Name: Hawaiian Shoyu Chicken Wings
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1.5 kg chicken wings; 175 ml soy sauce; 150 g brown sugar; 240 ml water; 5 clove garlic; 1 piece ginger; 4 piece green onion; 2 tbsp rice vinegar; 1 tbsp sesame seeds; 0 white rice

Hawaiian Shoyu Chicken Wings

Sticky, glossy chicken wings simmered in a sweet-salty shoyu sauce, the Hawaiian plate-lunch classic that turns soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger into pure island comfort food.

🇺🇸 United States ·Oceania · $

15 min Prep

45 min Cook

60 min Total

4 portions

Hawaiian shoyu chicken wings are the islands' take on teriyaki, blending a Chinese braising method with Japanese shoyu (soy sauce) into one of Hawaii's most beloved plate-lunch dishes. The wings are braised and simmered, never battered, in a sauce of shoyu, brown sugar, smashed garlic, sliced ginger, and green onion until they turn tender and sticky-glazed. There is no batter and no crisp coating here; the finish is glossy and caramelized rather than crunchy. The dish is sweet and savory, not spicy, with the brown sugar balancing the salt of the shoyu. Some cooks fry the wings first and then bathe them in the sauce, but the home-style version simply simmers everything together until the liquid reduces to a honey-like glaze. Serve the wings over a mound of white rice with macaroni salad on the side for the full Hawaii plate-lunch experience.

Ingredients

1.5 kg chicken wings bone-in, skin-on, split into flats and drumettes

1 tbsp sesame seeds toasted, for garnish (optional)

0 white rice cooked, for serving (optional)

Shoyu sauce

175 ml soy sauce shoyu

150 g brown sugar packed

240 ml water

5 clove garlic smashed or finely chopped

1 piece ginger 3-inch knob, peeled and sliced

4 piece green onion thinly sliced, plus extra for garnish

2 tbsp rice vinegar optional, for brightness (optional)

Ingredients

4 portions

Ingredients

1.5 kgchicken wings bone-in, skin-on, split into flats and drumettes

1 tbspsesame seeds toasted, for garnish (optional)

white rice cooked, for serving (optional)

Shoyu sauce

175 mlsoy sauce shoyu

150 gbrown sugar packed

240 mlwater

5 clovegarlic smashed or finely chopped

1 pieceginger 3-inch knob, peeled and sliced

4 piecegreen onion thinly sliced, plus extra for garnish

2 tbsprice vinegar optional, for brightness (optional)

Instructions

Make the sauce

1

In a bowl, whisk together the shoyu, brown sugar, and water until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the smashed garlic, sliced ginger, sliced green onion, and the rice vinegar if using.
~5 min

Braise the wings

1

Arrange the chicken wings in a single layer in a wide, heavy pot or deep skillet. Pour the shoyu sauce over the wings so they are mostly submerged.
~5 min
2

Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low. Cover and simmer gently, turning the wings once or twice, until the chicken is tender and cooked through, about 30 minutes.
~30 min

Glaze and serve

1

Uncover and raise the heat to medium-high. Simmer the sauce, spooning it over the wings, until it reduces to a sticky, honey-like glaze that coats the chicken, about 8 to 10 minutes. Watch closely so the sugar does not scorch.
~10 min
2

Plate the glazed wings over white rice, spoon extra sauce on top, and finish with sliced green onion and toasted sesame seeds.
~2 min

Credits & Inspiration

Foodland
Hawaii supermarket recipe for shoyu chicken wings, used for the fried-then-sauced variation and the shoyu sauce ratios.
Plays Well With Butter
A Hawaiian family recipe that braises chicken in a shoyu, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and green onion sauce, then reduces it to a sticky finish.
Onolicious Hawaii
Authentic Hawaii home-style shoyu chicken simmered in shoyu, sugar, water, garlic, and ginger before reducing the sauce to a glaze.
Something New For Dinner
Plate-lunch style shoyu chicken braised in a shoyu, mirin, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger sauce, then finished with a reduced glaze.