitchen Tigress
Hawker-inspired technique stressing tapioca starch and a smoking-hot refry for a glassy, golden crust.