Asian Chicken Wings
These Asian chicken wings are amazing! They’re tangy, sweet, spicy, meaty, juicy, and just sticky enough to keep you licking your fingers. The secret is the simple Asian wing sauce which gets brushed on at the end of cooking. Make this Asian chicken wings recipe next time you have a craving.
I don’t fry wings at home… it’s the mess — and how the “fry smell” lingers in the house for days on end. Instead, I leave the frying to the restaurants and make my baked Asian chicken wings at home.
It’s easier, less messy, and if you cook them at a high enough heat, you’ll end up with a nice, crispy skin that’s just begging for some sticky honey sriracha sauce.
Table of Contents
Ingredients for the chicken wing recipe:
- Chicken Wings – Separated into drums and flats.
- Kosher Salt – We like Diamond Crystal.
- Black Pepper – Freshly ground is best.
- Fresh Garlic – Freshly chopped is best.
- Sriracha Sauce – This sauce has the right thick consistency and heat level, so don’t substitute other hot sauces.
- Fish Sauce adds a taste of umami and richness to the Asian wing sauce.
- Honey – For a touch of sweetness.
- Soy Sauce – Balances the sweetness of the honey. You can use low-sodium soy sauce.
- Fresh Limes – You’ll need the zest and juice.
- Sesame Seeds – I use both toasted sesame seeds and black sesame seeds. If you have both, you can use them; otherwise, you can use whichever you have.
- Fresh Cilantro – Herbs give these wings a bright flavor. Don’t skip them.
It’s important to preheat your oven fully before baking the honey sriracha wings. Otherwise, you risk flabby chicken skin instead of crispy.
Instructions:
- Rest a wire baking rack over a sheet pan.
- Transfer the flats and drums, skin side up, to the rack. Arrange them in a single layer so they aren’t touching.
- Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper and par-bake the wings for about 15 minutes.
- While the Asian chicken wings bake, assemble the Asian wing sauce. Combine the garlic, sriracha, fish sauce, honey, soy sauce, lime zest and juice and stir to combine—reserve ¼ cup of marinade for dipping.
- Brush the chicken wings liberally with the Asian wing sauce.
- Return them to the oven and cook for 5-8 minutes.
- Remove them from the oven and flip them over. Brush with marinade and cook for 5-8 minutes more, until crisp and browned.
- Remove the honey sriracha wings from the oven and flip them one last time. Brush with remaining sauce. As the sauce cooks onto the meat, it lacquers to the skin and makes a sticky glaze you’ll love.
- Set the oven to the broiler setting. Place the wings about 6″ from the heating element and cook for 1-2 minutes or until they start to take on color and the honey sriracha sauce lacquers to the meat. Watch carefully so they don’t burn.
- Transfer Asian chicken wings to a serving platter. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and cilantro.
This first bit of cooking starts to firm up the skin and cook the wing meat. It’s not until after that first 15 minutes that you add the honey sriracha sauce.
If you sauce the wings too early, the sriracha honey wings could burn while never achieving that crispy stage.
Though a relatively short list of ingredients for the Asian honey sriracha wing sauce recipe, each one is potent and concentrated, giving this sauce a funky, spicy, delicious flavor.
Asian wing sauce tips:
- Reserve a bit of the wing sauce in a separate bowl for drizzling and dipping later. (You don’t want to cross-contaminate with raw poultry).
- This honey sriracha sauce makes enough to dress about 4 pounds of wings, but you can cut the amounts in half if you’re making a smaller batch of Asian-style wings.
Why this sauce works
The five basic taste receptors (salty, sweet, sour, bitter and umami) are alive and well in Asian cuisine, which is famous for simultaneously triggering them all at once.
- Salty – Soy sauce is the main salty component in this sauce, but it has more flavor than plain salt and works well in these Asian style wings.
- Sweet – Honey adds sweetness and makes these sriracha chicken wings a bit sticky and lip-smacking.
- Sour – The lime (both zest and juice) gives this glaze and dipping sauce a bright tangy finish.
- Bitter – On their own, raw garlic and sriracha can be bitter, but in this simple sauce they also add a layered spice and heat.
- Umami – Umami is the fifth taste — the savory taste of glutamate. Fish sauce adds an irresistible umami funk (if you’ve never worked with fish sauce before, it does smell weird — but trust me; it’s what ties these Asian chicken wings together. Just be mindful of how much you use because it’s potent.
Pro-Tips:
- Line the sheet pan you’re cooking the wings over with aluminum foil to catch the drips and splatters. Trust me; it will save you on cleanup.
- A pair of tongs makes flipping the wings easier.
- I recommend using a silicone or barbecue basting brush to brush the Asian-style sauce over the chicken wings.
Cooking times for the chicken will vary depending on how large your wings are.
I’ve made these honey sriracha wings several times with poultry I’ve gotten at Costco — and they seem to be bigger and meatier. Regular grocery store wings can be smaller and thus can be cooked slightly less… about 5 minutes. Use your best judgment.
You can see in the photos (above and below) how the skin starts to crisp, and the color changes from a pale yellow to a burnished, crispy amber. That’s how you know it’s getting GOOD.
Variations:
- Add fresh minced ginger to the Asian wing sauce for extra heat and spice.
- Add a tablespoon of sesame oil to the sauce for a nutty depth.
- Swap tamari for soy sauce to make it gluten-free.
FAQ’s
Yes. Just swap the soy sauce for Tamari.
You can divide the wings into flats and drums and make the Asian wing sauce ahead of time, but these are best when eaten hot from the oven.
Chicken wings are made of three segments: drums, flats and tips. Unless you’re leaving chicken wings whole, only the drums and flats are usually used for making wings—reserve tips for making homemade chicken stock.
It helps to have it. The rack raises the chicken wings so the hot air can circulate around the poultry, ensuring that every bit of skin is crispy instead of soggy.
They will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat wings in a hot oven (about 375° for 10-12 minutes. If you have leftover marinade, brush more on the wings 5 minutes before they’re done for extra flavor.
They’re best eaten fresh, but you can freeze wings. Wrap them well in freezer paper and freeze them for up to a month. Please be sure to defrost thoroughly and then reheat as noted above.
Yes, although it may take longer, depending on how many wings you’re making. Most air fryers don’t have enough capacity for many wings, so if you’re making a big batch, I’d recommend using the oven.
To get the full flavor from these wings, serve them with the proper garnishes. They add visual appeal and SO MUCH FLAVOR.
Garnish the wings:
- Fresh Chopped Cilantro
- Lime Wedges
- Toasted Sesame Seeds
- Black Sesame Seeds
- Extra Drizzle of Honey Sriracha Sauce
So, how do they taste?
In a word… Amazing. This Asian chicken wings recipe yields chicken cooked to crispy, meaty, juicy perfection. My taster’s first response were eyes bugging out, followed by an exclamation of “Oh-ma-Gawd!”
The real “wow” is the tangy honey sriracha Asian wing sauce. They hit every part of your palate at once. Spicy, tangy, savory, sweet, umami – seriously delicious.
Try this Asian wings recipe for the best party food for your game day revelry, and be sure to serve cold beer (maybe Yuengling?) to wash them down.
More Asian-style snack foods you’ll love:
More wings and Asian chicken recipes you might like:
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Asian Chicken Wings
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
- wire baking rack
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 pounds chicken wings
- sprinkle of kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons garlic finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons sriracha hot sauce
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce nam pla
- ½ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 limes zested and juiced
- 1 teaspoon black sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
- fresh cilantro leaves
DIRECTIONS:
- Set oven rack to the top third of your oven. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Cover a large baking sheet with tin foil. Set a wire rack on top of the baking sheet (I used a cooling rack) Set aside.
- Cut the chicken wings into sections: drums, flats and tips. Use a sharp chef’s knife to cut between the joints of the drums and flats, and flats and tips. Save tips for making stock.
- Lay the drums and flats on the wire rack, so they are not touching. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
- Bake the wings for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile assemble the sauce. In a small bowl combine the garlic, sriracha, fish sauce, honey, soy sauce, lime zest and juice and stir to combine. Reserve ¼ cup of marinade for dipping.
- Remove the wings from the oven and brush them with the marinade. Return them to the oven and cook for an additional 5-8 minutes. Remove them from the oven and flip them over. Brush with marinade and cook for an additional 5-8 minutes until crisp and browned.
- Remove the honey sriracha wings from the oven and flip them one last time. Brush with remaining sauce.
- Set the oven to the broiler setting. Place the wings about 6″ from the heating element and cook for 1-2 minutes or until they start to take on color and the honey sriracha sauce lacquers to the meat. Watch carefully so they don’t burn.
- Transfer wings to a serving platter. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and cilantro. Serve with reserved marinade for dipping or drizzling over the wings.
NOTES:
You can also grill the wings instead of baking them (I’ve done it both ways – just wait until the wings are almost cooked before glazing them with the sauce, to prevent flare ups
NUTRITION:
Pin “Tangy Honey Sriracha Chicken Wings” for later!
All of the flavors in these wings are the best and these were gone so fast! I need to make these wings again asap!! Thank you!
WOW! The sauce on these wings is amazing. Pop them under the broiler for a bit of char. Perfect!
These look amazing! I might try this on chicken breasts? They’re so delicious!
My husband gets cravings for wings every few weeks, and this is the perfect recipe for him! It’s a great flavor and so easy to make.
This is absolutely delicious! I love that it’s such a crowd pleaser for the whole family
what temp do u cook the wings on?
450°
Ohmygawd, I’ll be making this for superbowl Lisa!
Those are Nola’s favorites, Marie!
These look AMAZING! I need to try your technique of cooking them on high heat and basting half way through. This has a lot of possibilities. I’m going to make your recipe next week!
I like using lime and garlic in most of my spicy dishes,thanks for sharing
This marinade DOES sound as addictive as Doritos, which is damn addictive! Have you tried it on fish? I’m thinking it would be great on tuna or salmon!
honey, sriracha, and lime?? I can totally see why you’d justify so many “tests”… YUM 🙂
Tee hee hee.
My husband loves sriracha, he added it to the most food he eats. And these wings look so legit; my family can gobble them up in a mouthful lol.
You had me at sriracha! My husband would devour these!
Enjoy, Dannii!
These wings look and sound absolutely wonderful! I would probably eat them all in one sitting!
LOL! That’s been known to happen!
What delicious flavors!!! The husband loves wings.. He’d gobble these up in no time at all!
We have to make a double batch when I make them here!
These look and sound amazing…just in time for football Sundays! 🙂 Can’t wait to make them!
That was my thought too — great fan food!
OMG, these look so good and I am sooo hungry right now! Not the best time to see these! Oh my!
These wings look and sound amazing! I like baking them at a really high temp too to get them nice and crispy.
I agree – crispiness is the key to stellar wings!