Sweet Chili Garlic Extra Spicy Asian Crispy Chicken Wings
This crispy Asian chicken Wings recipe was one of our first recipe posts back in 2008. An oldie but goodie!
Crispy Asian Chicken Wings Recipe
Tis’ the season for appetizers, delicious and flavorful small bites that we never, ever get tired of. When the jolly and hectic holidays arrive, we’re in a non stop dinner party mode, which can be either jolly or hectic. Between our weekly gathering of friends, family, neighbors and staff, thinking about what to serve small to medium to large groups every time can be very time consuming. Appetizers are our tried and true dishes that are easy to make and easy to please. Having a few plates of appetizers out, a couple of cocktails, great conversation and roaring music can quickly fill up our guests and distract them from thinking that they need a full meal. Often times, we ourselves, can eat a plate appetizers and call it a dinner.
Extra Spicy Asian Chicken Wing Sauce for the Fearless
We love our appetizers, especially these crispy chicken wings with an spicy/sweet Asian sauce…yum. Give us a big plate of these crispy asian chicken wings, a couple of beers each and our bellies are happy. And that’s just two of us! These crispy chicken wings are addicting not only because of the sauce that it’s tossed in, but because they’re fried to a gold crisp. Every bite is slightly crunchy from the flour batter, the chicken meat is juicy down to the bone and the sweet/spicy sauce is finger biting good. When we made these, we ate them so quick and had to force ourselves to stop so that we can take the pictures. Getting our fingers all wrapped up with chicken wings glistening with sweet/spicy sauce makes it even more delicious. The only way to enjoy chicken wings is with cold beer.
Make Ahead Wings
Fry these chicken wings up ahead of time if you wish and they’ll still stay crispy. Right before you serve them, just top them of with the chicken wing sauce and top with some fresh scallions and cilantro. Definitely customize the sauce to your spice level too. Hook these asian chicken wings up with some extra heat and you will be rewarded with great flavors!
Sweet and Spicy Crispy Asian Chicken Wings
Ingredients
Chicken Wings
- 2 pounds (907 g) chicken wings , rinsed and patted dry
- salt , to taste
- black pepper , to taste
Sweet-Spicy Chili Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) cornstarch
- 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) water
- 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) oil
- 2 cloves garlic , finely minced
- 1 cup (240 ml) water
- 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) salt
- 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) fish sauce or soy sauce (We highly recommend fish sauce)
- 3 Tablespoons (45 ml) garlic chili sauce , tabasco sauce, or sriracha sauce. OR about 2 finely minced thai chilis. Use a little less of these if you want it more mild, or use more if you want it extra spicy!
- 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) vinegar
- lots of fresh ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- For the Sweet Spicy Chili Sauce: In small bowl, combine cornstarch and about 1 Tablespoon of water until mixture becomes watery, almost milky consistency. Combine well to break apart any cornstarch lumps, then set aside.
- Heat saucepan on medium-high heat, then add oil and garlic. Cook until it becomes slightly golden, about 30 seconds-1 minute. Add 1 cup of water, sugar, salt, fish sauce, garlic chili sauce, vinegar, and black pepper. Combine well and allow to slowly come to boil. Once mixture comes to a boil, immediately reduce heat to low simmer.
- Slowly add the cornstarch/water mixture until it becomes thick enough to allow sauce to cling to wings.
- Cook the Wings: Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper.
- On prepared baking sheet pan, spread chicken wings out in one even layer (we don’t coat our wings with oil before baking, but you can if you want. We find that the oil just makes the wings greasier. The wings release enough fat already). Season chicken wings with salt and pepper.
- Bake for about 40-50 minutes until golden brown, flipping the wings halfway through baking, after the first 30 minutes or so.
- In a bowl, add cooked chicken wings and toss with chili sauce. Top with some sliced green onion and/or cilantro.
Notes
Crispy Wing Alternate Cooking Methods
Traditional Fry in Oil (uses about 1/2-3/4 cup of cornstarch to coat wings). Toss the wings in cornstarch to coat, shaking off excess cornstarch. Heat about 2-inches of oil in a large pot to 375°F. Fry in batches for about 8 minutes per batch, or until golden and cooked through. Make sure to turn the wings a couple times while cooking so they cook evenly. Season with salt & pepper. Air Fryer Chicken Wings (here’s our favorite Air Fryer) Season wings with salt & pepper. Air Fry at 400°F for 25-30 minutes, flipping 2-3 times while cooking. Toss with a little sauce, and then air fry for another 2-4 minutes. Different models and sizes of air fryers cook quicker than others. So adjust times accordingly.Nutrition Information per Serving
More Easy Recipes
- Sriracha chicken wings
- Honey mustard chicken wings
- Air Fryer chicken wings
- Sriracha honey glazed wings
- Curry chicken wings
- Here’s a great Momofuku chicken wings recipe.
Here’s all our Chicken Wings Recipes if you’re hungry for more or something less spicy.
We really loved how this recipe came out. The crispy and spiciness was just perfect. It was really easy to make as well.
I made these last week and my SO is already asking for them again. I did use oyster sauce instead of fish sauce and rice wine vinegar for the vinegar, otherwise I made the recipe as written. Additionally, I broiled the wings for a few minutes after coating them in the sauce just to give them a nice glaze. They were perfect and will be a regular in my dinner rotation!
Thanks Jenifer! So glad you enjoyed them and thanks for sharing your steps.
Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe. My family loved it and will be making it again!
Glad your family approved. Thanks for sharing Helen!
My husband loved
Awesome wings, added a bit more garlic pepper sauce, some cayenne, and a dash of rice wine vinegar because we like it EXTRA spicy. This easily became my favorite sauce, tied with traditional American buffalo sauce. Now it’s demanded when I make wings, or even when others make them. The recipe works great with boneless wings too!
Hi guys,
Firstly, I wanted to say that I love your site! I just found it recently and am completely in love with your recipes! Secondly, I was wondering if you could recommend a brand of fish sauce. I have purchased it in the past and the smell is absolutely horrible. My husband just informed me that someone told him that fish sauce actually smells great but we have to buy the right one. Any suggestions would greatly be appreciated!!
Thanks!
Karen & Brian
Thank you so much Karen.
Fish sauce is a debate of much passion in the Asian communities. Different households all have their favorite, so just cause these are our favorites, others might a conflicting option. Our number one go to is the Flying Lion fish sauce. The price on amazon is about 5 times what we pay for it in the Asian grocery stores, but if it is the only option… There is a newer brand called Red Boat which has some nice specialty fish sauces. They are kind of like nice olive oils. Almost a waste if it is going to be cooked into a dish and you can find a good quality, lesser expensive one, but oh so good straight up or for finishing dishes.
Otherwise, look for one the is and nice caramel color and clear, not murky. Another brand which we can usually find a little easier and is nice is the 3 Crabs brand.
For those who didn’t grow up with it (like this white boy here), almost any fish sauce would be hesitant in calling great smelling. They all have fish smell, it is fermented fish juice after all. But it has a magical quality when tasted in dishes. It brings the other ingredients alive. However when tossing some in a hot pan when you are cooking, make sure to have the vent on high.
Hope that helps.
BTW – do you know what brand it is that you purchased before?
Todd
This is a fantastic recipe,a real family favorite ,absolutely finger-licking,there’s not much talking round the table when I serve this though!
I cook every night for my family, and I often look up recipes online, but I have never commented on any of them. This is now my comfort food, and I cook it all the time. I am a picky eater, and I rarely approve of most of the recipes I make, but this one is definitely a keeper. If you like spicy Asian food, try this for sure.
Can’t wait to try this for the Chiefs game this weekend
I tried these for a football party and they were AWESOME!!!!! I like spicy food so I added more chili sauce and a little crushed red pepper. All of my guest loved them….Great recipe!!!!
i have been on a search to make a wing with the sweet spicy sauce. i did some similarly over the weekend. however i didnt use fish sauce. i will try your sauce this weekend. thanks
I found this site by searching for spicy sweet asian sauce. This recipe sounds amazing and I plan to try it this summer for a BBQ appetizer. I’ve looked around at your site briefly and I’m really impressed and you’ve done some really great work! The article about radishes and peach blossoms makes me anxious for spring here in MN. In fact, I was just planning my garden and a drip irrigation system for it tonight. Thanks for the great ideas and blog!
For the kids, juice and water and a little beer.
how much beer and what kind of juice do you use for this?
sounds interesting.
I think this recipe looks really interesting, and I am going to have to try it this weekend. The only question I have is at the end when thickening your sauce, you say add corn starch to the hot sauce/or liquid. Are you making a slurry by adding a table spoon or so of H20, or are you just adding the starch? I think I am going to add some water to mine, I have never had any luck with adding just the starch to hot liquid. It has always left clumps or goo in the sauce for me.
I will get back to you on the wings though. Nice photo’s too.
Chef Shelley Pogue, C.C.
Revisiting chicken wings as apps for the holidays. Thanks for this post.
Eons ago, I had this appetizer in a restaurant (“white drumsticks”) and came up with my own version. Need a little labor though. Divide the wings at the joint and discard wing tips ( or save to boil for soup/broth). Debone smaller bone from the smaller part (“forearm”) of the wing then roll the meat towards the bigger end of the joint like a sleeve to resemble a drumstick. Marinade : soy sauce, grated ginger, grated garlic, minced scallions, sugar, sherry wine or Chinese cooking wine. I like to marinate overnight. Dip in batter ( flour, cornstarch, egg and water, a little baking powder for some puff). Deep fry. Kids and grown-ups love ’em both and will ask ” where did you get such small ‘drumsticks?”