Name: Chinese "Swiss" Chicken Wings (Instant Pot)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 4 lbs chicken wings (cleaned and trimmed); 1/3 C light soy sauce; 1/3 C water; 1 piece rock sugar (about 30g); 2 Tbsp dark soy sauce; 1/2 tsp 5-spice powder; 3 star anise; 1/2 tsp ground coriander; 1/2 tsp sand ginger powder (optional); 1 Tbsp minced garlic; 1 inch ginger (smashed or sliced); spring/green onion (chopped); cilantro (chopped)

Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

These Chinese-style "Swiss" Chicken Wings are braised in a sweet and salty soy sauce, which yield super tender and flavourful wings.

Want to save this recipe?

Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!

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)

Turkey Mapo Tofu

Hong Kong-Style Macaroni Soup

Chinese Curry Beef Buns

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!

Print Recipe

5 from 3 votes