Air Fried Sweet Chili Chicken Wings
Crispy Air Fried Sweet Chili Chicken Wings are finger licking good! The sticky chili garlic sauce is perfectly sweet with citrusy lime, tons of garlic, and just the right amount of heat. You can make these easily in an air fryer for the perfect crisp and a much lighter version than deep frying,
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 4 lbs. chicken wings drumsticks, drumettes, flats, etc.
- 5-6 tablespoons butter, softened
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
- 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Sweet Chili Sauce
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon garlic about 4 cloves
- 1-2 tablespoons chili crunch momofuku, fly by jing, etc. sub with red pepper flakes is unavailable
- 1/2 cup sweet chili sauce my favorite brand is Mae Ploy
- 1 lime
- 3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Start with clean, prepped chicken. I like to soak my bone-in chicken pieces in equal parts vinegar and water for 1-2 hours in the fridge and scrub the skin to ensure they are extra clean.
- Pat chicken dry. Make a few cuts in the flesh of the chicken under the skin so the seasonings and butter can penetrate.
- Liberally rub softened butter under and over the skin. Combine the seasonings in a bowl and add to the chicken. Mix together the baking powder and cornstarch and toss the chicken pieces to evenly coat on all sides.
- Place chicken in the air fryer (working in batches if needed). Start with the broil setting (450 degrees) for 4 minutes. Then switch to the air frying mode at 400 degrees, flipping half way through. **Cook times will vary based on the size of chicken pieces. Party wings take about 15 minutes total, drumsticks and larger pieces take 20-25 minutes. Chicken is cooked when internal temp reaches 165 degrees.
- While the chicken is cooking, place a saucepan over medium low heat and add the butter. Once it's melted, add in the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add in the chili crunch (or red pepper flakes) and combine. Then pour in sweet chili sauce and bring to a simmer. Finally, squeeze in the juice from one lime. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro.
- Place the crispy chicken wings in a large bowl and pour over the homemade sauce. Toss to coat and serve immediately.
Notes
Oven Instructions
Arrange wings, skin side up, in single layer on prepared wire rack.
Bake on the upper middle oven rack, turning every 20 minutes until wings are crispy and browned. The total cook time will depend on the size of the wings but may take up to 1 hour.
Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Transfer wings to large bowl and toss with sauce.