Thai Chili Sesame Chicken Wings are flat-out hard to stop eating when sweet and spicy sauce clings to every crispy bite. I’m not even sure if it is the texture of the wing or the flavor of the sauce I love more or the symbiotic sensation of their perfect union, but love them I do. Based on the sheer number of wing recipes and numerous wing places with a cult following, it is safe to assume I am not alone in this. This particular recipe left me a bit embarrassed by the pile of bones that quickly replaced the garlic and chili studded wingettes (my favorite) on my plate, while my husband was only halfway through his.
Let’s just say he did a better job savoring his, while I guess I got a little carried away 
.
Too dark for photos last night, I held some back for lunch today (I know, bummer) and shared them with our daughter when she came home from work. She was a little worried she had missed it. I assured her there were some for her too, but the sauce was not her favorite Mae Ploy, rather it was a new homemade sauce. Skeptical, she muttered something about me leaving well enough alone … then all I heard was finger licking sounds, followed by, “okay, this one’s a keeper.” In short order, she too sat with a pile of bones.
Glad you enjoyed the wings, honey.
No special coating or fussy technique required, as browned chicken skin needs little help to be delicious. Baked in the oven with freshly ground sea salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika is all it takes—you don’t even have to be neat about it, they don’t care. You will have plenty of time to make the sauce and prep a few fresh vegetables, which were good with the sauce as well. For a heavenly finish, squeeze fresh lime over the wings just before serving.
Which do you prefer, wingettes or drumettes?
Ingredients
- 24 chicken wing pieces -- drumettes & wingettes separated
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 2 teaspoons pepper
- smoked paprika
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce -- Red Boat
- 2 tablespoons dry sherry
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce -- Panda Brand
- 4 cloves garlic -- minced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot -- dissolved in 1/4 cup water
- sesame seeds
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Preheat convection oven to 350° or regular bake to 400°.
- Spread chicken wing pieces out on a cutting board or baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika on both sides. Transfer wings to a parchment lined rimmed baking sheet, being sure to leave space between each piece and not overcrowd the pan.
- Bake for about 40-50 minutes, or until wings are well browned on both sides (this will depend on size of wings and oven). Check wings periodically and turn over if one side is browning faster than the other.
- While wings are baking, mix the honey, rice vinegar, sherry, chili sauce, and garlic in a saucepan and bring to a boil over med-high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes to reduce and consentrate the sauce.
- Stir in cornstarch mixture and continue to cook until sauce thickens, 2-3 minutes.
- Remove from heat and set aside until chicken is done. The seasoning can be adjusted at this point--adding more chili sauce for spice or more honey for sweetness.
- Once the wings are golden and crispy, remove from oven. Using tongs, dip each wing into the sauce and transfer to a clean parment lined pan until all the wings have been well coated with the sauce.
- Sprinkle each wing with sesame seeds and return to the oven for 2-3 minutes.
- Serve wings with extra sauce for dipping and a lime wedge to squeeze over the wings just before eating.
Notes
Convection bake will allow for more even browning and less turning during the baking process, but either baking method works fine.
Shared on the following Blog Hops:
Premeditated Leftovers Hearth & Soul Hop
Real Food Forager Fat Tuesday
Real Food Whole Health Fresh Bites Friday
The Nourishing Gourmet Pennywise Platter Thursday
Just couldn’t wait any longer, had to take a bite!
Time to eat!
Always on the look out for good wings recipes, especially ones that don’t require deep frying. This one looks like a good one. Thanks
I’m all about the drumettes and Liz prefers the wingettes…that’s why our marriage works.
Fantastic sounding sauce!
Oh wow! Those look so delicious. It certainly would be hard to stop at just one.
I had similar wings while on our road trip in Charleston that had been smoked…these sound great.
Drooooling on my computer. Not a good idea. These look so sticky and sensational! What a fantastic recipe!
Definitely a wing guy. These look awesome!
This is literally what I call finger licking good!
Oh my, these look mouthwateringly delicious! Seriously good eats!
These look so scrumptious and sticky. My mouth is watering. Makes it so much better that these are baked in the oven. A lot easier (and healthier) than frying them up!
I made these last week and let’s just say my Bae ate them all. They were absolutely delicious!!!! Thanks for sharing!!!
MonieLove, thank you so much for taking the time to comment and let me know how you like them! That just makes my day when I hear that.
Very Good!!! Made 9 lbs and nothing was left. Friends raved about them. Did not change anything while making them. Came out with just the right spicy flavor. Not to hot and not too sweet. Thanks for sharing with us.
WOW! Made the wings with Thai Pineapple Fried Rice. The wings were FLYING off the plate! lol My family loved them, as well as the rice. We like it spicier, so I added about 3-4 TBS of Sambal Olek red pepper paste/sauce and spiced it up a bit. Rice was a great compliment to the wings.
Have a pic but no clue how to post it!
Great Recipe! Will be making this again soon.
David, thanks so much for letting me know you loved the wings, it means so much to get feedback.
I like your idea of serving it with the pineapple fried rice!
I would love to see your pic, you can post it on Savoring Today’s Face Book page https://www.facebook.com/SavoringToday or send it to me at savoringtoday@comcast.net. Again, thanks for commenting!
I have never made wings at home but this flavor is so tempting- I will have to try them soon!
thedrivencook recently posted..Lime-in-the-Coconut Macaroons
I have so much sesame in my kitchen, I don’t know what to do with it. But you have shown me the perfect solution. Will be making this soon, thank you!
ATasteOfMadness recently posted..Eggnog Brandy Cake
Great dish! I love wings, but I really prefer the oven baked rather than the fried. These look fabulous! The sauce looks terrific. I’d have a pile of bones in front of me in no time, I’m embarrassed to say. But I’d be full and happy.
Good stuff – thanks.
john@kitchenriffs recently posted..Chocolate Fudge with Nutella
Yes, John, you would be full and happy! Thanks for the nice comment.
Great recipe and even better that they are oven baked vs fried; and all looks absolutely delicious in photos, I usually go for drumettes, but I’d have everything here!
Gourmantine recently posted..Health booster