Braised Coca-Cola Chicken Wings

Heat a non-stick skillet on medium-high heat. When skillet is hot, add vegetable oil and allow it to heat. Then place chicken wings in skillet in a single layer, skin side down. Fry until the bottom side turns golden, in about 3 to 4 minutes. Flip chicken wings and fry the other side in the same way. Stop heat and place chicken wings on a plate, set aside. Save oil for the next step.

Heat a wok on medium high heat. When wok is hot and starts to smoke, add the remaining oil from the skillet into the wok (should be about 2 tablespoons of oil; add more vegetable oil if needed). Carefully lift the wok and sway it in a circular motion, to let oil cover more area on the walls and to avoid spices sticking to the wok. Turn to medium heat, add chili peppers and let them cook for a few seconds until they start turning dark. Then add the scallion and ginger, give it a stir and cook until fragrant. Add light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and Coca-Cola. Give it several stirs. Be careful because the hot oil might splatter. Carefully add in the chicken wings. The sauce should cover chicken wings.

When the sauce boils again, turn to low heat and keep simmering for about 20 minutes. After the first 15 minutes, use a spatula to stir chicken 2 to 3 times to avoid burning the bottom and make sure the wings mix in sauce evenly. When sauce is starting to thicken, add in salt. Closely watch the wok and stir frequently when sauce starts to thicken; it should reduce to about 1/3 of the original amount. The chicken will be ready when the sauce is very thick and coats the wings well. If sauce is still thin after 20 minutes, turn to medium high heat to boil it down. Be careful. The last few minutes could easily burn the chicken because of the huge amount of sugar in the thick sauce. Use a spatula to scoop chicken wings from the bottom constantly to avoid burning.

Remove from heat and plate. Garnish chicken wings with cilantro or green onion. Serve while warm or cold.