Name: Thai Chicken Wings
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1 pound chicken wings; 1 tablespoons vegetable oil; 1 tablespoon soy sauce (low sodium); 1 teaspoon sugar; ½ teaspoon baking soda; ½ teaspoon ground pepper; 1 tablespoon vegetable oil; 3 cloves garlic (minced); 3 tablespoons Sriracha sauce; 2 tablespoons honey; 1 tablespoon lemon juice (freshly squeezed); 1 tablespoon soy sauce (low sodium); 1 green onion (chopped)

Air fried to perfection and then coated in a yummy homemade Thai sauce made of garlic, spicy Sriracha, salty soy sauce, and lemon juice with a dash of sweet honey, this incredible 25-minute Thai Chicken Wings recipe is finger-licking good! The wings are juicy, tender, and bursting with delicious Southeast Asian flavors!

thai chicken wings on a white serving platter garnished with green onions and lemon wedges.

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Easy Air Fryer Thai Chicken Wings

Take a look at my blog and it’s probably not hard to guess that I’m a lover of chicken wings. Yet, for the most part, I’ve always baked my wings because I’ve found it to be the best way to perfectly cook them, keep them healthy, and make cleanup super easy. But once I learned how to air fry chicken wings my mind was blown!

Air frying wings is not only quick and easy, but a fantastic way to make them super tasty too! And these Thai Chicken Wings are no exception! In fact, this recipe takes a simple chicken wing and transports your taste buds to a different land. The air fryer infuses all the seasonings into the chicken as it cooks them to perfection with an added pinch of baking soda that works to tenderize the meat.

You can serve these tasty sticky Thai wings as a main dish with some fragrant Coconut Rice and healthy Steamed Broccoli or as an appetizer. They make a great first course or extra dish for an ultimate Thai dinner night when paired with Thai Drunken Noodles and Baked Thai Salmon.

a hand dipping a chicken wing in thai sauce.

Why We Love This Thai Chicken Wings Recipe

Simple Recipe! Air fryer sticky thai chicken wings are an effortless no-fuss cooking method with little to no cleanup! You literally just season wings and let the air fryer do all the work.
Tasty Thai Chicken! Layered in classic Southeast Asian flavors the wings are coated in a delicious Thai glaze that is full of garlicky goodness with a dose of spicy Sriracha.
Finger Food or Main! Total party or potluck pleaser! The wings are good hot or cold and can be made ahead of time. The dish is versatile and works as an appetizer or main.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Chicken Wings

Chicken Wings – You will obviously need some chicken wings to make this recipe.
Vegetable Oil – Any type of vegetable oil will work. It just needs to be neutral in taste.
Soy Sauce – I always use low-sodium soy sauce in all my recipes. If you are gluten-free just use low-sodium tamari.
Sugar – Adds a touch of sweetness and helps to adhere the seasonings to wings.
Baking Soda – Normally used as a leavening agent, but in this case used to tenderize the meat.
Black Pepper – Ground pepper adds another layer of spice to season the wings in combination with the salty soy sauce.

Thai Sauce

Vegetable Oil – To make the sauce, you want to use a type of vegetable oil with no taste such as canola, soybean, or sunflower.
Garlic – Always use fresh minced garlic for the best flavor. Jarred garlic can sometimes be bitter due to preservatives.
Sriracha – It’s a hot sauce made of ground red chilis, vinegar, and garlic that you can find in the condiment aisle.
Honey – Adds a dash of sweetness that helps to balance the spice and salt.
Lemon Juice – Fresh lemon juice brightens up the Thai sauce by adding a touch of acid that helps to both round out and highlight all the layers of flavor. You can also use lime juice or rice wine vinegar if you don’t have any lemons on hand.
Soy Sauce – It’s used like salt in the sauce. However, I like to use low-sodium soy sauce to control the level of sodium.
Green Onions – Also called scallions, are used to finish the glazed chicken wings and to add a little subtle onion flavor.

How To Make Thai Chicken Wings

This simple 25-minute recipe is broken down into two easy parts. Air frying the wings and making the yummy sauce. It takes very little effort and you can whip together the sauce while the wings cook.

Preheat The Air Fryer

Before you even start prepping the wings, now is the time to preheat your air fryer to 400°F (204°C) if needed. Yet, whether or not you need to preheat really depends on your particular air fryer. Some models require preheating and others don’t. However, if your air fryer manual does suggest preheating, don’t skip this step.

Season The Wings

process shots showing how to season chicken wings to make thai chicken wings.

While your air fryer is heating, start prepping the wings by patting them dry with paper towels and putting them in a large bowl. Then add the vegetable oil, soy sauce, sugar, baking soda, and black pepper to the bowl. Now, toss the wings well in the mixture until they are fully covered with all the seasonings, and then place them in a single layer in the air fryer basket.

Air Fry The Chicken Wings

process shots showing how to air fry thai chicken wings.

Cooking chicken wings in the air fryer is really easy! Just put the basket into the air fryer and cook them for 10 minutes at 400°F (204°C). Then remove the basket from the air fryer and flip the wings over. Now, put the basket with the wings back into the air fryer for 10 more minutes. Then put the fully cooked wings into a large bowl. That’s it!

Note, for food safety, fully cooked chicken wings should have reached an internal temperature of at least 165°F (74°C) when checked with a digital cooking thermometer.

Make The Thai Sauce

process shots showing how to make thai sauce for thai chicken wings.

You can start making the sauce while the wings are cooking in the air fryer. Just heat the vegetable oil over medium in a small saucepan and then add the minced garlic to cook for 30 seconds until it’s aromatic. Then stir in the rest of the sauce ingredients and remove the saucepan from the heat.

Toss And Serve

thai chicken wings with sauce in a glass bowl.

Once the Thai sauce is made and the cooked wings are in the bowl, pour the garlic sauce over the chicken and toss well to combine. Now, transfer the Thai chicken wings to your dish of choice, garnish with sliced green onions, and serve immediately with some extra Sriracha or a side of sweet chili sauce if you like.

Does The Air Fryer Need To Be Preheated?

It depends on the model. If your manual says to preheat then yes. However, if it doesn’t then no. And if you aren’t sure then I suggest preheating your air fryer just to be on the safe side for the best results.

Can I Bake The Wings In The Oven?

Yes! You can easily make baked Thai chicken wings. Just place the seasoned wings in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet making sure that they are evenly spaced apart. Then bake the wings at 425°F (218°C) in the oven for about 40 to 45 minutes or until fully cooked.

Expert Tips

Use the baking soda. Don’t omit the baking soda. This magic ingredient works to tenderize the thai glazed chicken and is a useful trick that makes all the difference when air frying wings.
Evenly coat the wings. When tossing the wings in the seasonings before air frying and in the Thai sauce after cooking be sure to fully coat the wings for the best flavor.
Temp the chicken wings. To check if the spicy Thai chicken wings are fully cooked before eating you can use an instant-read digital meat thermometer to make sure that they have reached an internal temperature of at least 165°F (74°C).

Leftovers

Thai chicken wings will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months in an airtight container or sealed bag. To reheat, simply put them in the microwave for a few minutes on medium heat or in the oven at 375°F (190°C) for about 10 minutes. If they are frozen, it’s best to reheat them in the oven for about 30 minutes.

Thai Chicken Wings