With only 3 ingredients, these Japanese Salted Chicken Wings (Teba Shio) are oven-broiled till juicy and crisp golden perfection. So good and unbelievably easy to make, they will be the wings on repeat for all your parties, game days or lazy Sunday dinners.
What are some of your tried and tested favorite foods to serve at a party? My go-to dish is these Japanese Salted Chicken Wings, or in Japanese, we call them Teba Shio (手羽塩). Popular finger food you can find at Izakaya (Japanese tapas restaurants), these oven-broiled wings taste just like they are grilled outside!
With seriously crispy skin and umami, teba shio are the best thing I regularly pull out for gatherings. They are insanely easy that I even make these wings when I get stuck in the cooking rut. Wings to the rescue and family approved! If you’re reading this, you have to give it a try.
Watch How to Make Teba Shio (Salted Chicken Wings)
How to Make Perfectly Juicy and Crispy Chicken Wings in the Oven
Here’s how you achieve juicy and crispy wings in 3 simple steps:
- Use good quality chicken wings! I like to source for organic, free-range chicken if possible. It makes a difference.
- Soak the chicken wings in sake for 15 minutes. You don’t have to use expensive sake, but you do need 1 and 1/2 cup sake to make sure all the wings are covered. No substitute, please. Sake helps remove the gamey taste from the chicken. This is extremely important when the chicken is only seasoned with salt and pepper.
- Pat dry each wing thoroughly with a paper towel before baking. Extra liquid from the sake is a no-no for crispy skin.
Yes, that’s it! Simple details rule when comes to a simple recipe with minimal ingredients.
After broiling the chicken, the skin gets so crispy and they are addicting and simply amazing! To give the wings extra punches, serve with a lemon wedge and a sprinkling of Shichimi Togarashi (Japanese seven spice).
The first time I served Teba Shio for a party of 20 and these wings were the first to go. I secretly think that people can’t get enough of the wings because they are so good without any sauce, which means less mess. Who could resist that at a party? Everyone asked for the recipe, and boy, was I glad that I could explain it in 30 seconds.
I hope you give Teba Shio a try for your next gathering and make sure you have enough wine, sparkling water, and sake to pass around!
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Teba Shio (Salted Chicken Wings)
Ingredients
- 2 lb chicken wings (flats/drumettes) (16 pieces; I use mid joints/flats)
- 1 ½ cups sake
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice) (optional)
- lemon (optional)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position. Line the bottom of a baking sheet with aluminum foil (for easy cleaning) and place a wire rack on top.
- Soak the chicken wings in the sake for 10 minutes, turning the wings once.
- Pat dry each wing with paper towels and place the wings, skin side up, on the wire rack.
- Sprinkle a GENEROUS amount of salt and black pepper, and flip the wings to sprinkle the other side. Keep the skin side down.
- Set the oven broiler to high (550ºF/288 ºC) for 3 minutes before cooking. Place the baking sheet in the middle rack of the oven, about 8" (20 cm) away from the heating element. Cook for 9-10 minutes, until nicely brown and crispy, and then flip the chicken to cook the other side (skin side) for another 9-10 minutes. Watch the chicken carefully not to burn; if your oven is small/strong, try broiling at medium (500ºF/260ºC) or lower the rack.
- If you don't have a broiler, bake at 425-450ºF (200-230ºC) for 45 minutes. Monitor the cooking time – the chicken is cooked through when internal temp is 165 ºF 74ºC).
To Serve
- Serve with shichimi togarashi and lemon wedges on the side.
To Store
- Keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and in the freezer for a month.
Nutrition
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in February 2011. The photos have been updated and the video is added in February 2016.
