Chinese Coca-Cola Chicken Wings (Ke Le Ji Chi)
Wings browned with ginger in a skillet, then simmered in cola, soy sauce and Shaoxing wine until the liquid cooks down to a sticky, shiny glaze: a Chinese home-cooking classic.
Coca-Cola wings are a home dish, not a restaurant one. TASTE describes them as chicken wings braised in soy sauce, water and a sweetener, says cans of Coke had become a common sweetener in Hong Kong kitchens by the 1980s at the latest, notes that Coca-Cola returned to the Chinese market in 1979 through Hong Kong's bottling franchise, and suggests Hong Kong's soy-braised "Swiss wings" may have come first (Cathy Erway, August 27, 2019:). Chef Lucas Sin told TASTE that once Coke was cheap, cooks used it "the same as sugar". Goldthread calls the wings a popular recipe in Cantonese households and says Coke was once a luxury in China, used in cooking rather than drunk (Clarissa Wei, May 12, 2020:). In June 2019, McDonald's in China sold Coca-Cola-flavored wings (TASTE). Wikipedia's Coca-Cola chicken article gives two other origin stories: a cook in Jinan who spilled a can of Coke into braised wings, and a Western cola chicken made with tomato sauce that reached Taiwan, where soy sauce replaced the tomato. Nobody has found an inventor.
📖 Origin story: What Is Mumbo Sauce? D.C.'s Carryout Sauce, Born in Chicago →
Why it works the kitchen science
Cola as sugar and caramel
Regular cola brings sugar, a little acid and caramel color, so when it reduces with soy sauce it turns into a dark, glossy glaze without any added sugar.
Brown first
Browning the wings before the braise adds flavor and gives the glaze a firm skin to stick to.
Step by step
- Step 1
Pat the wings dry.
- Step 2
Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the ginger and sizzle gently 1 minute.
- Step 3
Add the wings in one layer and cook 4 to 5 minutes per side, until golden brown on both sides.
- Step 4
Pour in the cola and bring it to a simmer, then add the soy sauce and Shaoxing wine. Cover, turn the heat to medium-low and simmer 15 minutes, turning the wings once.
- Step 5
Uncover, raise the heat to medium-high and cook 8 to 10 minutes, turning the wings often, until the liquid reduces to a sticky glaze that coats them and the thickest drumette reads 165°F. Watch the last 2 minutes closely; the sugar can scorch.
- Step 6
Pile the wings on a plate, spoon over any glaze left in the pan, scatter the scallion and serve with rice.
Chinese Coca-Cola Chicken Wings (Ke Le Ji Chi)
Serves 3 (with rice) · 10 wings (about 20 pieces) · 40 min total
Wings
- 10 chicken wings (about 2 lb), split into drumettes and flats, tips saved for stock
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 thin slices fresh ginger
Braise
- 1 cup regular cola (not diet)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
To serve
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced
- Steamed rice
Method
- Pat the wings dry.
- Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the ginger and sizzle gently 1 minute.
- Add the wings in one layer and cook 4 to 5 minutes per side, until golden brown on both sides.
- Pour in the cola and bring it to a simmer, then add the soy sauce and Shaoxing wine. Cover, turn the heat to medium-low and simmer 15 minutes, turning the wings once.
- Uncover, raise the heat to medium-high and cook 8 to 10 minutes, turning the wings often, until the liquid reduces to a sticky glaze that coats them and the thickest drumette reads 165°F. Watch the last 2 minutes closely; the sugar can scorch.
- Pile the wings on a plate, spoon over any glaze left in the pan, scatter the scallion and serve with rice.
Adapted from Goldthread, "A foolproof recipe for Coca-Cola chicken wings" by Clarissa Wei (May 12, 2020), using its adjusted, less salty amounts as written. Goldthread gives no cooking times, cut or serving count; the split wings, every time below and the 3 servings are ours. The 165°F check is from USDA FSIS. For a gentler, poached version with optional star anise and cinnamon, see Lucas Sin's recipe at TASTE. goldthread2.com. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
Tips
- Regular cola only; diet cola has no sugar to reduce into a glaze (Wikipedia notes the dish uses regular cola, not diet).
- Goldthread's tester found the original amounts too salty, which is why the soy sauce is only 2 tbsp.
- Add 1 star anise or a piece of cinnamon stick with the ginger for the warmer, Cantonese braise flavor Lucas Sin uses (TASTE).
- A nonstick skillet makes the sticky last minutes much easier.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- A cook in Jinan invented it by spilling a can. Disputed: Wikipedia gives this story; TASTE says home cooks developed the dish with no single creator.
- It comes from Hong Kong. Disputed: TASTE and Goldthread point to Hong Kong and Cantonese homes; Wikipedia also gives Jinan and a Western-to-Taiwan route.
- It dates to the 1980s. Disputed: TASTE says by the 1980s at the latest; a recipe site cited by Tasting Table and The Woks of Life point to the 1990s (search summaries only).
- When Coke arrived. Disputed wording: Goldthread says Coke entered Hong Kong in the 1960s and the mainland in the late 1970s; TASTE says it returned to China in 1979 through Hong Kong.
- Use regular cola, never diet. Documented (Wikipedia).
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