When I was growing up, my parents used to throw a giant bbq every summer.  How I miss those bbqs, because I’ve never seen anyone serve anywhere near as much food (meat in particular) as they did.  I remember there always being hamburgers, hot dogs, sausages, beef short ribs, skewered fish/squid/beef balls, kebabs, and of course, chicken wings.  They would often throw in a few steaks, chicken breasts, salmon steaks and shrimp skewers too.  The beef short ribs and chicken wings were always my favourite.  I remember watching my dad brush honey onto the wings.  I’d get excited because that meant that they were almost done  🙂  I’ve never seen anyone else make wings this way, but I’m pretty sure it’s a Malaysian thing.  I use just a touch of honey for the subtlest sweetness because I think these wings are best when the flavour of the honey is barely recognizable.

Alternatively, you could bake the chicken wings in an oven until just cooked through, brush with honey, and finish them off on the grill.  Note:  I don’t own a bbq (yet) so I used my electric grill.  A grill pan would work better because electric grills have difficulty maintaining high heat consistently.  So adjust the suggested heat and cooking times according to your equipment. 

Asian Grilled Chicken Wings Recipe

5 chicken wings, cut into 10 parts with tips removed

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp dark soy sauce (or soy sauce)

4 cloves garlic, minced finely

pinch of red chili flakes (optional)

1 to 2 tbsp honey

In a large ziploc bag, combine the chicken wings, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and garlic.  Mix well and marinate in the refrigerator at least overnight.

You could bake these wings in the oven (on a rack over a baking tray at 375 F for about 20 minutes) until just cooked through, before brushing with honey and grilling until you achieve the desired grill marks.  Or you could cook them on a grill or bbq.  Note that I used an electric grill.  If you are using a grill pan or a bbq, you may need to adjust the following heat and cooking time suggestions to prevent burning.

Preheat the grill to high heat.  Lightly grease the grill with vegetable oil and place the drumettes down first as these will take longer to cook.  Depending on the size of the drumettes, cook them for about 5 minutes per side (as if they have 4 sides), until cooked through to the bone.  Lower the heat if they start to burn.  Do not overcook the wings.  After each turn, brush the cooked side with just a light touch of honey.  When the last side is cooked, brush it very lightly with honey too.  If desired, you could briefly grill the honeyed sides prior to serving.  This makes the honey taste smokey, more subtle, and gives the wings a nice colour.  But I can never bring myself to delay eating the wings for this extra step.

After you’ve turned the drumettes once, place the wings down.  These will need to cook for about 7 minutes per side over high heat, depending on the size of the wings.  Lower the heat if they start to burn.  Do not overcook the wings.  After turning the wings, brush the cooked side with just a light touch of honey.  When the last side is cooked, brush it very lightly with honey too.  If desired, you could briefly grill the honeyed sides prior to serving.  This makes the honey taste smokey, more subtle, and gives the wings a nice colour.  But I can never bring myself to delay eating the wings for this extra step.  Serve hot.