Among all of the dreadfully unmagical changes of Disney’s Polynesian Resort over the past few years was the elimination of the Sticky Wings from Kona Cafe. Fortunately, they were brought back during the pandemic, but without the enchanting, tangy mustard drizzle.

A stop at Kona is our traditional Day One meal at Disney, even when we’re glamping at Fort Wilderness. Traditions make me feel a little more safe in this rather frightful world, and those Kona wings have been our mainstay for nearly 20 years. At home, we perfected them a few years back.

They are the number one kitchen request in our home from my youngest. I only make them a couple of times a year (frying is too mucky for me). But when I do – they are gone in a Peter Pan minute.

Anyone up for some Sticky Wings with spicy mustard and sesame from Kona cafe? pic.twitter.com/tzyN3UM1kj

— Mary Morales (@tinksthinks123) January 9, 2015

This is the old version (and how we much prefer them).

Tips for Making These Practically Perfect

1. Be patient with the sticky sauce. It can take a while for it to simmer down from a liquid into a true sticky glaze.

   

2. Save time by using frozen wings and dethawing. They are already cut up and ready to go.
3. For the mustard base, you can usually find the hot Chinese mustard in the Asian section of a large grocer. I also hoard the extra packets that come with Chinese take-out.
4. Transport yourself  to Disney’s Polynesian Resort during cooking and dining with music from the resort loop.

Print Recipe

5 from 6 votes

Polynesian Kona Cafe Sticky Wings

Servings: 0

Ingredients

Main Components

• 2.5-3 lbs frozen chicken wings, thawed (14-22 wings)
• 1 bottle vegetable oil
• 1 recipe poaching sauce (below)
• 1 recipe sticky sauce (below)
• 1 recipe hot/sweet mustard drizzle
• white sesame seeds and black sesame seeds

Poaching Sauce

• 1 cup soy sauce
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup minced garlic
• 1 cup water

Sticky Sauce

• 1 cup soy sauce (lite)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup minced garlic
• mirin, sherry or white wine (if needed to thin)
• dash ginger powder

Mustard Sauce

• 1/4 cup hot Chinese mustard
• 1/4 cup honey

Instructions

• Thaw and refrigerate wings.

Poach wings in Poaching Sauce

• Combine all ingredients in poaching sauce and bring to boil in large pot.
• Place wings in sauce and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Prepare Sticky Sauce

• It's always get tricky to get sticky sauce to the right consistency so be patient and attentive when preparing.
• Combine brown sugar and soy sauce in sauce pan and bring to boil. Boil for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly, and let it cool a bit (10 minutes) to see if it's thickening up. If it's not sticky, slowly add more brown sugar, a little at a time, and bring back to boil, cooking about 5 more minutes. Remember it will thicken up as it cools. If it's too thick, add some mirin (or sherry cooking wine or white wine), just a little at a time, and stir.
• When it's at the right consistency, add garlic and ginger and keep warm.

Prepare Mustard Sauce

• Combine Chinese hot mustard sauce with honey.

Fry the Chicken

• Using a heavy frying pan or deep fryer, bring enough oil to cover the chicken to 350 degrees. It's important that the temperature be high enough - but not too high.
• Drop the chicken in just a few pieces at a time. Don't crowd them (better cooking and way less mess!). They'll only need a minute or two to crisp up.
• Remove cooked chicken pieces and let cool slightly for about 2-3 minutes.

Final Preparations

• Place the poached, fried chicken in a bowl with the sticky sauce and cover all parts of the chicken.
• Place the wings on a plate lined with lettuce and garnished with cucumber slices and grated carrots. Sprinkle sesame seeds and black sesame seeds on top of chicken.
• Drizzle a little mustard sauce over each wing.

This recipe is enough for an appetizer portion for 6 people or 2 people as a meal. It’s easy to double except for the sticky sauce. If I’m making more, I will prepare it in batches to get better control over the consistency.

My favorite side is Kona’s Hawaiaan Pasta Salad, but a nice green salad (with cucumbers) is perfect when you want a less heavy meal.