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By Chris Joe
5 from 4 votes
Jun 05, 2022
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These Thai Sweet Chili Chicken Wings have been a hit with everyone I’ve made them for! The wings are juicy, crispy, and sweet from the Thai sweet chili sauce with just the right amount of tanginess. Perfect for your next weeknight dinner or party!
If you’ve been following me for a while now, you know I love my chicken wings, and this Thai Sweet Chili Chicken Wings are such a winner. I love the sweet and spicy glaze that coats the crispy chicken which compliments them so well with every satisfying bite.
Watch the Thai Sweet Chili Chicken Wings Recipe Video Below!
Marinate the Chicken Wings
I absolutely LOVE this marinade for any Asian-style chicken wing! The marinade is super flavorful and allows the dredge to stick to the chicken easily, without having to use a wet batter or ingredients like milk or buttermilk. Here is what you’ll need:
- Salt
- White Pepper
- Grated Garlic
- Grated Ginger
- Soy Sauce
- Sesame Oil
Get a big mixing bowl and add your chicken wings along with the ingredients and using your hands, mix and massage the marinade into the chicken to make sure each and every crevice is coated in that delicious marinade.
Once the chicken wings are fully coated, cover them with plastic wrap and let them marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour or up to overnight for best results! This will ensure the chicken is extremely juicy and flavorful.
My Top Ingredient Tips for Thai Sweet Chicken Wings
INGREDIENTS TIPS
FLOUR + CORNSTARCH + BAKING POWDER
My not-so-secret tip to the best fried chicken is a combination of FLOUR, CORNSTARCH, and BAKING POWDER. When mixed with the flour, the cornstarch makes the flour coating crispier and gives it that golden brown color! (It has to do with prevention of gluten development.) The baking powder reacts with the oil and creates tiny air bubbles, which also helps form a crispy coating. Traditionally, some cooks will recommend using sparkling water or egg but I think my mix works even better (and saves you time & extra steps!)
FRYING OIL
My preferred frying oil is avocado oil due to the neutral flavor, health benefits vs. other oils, and high smoke point. It can be more expensive, so peanut, vegetable, or canola oil will work as well!
THAI CHILI SAUCE
Any store bought thai chili sauce will work for this recipe. I am also working on a home made version, which I will share soon!
Mix the Seasoned Dredge for the Chicken Wings
Once the chicken wings are marinated, take them out and dredge them in the seasoning dredge. I like to use a 50/50 ratio of flour to cornstarch for my wings, as the cornstarch gives the batter an additional crunch when frying. Dredge the chicken and use your hands to pack the dredge into the chicken wings to help them stick.
A tip I like to do it is to add a little of the excess marinade (or 1-2 tbsp of water) into the dredge and rub the liquid into the seasoned flour/cornstarch mixture. This will create additional craggily bits to add extra texture to the chicken when frying! You can refer to the recipe video for this step.
Once the chicken is dredged, lay them on a foil lined baking sheet for 10-15 minutes prior to frying. I’ve found that this short period of resting the chicken allows for the batter to stick better to them when frying!
Fry Your Chicken
Fry your chicken wings in a heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven at 350F for 5-7 minutes then remove them to a wire rack.
Bring the oil back up to temperature (350F), then double fry them for another 2-3 minutes to get them SUPER crispy! I always love to double fry my chicken because it brings the crunch factor to the next level while also getting rid of excess oil from the chicken.
Make the Thai Sweet Chili Sauce!
Once the wings are out of the fryer, it’s time to make the sauce! Here is what you’ll need:
- Thai Sweet Chili Sauce (store bought is totally fine!)
- Light soy sauce
- Brown sugar
- Rice vinegar
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Neutral Oil
- Lime Juice
- Water
- Cornstarch Slurry (to thicken)
Mix together the sauce ingredients (except the cornstarch slurry) in a pan over medium high heat for 4-5 minutes until combined and the sauce starts to bubble. It should still be a bit loose at this point, but don’t worry, because the cornstarch slurry will help thicken the sauce. Add it in 2 tbsp at a time until the sauce has thickened to a syrup like consistency.
Coat the wings in the sauce and enjoy!
My Key Recipe Tips for Thai Sweet Chicken Wings
RECIPE TIPS
WATCH THE OIL TEMPERATURE
It is crucial that you keep your oil temperature as close to 350F as possible! If they drop in temperature, you will find your wings are not as crispy and can even taste soggy/oily. My first tip is to use a thermometer, to keep an eye on the temperature. My second tip is to fry your wings in batches if you find that you cannot keep the oil hot enough – it’s likely due to crowding.
REST AFTER DREDGING
Once the wings are dredged in the seasoning mix, let them rest for 10-15 minutes. This helps the batter stick to the chicken when frying!
INTERNAL TEMPERATURE
If you are not a seasoned pro at cooking (and honestly, even if you are!) I would highly recommend you use a meat thermometer to check your chicken – you want the internal temp to be at 165F. Undercooked chicken can lead to food poisoning, so always err on the side of caution!
If you enjoyed this Thai Sweet Chili Chicken Wings recipe, be sure to check out my other chicken wing recipes below!
- Honey Sriracha Wings
- Crispy Five-Spice Wings
- Gochujang Honey Wings
- Sticky Soy Garlic Wings
5 from 4 votes
Thai Sweet Chili Wings
By: Chris Joe
Servings: 4
Prep: 1 hour hr
Cook: 20 minutes mins
Save
These sweet thai chili wings are crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. They're toss in a sweet thai chili sauce and so delicious!
Ingredients
Chicken Wings
- 2 lbs chicken wings
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 4 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 inch ginger, grated
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
Seasoning Mix
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 tbsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tbsp white pepper
- 1/2 tbsp baking powder
Sauce
- 3/4 cup Thai sweet chili sauce
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic , grated
- 1/2 tbsp ginger, grated
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 tbsp lime or lemon juice
- 2 tbsp water
Cornstarch Slurry
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
US Customary – Metric
Instructions
Marinate chicken wings in a bowl with salt, white pepper, grated garlic, grated ginger, soy sauce, and sesame oil for 1 hour or up to overnight for best results.
In a large bowl, mix together the ingredients in the Seasoning Mix.
Dredge the marinated chicken wings in the Seasoning Mix and press the coating in well with your hands to stick to the chicken. Place on a tray and let rest for 15 minutes while you heat up the oil.
In a heavy bottomed pot, heat frying oil to 350F and fry for 5-7 minutes and remove. Allow the oil to come back up to temperature, then double fry them for another 2-3 minutes.
In a medium saucepan, fry the grated garlic and ginger for 30 seconds then mix together the rest of the sauce ingredients and simmer over medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Add the cornstarch slurry 2 tbsp at a time until the sauce becomes a thick consistency. Coat the wings in the sauce and enjoy!
Additional Info
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Thai
Tried this recipe?Mention @cj.eats_ or tag #cjeatsrecipes!
