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by Victor Heredia

recipe medium Peruvian

Oriental Chicken Wings (Chifa Style) with Guayen Dipping Sauce

Cantonese-style Peruvian chifa chicken wings shaped into lollipops (bouquet cut), marinated in soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, five-spice powder, and ginger, then coated in potato starch with bicarbonate and deep-fried. Served with a classic chifa-style guayen dipping sauce made with smoked salt and fresh lemon juice.

download Extracted 2026-04-01

30m Prep

10m Cook

2h 30m Total

1 Servings

wings oriental chifa cantonese lollipop bouquet fried dipping-sauce guayen five-spice soy-sauce street-food alitas-orientales victor-heredia master-cook peruvian-chinese

Ingredients

brine

enough to submerge brine (10% salmuera) (100 g salt per 1 litre water; soak wings for 1.5 hours maximum)

coating

100 g potato starch (chuño / almidón de papa) (mixed with bicarbonate for coating)
5 g baking soda (bicarbonate) (mixed into the potato starch)

guayen sauce

1/4 tsp salt (for guayen sauce)
100 ml filtered water (boiled and cooled, for guayen sauce)
1/16 tsp five-spice powder (for guayen sauce) (just a pinch)
1/4 tsp ginger powder (for guayen sauce)
1/8 tsp MSG / ajinomoto (for guayen sauce) optional
15 ml fresh lemon juice (for guayen sauce) (1 tablespoon, added only at service time)

main

327 g chicken wing drumettes (piernas de alitas) (bouquet-cut (lollipop shaped): cut around the thin end, push meat down, remove cartilage)

marinade

2 g soy sauce (soya) (1/4 tsp)
5 g oyster sauce (1/4 tsp)
1/4 tsp ginger powder (kion en polvo)
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp chicken seasoning powder
1/16 tsp white pepper (a very small pinch)
pinch five-spice powder (canela china) (just a pinch)
3 g sesame oil
1/4 tsp white sugar (for balance)

Steps

1

Shape the drumettes into bouquet (lollipop) form: using a small paring knife, cut all the way around the thin end of the drumette. Scrape and push the meat firmly downward to expose the bone tip. Remove the cartilage at the base for a clean look.

Tip: A larger knife makes this easier and faster. Avoid aluminum foil wrapping — it's carcinogenic when hot; the bouquet shape makes it unnecessary.

~10 min
2

Prepare a 10% brine: dissolve 100 g of salt per 1 litre of water (or 150 g per 1.5 litres). Submerge the shaped drumettes completely and soak for 1.5 hours maximum — do not exceed 2 hours or they will over-salt.

Tip: The brine rehydrates the protein, gives the correct salt level, and purges myoglobin and bacteria from the surface.

~90 min
3

Remove the wings from the brine (do not rinse). Tare the scale to 372 g and add the marinade ingredients directly to the wings: 1/4 tsp soy sauce (~2 g), 1/4 tsp oyster sauce (~5 g), 1/4 tsp ginger powder, 1/8 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp chicken seasoning, a tiny pinch of white pepper (1/16 tsp), a pinch of five-spice powder, 3 g sesame oil, and 1/4 tsp white sugar.

Tip: Do not add extra salt — the brine and soy sauce already provide enough sodium.

~5 min
4

Mix the wings and marinade thoroughly by hand. Refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes; overnight is even better.

~30 min
5

Prepare the guayen dipping sauce: in a small pan over very low heat, gently toast 1/4 tsp of salt until slightly smoky. Add 1/16 tsp five-spice, 1/4 tsp ginger powder, and 1/8 tsp MSG. Add 100 ml of cold boiled filtered water, stir, and turn off heat. The sauce lasts one week refrigerated. Add 1 tbsp (15 ml) of fresh lemon juice only at service time.

Tip: Prepare the guayen base in large batches. The smoked salt step is what makes this sauce taste like an authentic chifa.

~5 min
6

Mix 100 g of potato starch (chuño) with 5 g of baking soda. Press the marinated wings firmly into the dry coating mixture, making sure it adheres tightly — squeeze each piece to ensure the coating closes around the meat.

Tip: The bicarbonate gives the golden color. Without it, the coating turns an unappealing pale color. If a piece opens while coating, press it shut again before frying.

~5 min
7

Deep fry the coated wings in hot oil for 6–7 minutes until golden and cooked through. The wings start from raw, so they take longer than pre-cooked wings. Alternatively, freeze the coated wings: fry in hot oil to defrost (3 min), rest, then fry again to finish.

Tip: For business: store half refrigerated (3–4 days) and freeze the rest. Fried from frozen using the two-step method.

~7 min
8

Add 15 ml of fresh lemon juice to a portion of the guayen sauce and stir. Plate the wings and serve the guayen sauce on the side. Accompany with fried potatoes.

~2 min

Nutrition (per serving)

420

Calories

34g

Protein

18g

Carbs

22g

Fat

Fiber

Cultural Context

Chifa is Peru's unique Cantonese-Peruvian fusion cuisine, born from waves of Chinese immigration in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Oriental-style wings (alitas orientales) are a beloved fixture on chifa menus across Lima and Peru. Victor Heredia identifies this as his 30th wing recipe and teaches the authentic bouquet (lollipop) shaping technique, along with the traditional guayen dipping sauce — a light, smoky, citrus-spiced liquid served in chifas across Peru.