This recipe for juicy and crispy baked chicken wings uses a simple marinade and homemade sweet chili sauce, and a cooking method that yields some of the best wings you’ll have! Perfect for game day tailgates, parties, and more!
This is one of my Appetizer recipes I know you’ll want to keep on hand!
It’s finally one of my favorite seasons… football season! Go Bengals!
Even if you’re not a huge football fan, I bet you’re a fan of the food served at game day parties and tailgates.
I’m a firm believer that you can’t have enough chicken wing recipes!
This recipe is one of my favorites, and I think you’ll love it too.
Why you’ll love this recipe!
- Crowd-pleaser – anyone who enjoys a sweet/heat flavor combo will love these wings!
- Customize-able – making the sauce from scratch means you can make it just the way you like it.
- Versatile – if you’re not a huge bone-in wing person, this marinade and sauce are great on chicken tenders as well!
What do I need to make this recipe?
- Chicken wings – you can use all flats or all drums, but I prefer a mixture.
- Sesame oil – toasted sesame oil adds a rich nuttiness to both the marinade and the sauce.
- Rice vinegar – this is a classic in Asian-inspired recipes that adds brightness that cuts through all the savoriness.
- Soy sauce – I prefer to use reduced sodium to keep the marinade and sauce from getting too salty.
- Garlic – fresh garlic is preferred (or about the same amount of pre-minced garlic or garlic paste), but you could experiment with using garlic powder if you want.
- Ginger – fresh ginger is preferred (or about the same amount of pre-minced or paste), but you could experiment with using dried ginger if you want.
- Water – this is mixed with the cornstarch to make a slurry.
- Cornstarch – the slurry made with this ingredient is what thickens the sauce.
- Sambal oelek – this adds some of the heat in the sweet chili sauce.
- Lime juice – I prefer to use fresh lime juice, but bottled will also work.
- Honey – the exact amount will be determined by how sweet you want the sauce to be.
- Red pepper flakes – this contributes the rest of the heat in the sauce, and the amount can be adjusted.
How to make sweet chili baked chicken wings:
This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.
- Make marinade. I like to do this right in the baking dish, rather than dirtying an extra bowl.
- Marinate chicken. The exact time will vary from person to person, but I usually do about an hour or two.
- Brush. Before baking, brush some extra marinade on the wings.
- Make sauce. While the wings are baking, make the sauce on the stovetop.
- Dip. Dip each cooked wing in the sauce, then return to the baking sheet.
- Broil. Broiling gets the sauce nice and sticky.
Helpful Tip!
If you don’t have an oven-safe cooling rack, you can bake these wings directly on the baking sheet (I like to line the pan with foil for easy cleanup!). I just like to use the rack to help the hot air in the oven evenly circulate around the wings.
Variations of this recipe
- Wings – whether you’re using fresh or frozen (and thawed) chicken wings, you can choose to use all flats, all drums, or a combo.
- Other types of chicken – not a wing person? Try using the marinade/sauce on some chicken tenders, chicken breasts, or chicken thighs.
- Store-bought – no time to make a homemade sauce? You can use your favorite store-bought sweet chili sauce. I would still use the marinade though.
- More mild – feel free to reduce the sambal oelek and/or the red pepper flakes.
- Spicier – if you love the heat, try adding more red pepper flakes.
FAQ’s
Absolutely! Using frozen wings allows you to buy chicken wings when they’re on sale, which I’m a huge fan of. Just make sure to thaw the wings completely and pat them dry.
The obvious option is some carrot and celery sticks, but I also like to serve up some potato wedges, or some garlic ginger rice!
Making chicken wings ahead of time
I think these wings taste best when made fresh, but you can partially make them ahead.
You can marinate and bake the wings about 24 hours ahead, and store in the refrigerator.
Reheat the wings at 400°F for about 15 minutes, then continue with dipping them in the sauce and broiling.
Storage
Leftover wings should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoyed within 3-4 days.
I like to reheat in a 400°F oven for about 15 minutes, or until hot.
My Favorite Baking Sheet/Wire Rack!
I love this combo for recipes like this, but also for placing fried foods after they’ve come out of the oil. I’ve had this set for years and it’s held up really well!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
Sesame soy marinade
- 1/4 cup avocado or vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 Tbsp grated ginger
- 3 lbs. chicken wings patted dry
Sweet chili sauce
- 1/2 cup sambal oelek chili paste
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup honey adjust to your tastes
- 2 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce optional
- 1 Tbsp lime juice fresh is best
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes adjust to your tastes
- 3 Tbsp cold water
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
Garnish
- sliced green onion, minced parsley, sesame seeds, and lime wedges
Instructions
Marinate
- In a baking dish or re-sealable plastic bag, add 1/4 cup avocado or vegetable oil, 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 2 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce, 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil, 1 Tbsp minced garlic, and 1 Tbsp grated ginger.
- Whisk to combine well, then add 3 lbs. chicken wings, turning to coat. Cover dish or seal bag and place it in the refrigerator.
- Marinate in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours, giving the chicken wings a turn about halfway through if possible.
Bake wings
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, then top it with an oven-safe wire rack. If you'd like, spray the rack with some nonstick spray for easier cleanup.
- Transfer marinated wings to prepared baking sheet/wire rack, brushing the wings with a bit more of the marinade, then discard any marinade left over.
- Bake for 40 minutes in preheated oven, flipping over about halfway through. While chicken is cooking, move on to make the sauce.
Make sweet chili sauce
- To a medium saucepan, add 1/2 cup sambal oelek, 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 1/4 cup honey, 2 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce, 1 Tbsp fish sauce (if using), 1 Tbsp lime juice, 1 Tbsp minced garlic, 1 tsp grated ginger, 1 tsp toasted sesame oil, and 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes.
- Heat over MED heat and whisk to combine. Heat until simmering.
- In a small bowl, combine 3 Tbsp cold water and 1 Tbsp cornstarch, whisking until smooth. Pour this mixture into the saucepan with the sauce, whisking as you pour, and heating/whisking until the sauce thickens a bit.
- Transfer about half the sauce to a bowl for dipping, reserving the rest for the next steps.
Broil wings
- Remove baking sheet from the oven when wings are done cooking, then change oven to broil (I broil on high, which on my oven is about 500°F). Keep the oven rack in the center position.
- Use tongs to pick up the baked wings and dunk them in the sauce in the saucepan, turning to make sure both sides are coated.
- Return chicken wings to the baking sheet and broil for 3-8 minutes, just until the sauce becomes sticky and starts to lightly char in some spots. ** Make sure you keep an eye on them, they can go from almost done to burnt pretty quickly! **
Serve
- Serve wings hot, with the bowl of sweet chili sauce for dipping, and sprinkled with some sliced green onion, minced parsley, sesame seeds, and lime wedges if desired.
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Chef Tips
- This recipe makes 3 pounds of wings, which I’ve estimated will serve approximately 6, but feel free to divide it into as many servings as you’d like.
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Deborah says
These look amazing. We make wings year round. My question is
the rice vinegar supposed to be “seasoned?” Just noticed mine is
not. Will this make a difference? Thanks, can’t wait to make.
The Chunky Chef says
Regular rice vinegar will work just fine… sometimes I make this with seasoned, but usually the one I grab is regular 🙂
Deborah says
Thank you Amanda! Will let you know how they turn out.