I discovered Coca-Cola chicken wings thanks to a young Chinese guest who stayed in my B&B. I used to exchange culinary ideas with my guests. That day, I still remember, after cooking her a dish from Nice, I asked her to cook me a simple typical Chinese dish that she often ate the next day. It was “chicken wings with Coke”. I’d never heard of it, so it was intriguing. I accepted his proposal and we enjoyed ourselves. A turkey is simple and effective; you just want to eat the bones…

Chicken wings are popular in Asian cuisine, unlike in France, but you can still easily find them in supermarkets at around 5€/kg.

Ingredients

• 8 wings chiken (4 per person)
• 33 cl Coca-Cola ( 1 can)
• 3 garlic cloves (14g)
• 2 cm ginger, cut into small pieces (4g)
• Salt and pepper
• 4 tablespoons thick dark soy sauce
• 1 teeespoon Nuoc-man sauce
• Peanut oil for frying

Preparing the wings

• Cleaning chicken wings.
• Boil some water with a tablespoon of baking soda and immerse the wings in it for 1 minute.
• With this bath, you can easily remove remaining hair and feathers.
• Cut off the pointed end of the wings and discard or keep for future poultry stock.
• Cut the wings in half at the joint to make them easier to cook and lacquer.
• Make cuts in the wings to let the flavours penetrate.

Coca-Cola chicken wings recipe

Cooking the wings

• Fry chicken wings for about 15 minutes, turning often, until golden and crispy on both sides. Remove excess oil.
• Season with salt and pepper, 4 tablespoons soy sauce and 1 tablespoon nuoc-mam, Turn down the heat and deglaze with Coca-Cola if the pan is low on liquid to avoid burning it.
• Add garlic and chopped ginger and simmer, stirring, for about 3 min.
• Add the Coca-Cola and reduce the heat to a sauce base after about 25-30 min.
• The wings are lacquered with the sauce

Tips

• Remaining wing hairs and feathers can be easily removed with a small kitchen blowtorch.
• The pointed end of the wings can be used to make a future poultry stock.
• Wait until the oil is hot. Add a little garlic to the pan. As soon as it simmers, the oil is hot.

• If the pan sticks a little, deglaze with a little Coca-Cola instead of water.
• There’s no need to think about a marinade for this already extremely tasty dish; coca-cola chicken wings
• Serve with rice, but eat with your fingers 😉

Original ideas about coca-cola chicken wings

1. Another flavor and another type of cooking: you can marinate the wings in a mixture of yogurt, parsley, garlic, paprika, salt and pepper for at least 30 minutes and then fry them in the oven.
2. You can also sprinkle them with paprika, cumin, coriander and salt for a Mediterranean flavour, and then fry them in the oven.