These Orange Teriyaki Chicken Wings are lip-smackingly delicious! In this recipe, we glaze the wings in homemade teriyaki sauce mixed with orange marmalade for extra tang and sweetness. They‘re unbelievably easy to make and my kids LOVE them!
My kids love chicken wings, I mean, they LOOOOOVE them. My son usually eats them without making too much of a mess and he neatly wipes his hands before touching utensils. On the other hand, my daughter eats them as if they are her last meal. She never seems to notice the sticky mess on her face. Either way, I am happy to see them enjoying their food. So whenever I need to make a quick dinner, chicken wings are a no brainer.
These Orange Teriyaki Chicken Wings (鶏手羽のオレンジ照り焼き) are not traditional teriyaki chicken, but they are the happy result of a Japanese mother would do to change things up for their children.
Sweet & Sticky Orange Teriyaki Chicken Wings
I’ve made enough teriyaki dishes for the family that sometimes I worry that my children would demand something different. Luckily they have been really good kids so far. They might grumble a little, but they usually end up eating the same food I have to make, especially a recipe that I have been testing over a good deal of time. Because of this, I occasionally find myself tinkering with ideas on how to tweak an original recipe to spice things up. Do you have the same experience in the kitchen?
A little change to the familiar would make them so happy, like these Orange Teriyaki Chicken Wings. ‘Mom’s making teriyaki. Oh, but these taste different. So sweet! So good! Orange flavored teriyaki!.’ they exclaimed. It was fun to watch them devouring the ‘orange flavored’ wings.
To make these chicken wings extra special, I added orange marmalade to my original teriyaki seasoning. I found orange marmalade an incredibly versatile and delicious ingredient for cooking. It is not just yummy on a toast or sweets, but it is also fantastic in savory dishes. The concentrated sweetness and citrus tang can really elevate the overall flavor. A great must-have item in the refrigerator.
Teriyaki Wings for Dinner Main Dish or Party Appetizer
If you’re looking to learn how to make chicken teriyaki using the authentic Japanese method, I have the recipe here. But if you’re up for something with an extra touch, give these Orange Teriyaki Chicken Wings a try. Cooked in a Dutch oven on a stovetop, it is really simple and there’s no marinating required. The wings smothered in the flavorful sauce are perfectly sticky and perfectly sweet. They are also great for busy weeknights, lazy Fridays, patio parties, or every other day in between.
My recipe calls for 10 pieces of drumettes as I served it as a side dish for my family. Obviously, it was not enough for them. You may want to double the batch if you know you have some serious wings eaters at home. Enjoy!
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
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Orange Teriyaki Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken wings (flats/drumettes) (separated into flats and drumettes)
- ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 rib celery
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 bay leaf
For the Seasonings
To Garnish
- ½ tsp toasted white sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Cut 1 rib celery into 2-inch (5-cm) pieces. Then, smash them with the flat side of the knife.
- Smash 2 cloves garlic with the flat side of the knife and discard the peel.
- In a Dutch oven or a large pot, heat 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil on medium-high heat. Season 1 lb chicken wings (flats/drumettes) with ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper.
- Sear the chicken wings until golden brown.
- Add ½ cup sake and ⅓ cup water.
- Add ¼ cup orange marmalade and ¼ cup soy sauce.
- Add the smashed celery, the smashed garlic cloves, and 1 bay leaf.
- Place an otoshibuta (drop lid) on top of the chicken, but do not cover with the Dutch oven lid. Simmer over medium-low heat for 15 minutes.
- During this time, turn the chicken wings once in a while.
- After 15 minutes of simmering, remove the otoshibuta. Continue turning the chicken to coat with the sauce and cook until the sauce is almost gone.
- When there is about 2 Tbsp of sauce left and you can see the bottom of the pot, turn off the heat. Transfer the chicken onto a plate, and pour the sauce on top. Sprinkle with ½ tsp toasted white sesame seeds and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Editeor’s Note: This post was originally published in March 2011. The images have been updated in April 2019.
Anxious to make the orange teriyaki chicken wings but do not own a otoshibuta as called for. Can you suggest a substitute or do I really need to use one. I have prepared many of your recipes & we really enjoyed them. Thank you.
Hi Nancy! You can easily make otoshibuta by following this method with aluminum foil or parchment paper: https://www.justonecookbook.com/how-to-make-otoshi-buta/
Hope you enjoy this recipe! Thank you for cooking my recipes, Nancy! 🙂
Another great recipe, orange instead of pineapple flavor in the sauce is fabulous. On another note, I do miss the dates on your posts, recipes and the comments.
Hi Deb! Thank you for your kind words. Regarding the dates, my recipes never had a date on it (same as a post date) but I do miss the dates on comments. My web developer/designer recommended that websites should be more evergreen content since that was our request to make it more a “website” look than a “blog” look with a post entry date (like a dairy). So she put the post dates at the end of the post (right before comment section). It’s something to do with a timeless look so you won’t feel like you’re reading “old content”. It’s just a code, so we can always add that back in if we want to… 🙂
Hi Nami,
Can i use orange juice instead of orange marmalade? If yes, do u know how many ml should i use??
Hi Debbie! Hmm.. I have never used it, but I assume you can substitute. One big difference is that the chicken will be more like boiled in OJ and won’t be coated with sticky caramelized sauce. If that’s okay with you, you can use the OJ. Orange marmalade is basically orange + sugar so you can imagine how the effect will be on the chicken. OJ on the other hand can be tangier than sweet. 🙂
Hi Nami – I want to make these wings in the air fryer instead of on the stove. Do you have any suggestions on how to adjust the recipe? Should I marinade the wings with the teriyaki sauce and marmalade and then just cook in air fryer as is since it won’t be steeping in the teriyaki sauce. Thanks.
Hi Aurora! I don’t own an air fryer so I don’t know how the machine works and how the recipe needs to be adjusted etc. With this recipe, you will need to reduce the sauce while the chicken is being cooked. Maybe you can make the sauce and chicken separately so you can still reduce the sauce in the pot? I wish I know the best way… but I’m just guessing as I don’t know how air fryer will work for this recipe.
Ohh no problem. Thank you for responding! 🙂
Cook orange chicken drumette. Result good, if people don’t like sweet they wouldn’t like this dish.
Quite easy to make
Margaret
Hi Margaret! Thank you for trying this recipe and for your feedback! Yeah, I think when people hear orange chicken (in the U.S.)… it’s usually sweet and sticky kind, so hopefully this recipe is not deceiving. 🙂
i just tried the orange teriyaki chicken and i loved it!! there wasn’t any left after dinner LOL ….. so looking forward to more of your recipes.
Hi Gladys! I’m so happy to hear you liked it! Hahaha no leftover means a good thing! Hope you enjoy my other recipes too! xo Thank you for taking your time to write your kind feedback. 🙂
hi! is there an alternative for white wine?
Hi Gladys! Hmm you can use sake or Chinese rice wine if you have it. Otherwise, you can use water instead. 🙂
Hi Nami!
I just recently started trying a few of your recipes and they have all turned out great! The orange chicken is the next one I want to try tonight! Question, I have some extra chicken wings from a bbq, can I use this recipe for wings as well? Would the ingredient amounts be the same?
Thsnks!
Winnie
Hi Winnie! I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks so much for your kind feedback! 🙂 Yes, you can use wings for this recipe. 🙂 They are about the same size, so it should work as long as the wings are covered with the sauce (Step 3). 🙂
Can I substitute white wine with sake?
Hi Poon! You can replace it with dry sherry. 🙂
Dear Nami,
this recipe looks amazing! Quick question… can I use orange peel instead of marmalade? I think it will be more natural like that (cause lets face it, we never know what kind of chemical substances they put inside marmalade) and it would also reduce the sugar. Or is sugar essetial as well? Thanks!
Hi Alina! As you see in the recipe, this recipe doesn’t include any sweetener besides the marmalade; therefore, if you omit marmalade and use orange peel, you may want to add honey (or sugar or other sweetner) to create “orange teriyaki” flavor. If you prefer to keep it healthier, you can totally omit it, but it’ll be just too salty (from soy sauce). Sweetness is up to you. 🙂
Hello Nami,
thanks for your reply! Yes I get the point… then I have to write down “orange marmelade” in my shopping list 🙂 Thanks!
Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Oh my God,
it turned out AMAZING!!! I used both marmelade and orange peel+juice instead of water. WOW! I will be definitely cooking it again, thank you for sharing this recipe, Nami!
Haha! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! I haven’t made this for a while – It’s time to update the recipe with new photos (and maybe video)… 🙂 Thank you for your kind feedback!
I found your site while searching for a particular dish. I am having a wonderful time checking out all the interesting and informative recipes and techniques you offer.. :O)
A question about this drumette dish. I will want to double the recipe. Will a straight doubling of the cooking ingredients be correct, or is there a ratio which should be followed?
Hi Ross! I recommend doubling the sauce ingredients but not celery. The sauce might give you a bit extra as it does not evaporate as much. But I assume it’s better to have more sauce than not having enough. 🙂
Thanks for this awesome recipe, it was delicious! 🙂
Hi Tim! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it! 🙂
I tried this tonight and it tastes great!! thanks for sharing..
Hi Mary! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it. Thank you so much for letting me know! 😀
I would love to try this recipe. I’m sure it’ll be a hit with the fiancé and family. =)
I hope you will enjoy it! 🙂
What is otoshi-buta?
It’s a Japanese cooking technique. You can read more about it under How To Make Otoshibuta Page: https://www.justonecookbook.com/how-to/how-to-make-otoshi-buta/
I like the new look and feel to the blog–looks very clean and approachable! =)
Thank you Kimberley! I appreciate all of your suggestions. I hope you don’t mind being my personal editor. Hehe.