These Chinese-style "Swiss" Chicken Wings are braised in a sweet and salty soy sauce, which yield super tender and flavourful wings.
What are "Swiss" wings?
"Swiss" chicken wings are actually not from Switzerland, but they are a Chinese-style sweet and salty soy sauce flavoured chicken wing.
It is believed to have originated from Cantonese Hong Kong or Guangzhou.
There is no concrete consensus on the naming of the dish, however, it is believed that it is from the misheard interpretation of "sweet wings" that alluded to "Swiss wings."
Why you'll love this recipe
It's really straightforward to prepare.
Using an Instant Pot (or pressure cooker) cuts down the overall cooking time and delivers super tender and flavourful wings.
Adding spices to the marinade builds more complex flavour.
The sauce is not too salty nor too sweet.
It pairs deliciously with steamed rice and some veggies, making an easy weeknight dinner.
Equipment you'll need
- Instant Pot (pressure cooker)
Ingredients you'll need
- chicken wings: about 4 lbs, trimmed and cleaned
- light soy sauce: or regular soy sauce; adds an overall savoury, salty flavour
- water
- rock sugar: 1 large piece, about 30g; you can use any other sweetener such as honey or granulated sugar if you like
- dark soy sauce: adds a dark hue to the chicken wings
- 5-spice powder: is a mixture of 5 different spices including cinnamon, star anise, fennel, Sichuan peppercorns and cloves
- star anise: shaped like stars, has a licorice flavour and is used dishes like in Vietnamese Beef Pho
- ground coriander
- sand ginger powder: also known as 沙姜粉 which is part of the galangal family, also known as "greater galangal"; it's different than regular ginger powder. You can use regular ginger powder as a substitute.
- garlic: minced
- ginger: 1 inch piece, smashed or sliced
How to make them
Wash the chicken wings and drain.
Place the cleaned wings into the Instant Pot liner.
Add the light soy sauce, water, dark soy sauce, 5-spice, powder, star anise, ground coriander, sand ginger powder, minced garlic, and smashed or slices of ginger into the pot.
Place the lid on and set the vent to SEAL.
Press the MANUAL button and set to 5 minutes, HIGH PRESSURE.
Let the pressure naturally release.
Garnish with spring onion and cilantro (optional).
Serve hot with steamed rice and vegetables.
Alterative method
If you don't have an Instant Pot or pressure cooker, you can boil or braise the chicken wings in the soy sauce marinade for 10-15 minutes, until the wings are cooked through.
How to serve
Serve the "Swiss" chicken wings with steamed rice, noodles, fried rice or enjoy all on their own.
How to store
Store any leftover chicken wings with the sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Note: after refrigerating, the sauce may congeal -- this is actually chicken stock and is full of collagen, so don't discard.
Freeze the cooked chicken wings in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Defrost frozen wings in the fridge overnight before heating.
How to reheat
Reheat the chicken wings and the sauce in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, or until heated through.
When reheating, you may want to cover the wings with a plate or the grease may splatter.
Alternatively, you can place the chicken wings and sauce into a large pot and bring to a gentle simmer until heated through.
Other recipes you may like
Mayak Eggs (Korean-Style Marinated Eggs)
Mayak Eggs (Korean-Style Marinated Eggs)
Vegetable and Turkey Dumplings with Black Vinegar Dipping Sauce
Let me know if you try out this recipe -- tag me on Instagram @siftandsimmer or leave me a comment/rating below!
Chinese "Swiss" Chicken Wings (Instant Pot)
Equipment
- pressure cooker
For accuracy and precision in baking recipes, use weight (metric) measurements when available.
Ingredients
Chicken wings:
- 4 lbs chicken wings cleaned and trimmed
- ⅓ C light soy sauce
- ⅓ C water
- 1 piece rock sugar about 30g
- 2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon 5-spice powder
- 3 star anise
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon sand ginger powder optional
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 inch ginger smashed or sliced
Garnish:
- spring/green onion chopped
- cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Wash the chicken wings and drain.
- Place the cleaned wings into the Instant Pot liner.
- Add the light soy sauce, water, dark soy sauce, 5-spice, powder, star anise, ground coriander, minced garlic, and smashed ginger into the pot.
- Place the lid on and set the vent to SEAL.
- Press the MANUAL button and set to 5 minutes, HIGH PRESSURE.
- Let the pressure naturally release.
- Garnish with spring onion and cilantro (optional).
- Serve hot with steamed rice and vegetables.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided should be considered as approximate and is not guaranteed. Please use your best judgment to ensure food is safely prepared and/or a good fit for your diet.
Dawn
These wings look packed with flavour! What a great way to mix up wing night. I bet they disappear fast once they land on the table - YUM!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
What a fantastic recipe... this sauce sounds SO amazing!!
Ben | Havocinthekitchen
Such a beautiful and hearty dish offering some terrific flavours!
Raymund | angsarap.net
So nice! I actually tried this before and I love it.