Although not a traditional Chinese dish, the sauce can definitely be used in many different Asian-inspired dishes! We are getting our chicken-wing fix on with this luscious orange-tamari sauce creation. This is a gluten-free sauce for those who have eliminated gluten from their intake. If you are not affected by gluten, old-school soy sauce is fine. The oranges do need to be a sweet-tangy variety. If you are lucky enough to find Cara Cara at the stores in the new year, grab some!
A digital scale* is required for some of the ingredients as it is weight-based.
INGREDIENTS:
3 Cara Cara oranges
3/4 C Honey
8oz Tamari
8oz Rice Vinegar
3oz Garlic*
2.5oz Ginger*
(Slurry)
3 TB Cornstarch 3 TB Orange juice or water
1.) If you are using this for chicken wings, you must prep your wings first. Grab a sheet pan (or two) and either line it with parchment paper or lightly spray some olive oil on. Season 1-2lbs or so of chicken wings with kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder to your own liking. Set the sheet pan aside for 30 minutes to dry up.
2.) Set your oven to 400°F/205°C
©2004-2026 Konky’s Creative Kitchen, All rights reserved.
3.) Into a mixing bowl, zest and squeeze three Cara Cara oranges. 4.) In a high-powdered blender, pour in your zest/juiced oranges, the ginger, and garlic. Puree this mixture as smooth as possible. You want to make sure there are no lumps. Once pureed, pour this back into your mixing bowl and scrap the blender cup/container clean.
5.) Into the mixing bowl of puree, add your honey, tamari, and rice vinegar. Do not worry if the honey you are using has crystals. We are going to be heating this up in a pot on the stove. Mix well.
6.) Mix your cornstarch slurry ahead of time and place on the counter by your stove. Grab a whisk to have ready.
7.) Get the sheet pans of chicken wings and brush on some tamari. Send to the oven and set your timer for the first 30 minutes. Rotate your pans and reset the timer for another 10-15 minutes or until an internal temperature of 165°F/74°C and no longer pink.
©2004-2026 Konky’s Creative Kitchen, All rights reserved.
8.) In a medium-sized pot on low-medium heat, add your sauce mixture to the pot. With a rubber spatula, make sure to scrape the bottom and sides to make sure the mixture does not burn. In about 5-7 minutes, the honey crystals will have melted down.
(OPTIONAL: Once fully melted, it is up to you if you wish to strain out any pulp. You would need a fine-mesh strainer, a bowl and CAREFUL consideration as this is a hot solution. Carefully pour the sauce into a strainer that is sitting in a bowl. Scrape to allow the fluids to drain into the bowl. Place the strained liquid back into the pot. Take the strainer with the pulp and put that back in the bowl and let it cool before composting or discarding.)
9.) Bring the pot of sauce back up to temperature after a couple of minutes. Remove pot from the heat.
10.) Add about half of your slurry and whisk vigorously. This is going to help to gently thicken your sauce. If it is still not the right consistency that you prefer, add the remainder and whisk again. If the sauce becomes too thick, this is very easy to fix. Just add a little orange juice or water and whisk again.
11.) Either plate up your cooked wings and ladle some sauce on top - or toss wings into a bowl with the sauce and toss to coat before plating.
GARNISH: Cilantro leaves, scallions, chili, sesame seeds
©2004-2026 Konky’s Creative Kitchen, All rights reserved.
Orange Tamari sauce for wings Orange Tamari sauce as a stir-fry sauce