Easy Sweet Thai Chili Wings (Grill or Bake)
Make these easy, spicy, sweet Thai chili chicken wings on the grill when the craving hits and nothing else but chicken wings will do. Just 5 ingredients plus salt and pepper.
This is not a gourmet recipe. It’s simple. It’s quick (under 30 minutes). And it hits the spot.
What to expect
The glaze is really simple with only 4 ingredients. You just mix together sweet Thai chili sauce, mustard, soy sauce and garlic. No cooking needed.
These chicken wings are really Thai-style (we’re not using fish sauce for example). You can certainly add lime and cilantro as garnish to make the recipe a bit more authentic.
We’re using a bottled sweet Thai sweet chili sauce that you can find in the Asian section at most grocery stores. It’s a sweet sauce with a spicy flavor.
I don’t bother marinating the wings because the bold glaze covers so much surface, giving the wings plenty of flavor.
If you don’t have a grill, we included instructions for baked chicken wings in the recipe card.
Ingredients – Tailored to your taste
Chicken wing options
- Feel free to use whole wings or split wings. Either way, cut off the tips at the joint and discard them or use them for making soup.
- You can also replace the chicken wings with chicken pieces or even boneless chicken thighs or breasts. Just remember to adjust the cooking time accordingly.
Glaze variations
- Try Dijon instead of prepared mustard in the glaze.
- Add dried herbs to the glaze such as oregano or thyme.
- If you don’t like spicy, skip the Thai sweet chili sauce and use a combination of honey and ketchup (or balsamic vinegar) instead. You can easily control the amount of spice by adding just a pinch of red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper.
Step-by-step instructions
Tips for cooking the best wings
If you buy whole wings and want to split them into the drumette portion and wing portion, here’s a video on how to cut chicken wings. I often leave my wings whole because it’s less work to turn on the grill. Whole wings will take a bit longer to cook though.
Other than that, just three tips will get you to success.
- Oil your grill well with vegetable oil (or oil spray) before heating your grill. This will prevent sticking. To be even safer, I spray my wings with oil as well before putting them on the grill.
- Add the sauce in the last 5 minutes of grilling at a higher heat. This will prevent burning and sticking from the sugar content in the sauce. But still allow for nicely glazed wings with some char.
- Don’t overcook the wings if you like the meat moist, not dry. The temperature should be 160-165F/71-74C. The total time to cook wings will be about 15-20 minutes, depending on the size of the wings and how hot the grill is. Large or whole wings will take a few minutes longer.
Best sides for sweet chili wings
Almost any side dish goes with this chicken wing recipe. Here are a few of my faves:
- Grilled peaches
- Grilled red cabbage slaw
- Herb potato salad (no mayo)
- Panzanella salad recipe with peaches
- Bread salad with charred snap peas
- BBQ sweet potatoes and apples
- Simple Thai mango salad
How many chicken wings per serving
- Main meal, figure 4-6 whole wings per person (or 8-12 split wing pieces), depending on the size of the wings
- Appetizer or party wings (when serving other appetizers as well), figure 2-3 whole wings or 4-6 pieces. Best to split the wings though – easier to eat.
- Big eaters, you will need about 1 to 1 1/4 lbs (450-570 grams) per person which is about 5-6 whole wings.
- Small eaters, count on about 3/4 lbs/340 grams per person
- Here’s a calculator for how many wings you will need.
Shortcuts
- Use any good bottled sauce you like. BBQ, teriyaki. buffalo and honey garlic are a few examples that will work well.
- Buy the wings already split (if you prefer split wings) or ask your butcher to do it.
Make ahead
I prefer these sticky chicken wings fresh off the grill, but when it’s not practical:
- Grill the wings – with no glaze – until almost, but not quite cooked, over lower heat.
- Set aside or refrigerate.
- Finish on the grill with glaze for the last 6-8 minutes.
How to reheat chicken wings
Make the grilled sweet chili wings ahead (don’t overcook them) and warm the wings in a 350F/177C oven for 5 -7 minutes or in the microwave for a minute or two.
Love chicken wings?
Try our grilled chili lime chicken wings, hot honey chicken wings or our crispy oven baked chicken wings.
If you love Thai food, check out our Thai grilled chicken. Thai shrimp curry and Thai mango salad.
Please leave a 5 star rating ***** with a comment in the recipe card below if you like the recipe, Thanks so much!
Easy Sweet Thai Chili Wings (Grill or Bake)
Ingredients
Chicken wing ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken wings, whole or split, Note 1 tips cut off and discarded or saved
- salt, black pepper, oil spray
- Optional garnish: chopped green onions or fresh herbs (thyme, oregano), sesame seeds, squeeze of lime juice
Glaze, Note 2
- 6 tablespoon sweet Thai chili sauce (just over 1/3 cup/78 ml)
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce, low sodium
- 1 tablespoon prepared mustard Dijon is OK instead
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1 clove (or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder)
- optional: 1/2 tsp dried oregano or thyme
Instructions
- PREPARE GRILL: Oil grill with paper towel dipped in oil or spray grill with oil. Heat grill to medium heat, about 350-400F/177-204C. Note 2 for baked chicken wings.
- MAKE GLAZE: Combine all glaze ingredients in a small bowl or measuring cup until smooth. Taste and adjust to your taste, adding e.g. salt, more thai chili sauce, a dash of sugar, etc. Set aside.
- SEASON CHICKEN WINGS: Sprinkle wings on both sides with salt and pepper. Spray (or brush lightly) with oil to further prevent sticking on grill.
- GRILL WINGS: Place wings on one side of grill in a single layer and lower the heat to medium low or low heat (about 300-325F/149-163C). Leave other half on Medium-High heat. Cover and grill for 8-10 minutes, depending on the size of the wings, turning once, until you get crispy chicken wings. Note 3 to bake.
- GLAZE AND FINISH WINGS: Brush glaze on wings. Move wings to hotter side of grill. Grill for another 5-6 minutes until char marks appear. Brush on more glaze with a pastry brush as you turn them once or twice. Be careful they don't burn from the sugar in the glaze. The internal temperature should be 160-165F/71-74C. The total cooking time will be about 15-20 minutes depending on the size of the wings. Transfer wings to platter, brush on any extra sauce, add a garnish if you like and serve hot or at room temperature. No need to rest them.
Recipe Notes
- Chicken options:Â Â Use whole chicken wings or split wings. You can also replace the chicken wings with chicken pieces or even boneless chicken thighs or breasts. Just remember to adjust the cooking time accordingly. # wings per serving you need:
- Main meal, figure 4-6 whole chicken wings per person (or 8-12 split wing pieces), depending on the size of the wings
- Appetizer or party wings (when serving other appetizers as well), figure 2-3 whole wings or 4-6 pieces. Best to split the wings though – easier to eat.
- Big eaters, you will need about 1 to 1 1/4 lbs (450-570 grams) per person which is about 5-6 whole wings.Â
- Small eaters, count on about 3/4 lbs/340 grams per person
- Here’s a calculator for how many wings you will need.
- Glaze variations:Â
- Add dried herbs to the glaze such as oregano or thyme.Â
- If you don’t like spicy, skip the Thai sweet chili sauce and use a combination of honey and ketchup (or balsamic vinegar) instead. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper for heat if you like.
- Make extra glaze to use as a dipping sauce.
- To bake chicken wings instead of grilling: Bake at 400F/204C for 25 minutes then brush with sticky sauce and bake again for 10 minutes. To brown further, broil close to heat for 2-3 minutes.Â
- Make Ahead:Â
- Grill the wings (with no glaze) until almost, but not quite cooked over lower heat. Set aside or refrigerate. Finish on grill with glaze for the last 6-8 minutes.Â
- Or, make the full grilled chicken wings recipe ahead (don’t overcook them) and warm the wings in a 350F/177C oven for 5 -7 minutes or in the microwave for a minute or two.
No grill? An air fryer makes excellent wings and this recipe would work well.
So true. Thanks for sharing Toby.