Our Baked 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 chicken wing recipes and numerous wing places with a cult following, it is safe to assume I am not alone in this.
It’s the Homemade Thai Chili Sauce too.
This particular recipe left me a bit embarrassed by the pile of bones that quickly replaced the garlic and chili studded wingettes on my plate, while my husband was only halfway through his.
He did a better job savoring his, while I got a little carried away ;).
Since it was too dark to get a decent photo, I held some back for lunch (I know, bummer) and shared them with our daughter when she came home from work. She was a little worried she had missed chicken wings.
I set a plate in front of her mentioning the sauce was not her favorite Mae Ploy, it was my new homemade Thai chili 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.
No special coating or fussy technique required.
Roasted 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.
While the wings bake, there is plenty of time to make the chili sauce and prep a plate of fresh vegetables.
Then, right before you sink your teeth into the crisp, sweetly-spiced Thai Chili Sesame Chicken Wings shower them with freshly squeezed lime for a heavenly finish not to be missed.
Try the sauce on Grilled Shrimp too!
Thai Chili Sesame Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 24 chicken wing pieces (, drumettes & wingettes separated)
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 2 teaspoons pepper
- smoked paprika
For the sauce:
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons dry sherry
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
- 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, fish sauce, 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 concentrate 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 parchment-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
Nutrition
More Thai Style Recipes:
Grilled Thai Chili Sesame Shrimp
Pad Thai with Beef Recipe and Red Boat Fish Sauce
Pad Thai with Shrimp: Easy Weeknight Recipe
Thai Chicken Pizza
Spicy Thai-Style Pineapple Wraps
Thai Peanut Sauce
Thai Cocktail Sauce for Seafood
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Jessica M. says
I realize this recipe is a few years old, but we just made it last night and it was incredible! I just had to come on here and leave a 5-star review! We were actually running late to a get-together with friends, so my husband took over for me so I could get ready and we followed the recipe exactly as written. We only had chicken drumsticks. We brought them with us to the get-together, and then realized that our friends are vegetarians! Guess what? They both had a couple drumsticks! First time eating chicken in a very long time, and they thought they were delicious.
Awesome recipe, we’ll be making this again for sure!
Judy Purcell says
Hi Jessica, Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know how much you enjoyed this recipe! This sauce is fabulous on any part of the bird, so I’m not surprised the legs went over so well with your friends! Your comment made my day!
Christina says
Your embarrassment at finishing before your husband, leaving a pile of bones, says something about the recipe. While it did make you come out of your shell a bit more than anticipated, at least you enjoyed the meal.
Heena says
Excellent recipe!!! Easy to make and sooooo delicious! Just how they look in the pictures! Love so much they have become a weekly regular! Thank u so much!!! Have shared with all my friends x
Judy Purcell says
Hi Heena, thank you so much for letting me know how much you liked the recipe and for sharing with your friends — that is the greatest compliment. 🙂
Stephen says
I made this tonight! Amazingly tasty sauce that’s super-simple. My roommate told me they were the best wings in New York. In addition to the written recipe, I browned the wings using coconut oil on the stovetop before I threw them in the oven to bake.
Judy Purcell says
Hi Stephen, thanks so much for taking time to let me know how much you enjoyed the wings — best in New York is a real compliment! It is pretty amazing how easy it is to have great wings at home without a lot of fuss. Hope you stop by again soon. 🙂
Gourmantine says
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!
[email protected] says
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.
Judy Purcell says
Yes, John, you would be full and happy! Thanks for the nice comment. 🙂
ATasteOfMadness says
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!
thedrivencook says
I have never made wings at home but this flavor is so tempting- I will have to try them soon!
David says
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.
Judy says
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 [email protected]. Again, thanks for commenting!
Eric says
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.
MonieLove says
I made these last week and let’s just say my Bae ate them all. They were absolutely delicious!!!! Thanks for sharing!!!
Judy says
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. 🙂
Colleen says
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!
Alea Milham says
Oh my, these look mouthwateringly delicious! Seriously good eats!
Raymund says
This is literally what I call finger licking good!
Greg says
Definitely a wing guy. These look awesome!
Geni says
Drooooling on my computer. Not a good idea. These look so sticky and sensational! What a fantastic recipe!
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
I had similar wings while on our road trip in Charleston that had been smoked…these sound great.
Hotly Spiced says
Oh wow! Those look so delicious. It certainly would be hard to stop at just one.
sportsglutton says
I’m all about the drumettes and Liz prefers the wingettes…that’s why our marriage works. 🙂
Fantastic sounding sauce!
ChgoJohn says
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