Tebasaki (Japanese Crispy Chicken Wings)
Crispy double-fried chicken wings glazed in a sticky soy–mirin tare with toasted sesame and spring onion.
Tebasaki are Japan’s answer to sticky, finger-licking wings: double-fried for brittle skin, then tossed in a glossy soy–mirin tare. They’re brilliant as a sharing plate at a party or for a relaxed supper when you want a bit of theatre.
This version keeps things straightforward for a home kitchen — a short 30-minute marinade, a boil of the reserved marinade to make a safe glaze and a double-fry for proper crunch. Serve straight away with cold beer or steamed rice on the side if you like.
Ingredients
- 12 Chicken wings — whole wings can be split at the joint into wingette and drummette if preferred; pat very dry before coating
- 100 ml Light soy sauce
- 80 ml Mirin
- 55 ml Sake
- 15 g Grated ginger — about 1 tbsp
- 2 Garlic cloves — crushed
- 30 g Plain flour
- 70 g Cornflour
- 1 l Vegetable oil — for deep-frying
- 25 g Caster sugar
- 15 g Honey
- 50 ml Water
- 20 g Sesame seeds — toasted
- 2 Spring onions — green parts only, finely sliced
- 5 g Sea salt
- 5 ml Black pepper — freshly ground
Equipment
- Deep-fryer or heavy-based saucepan
- Thermometer
- Wire rack
- Tongs
Instructions
Trim any excess wingtips and, if whole, split each wing at the joint into wingette and drummette. Pat the wings very dry with kitchen paper. Season lightly with sea salt and black pepper.
Make the marinade: in a bowl combine light soy sauce, mirin, sake, grated ginger and crushed garlic. Stir to dissolve.
Place the wings in a shallow dish or resealable bag, pour over the marinade, turn to coat and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Reserve the marinade from the wings (you will cook it to make the glaze). Drain the wings and pat thoroughly dry with kitchen paper. In a large bowl, toss the wings with plain flour and cornflour until evenly and lightly coated.
Pour the vegetable oil into a deep heavy-based saucepan or deep-fryer and heat to 160°C (use a thermometer). Fry the wings in batches so the oil temperature stays around 160°C, for about 9 minutes per batch until cooked through but not deeply browned. Transfer to a wire rack lined with kitchen paper to rest.
Leave the wings to rest on the rack for 5 minutes to let steam escape and the surface dry.
Increase the oil temperature to 190°C. Fry the wings again in batches for 1–2 minutes until deeply golden and very crisp. Drain briefly on the wire rack.
While the wings are finishing, make the tare (glaze): pour the reserved marinade into a small saucepan, add the remaining light soy sauce, mirin, sake, caster sugar, honey and water. Bring to a vigorous simmer and boil for 3–5 minutes until reduced to a glossy, slightly syrupy glaze. Taste and, if too salty, add a splash more water and boil briefly.
Put the hot wings into a large bowl, pour over the warm glaze and toss quickly so each wing is evenly coated. Scatter over toasted sesame seeds and sliced spring onions and serve immediately.
Tips
- Pat wings completely dry before coating — this is the single biggest trick for crispiness.
- Reserve and boil the marinade for the glaze; never pour raw marinade directly onto cooked wings.
- Double-fry: first at a lower temperature to cook through, then briefly at high temperature to crisp the skin.
- Work in small batches so the oil temperature recovers quickly; use a thermometer for consistency.
- Make ahead: you can fry the wings fully, cool, then freeze on a tray. Finish with a quick re-fry (1–2 minutes) and glaze from frozen.
Substitutions
Light soy sauce → Tamari, same quantity (100 ml) — use a labelled gluten-free tamari if you need gluten-free
Stays closeHoney → Maple syrup, same quantity (15 g)
Noticeably differentVegetable oil → Sunflower oil or light rapeseed oil, same quantity (1000 ml)
Stays closeChicken wings → Bone-in chicken thigh pieces, adjust cooking: first fry 10–12 minutes, second fry 1–2 minutes
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 600
- Calories
- 32 g
- Protein
- 28 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 20 g
- Sugar
- 1100 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I bake these instead of deep-frying?
You can oven-bake at 220°C fan/240°C conventional on a wire rack for 35–40 minutes until crisp, then toss in the glaze. They won’t be as crisp as double-fried but will still be tasty.
Why do I have to boil the reserved marinade?
The reserved marinade contains raw chicken juices; boiling for several minutes kills any bacteria and reduces it to a safe, sticky glaze.
How do I keep the wings crisp if I need to serve later?
Fry fully, cool on a rack, then reheat in a hot oven (220°C fan/240°C conventional) for 6–8 minutes before glazing. Glazing is best done just before serving.
Can I make the glaze less salty?
Yes — reduce the total light soy sauce by 10–20 ml and add a little extra water and a touch more caster sugar or honey to balance sweetness.
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