Chinese Braised Duck Wings

These Chinese Braised Duck Wings are one of my favorite duck wing recipes. Tender, well-seasoned, and slightly sweet. This recipe is inspired by the duck wings sold at my local Asian grocery store.

Have you ever cooked duck wings before? Not many people have. I tried making it for the first time recently and it didn't turn out great. The meat came out way too tough, and I think my sauce proportions were off. But after a few tweaks, I think my recipe is perfect.

Duck wings are tougher than chicken wings because ducks do much more flying than chickens. The best way to cook them is to braise them on low heat so that the meat has time to tenderize. I decided to marinate mine with soy sauce, shaoxing wine, brown sugar, and some Chinese five-spice. They turned out amazing.

Where to buy duck wings?

I have never seen duck wings sold at common grocery stores, but I have seen them at specialty shops and local butchers. I always buy mine at my local Asian grocery store. They are usually in the frozen section because not many people buy them:

Should I cut the wings?

I highly recommend cutting the wings. It will be much easier to fit them in the bag for marinating and the pot for braising. There is one joint that needs to be cut. This will separate the wing into the drum and the flat+tip. It should look like this:

The first time I made this, I did not cut the wings, which made it difficult to fit them neatly in the pot. I had to add more water than necessary so they would be fully submerged in the braising liquid, and this made them less flavorful.

How to know when wings are tender?

In my experience, it takes at least 1 hour and 20 minutes for the duck wings to get tender. I found a good indicator is when some of the skin and meat start falling off the bones. Technically, the wings can be eaten at the 20-minute mark, but an extra hour will make a huge difference in the texture.