Hawker Wings

You’ll find these juicy, sticky, charred wings at Singapore’s hawker centers (or food courts), where there’s usually at least one vendor flipping them over a charcoal grill. The chicken wings are marinated in dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, and garlic, then served with a spicy dipping sauce made of chiles and lime.

Preparation time: 10 minutes, plus overnight marinating | Cooking time: 20-25 minutes |

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

For the marinated chicken:

Barbecue: Smoked & Grilled Recipes From Across the Globe Hugh Mangum

• ½ cup (4 fl oz/120 ml) soy sauce

• 4 tablespoons dark soy sauce

• 4 tablespoons oyster sauce

• 2 tablespoons sesame oil

• 2 tablespoons dried basil

• 1 tablespoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon onion powder

• 1 teaspoon black pepper

• 24 whole chicken wings 

For the hot sauce:

• 6 red bird’s eye chiles

• 2 cloves garlic

• 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• ½ cup (4 fl oz/120 ml) hot chicken stock

• 1 teaspoon calamansi (Filipino lime) juice or lime juice 

DIRECTIONS

For the marinated chicken:

In a large bowl,  combine all the ingredients except the chicken. Add the chicken and mix well to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight. 

For the hot sauce:

In a food processor, combine  the chiles, garlic, ginger, sugar, and salt. Blend until it forms a paste, then transfer the paste to a medium bowl. Stir in the hot stock, then add the juice. 

Preheat a grill to medium-high heat. 

Place the wings on the grill and cook for 8–12 minutes on each side, until cooked through and slightly charred. 

Transfer the wings to a serving dish and serve  with the hot sauce.

Excerpted from Barbecue © 2025 by Hugh Mangum. Photography © 2025 by Nico Schinco. Reproduced by permission of Phaidon. All rights reserved.

When you shop using our links, we earn a small commission. It’s a great way to support public media at no extra cost to you!