Air Fryer Thai Chicken Wings
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Spicy Air Fryer Thai Chicken Wings that come complete with a smack-your-lips delicious coconut chili garlic sauce that’s perfect for an appetizer or as a meal on its own along some rice. They’re easy to make, healthy because they’re fried in an air fryer, and perfect for your next get together!
Air Fryer Thai Chicken Wings
I love using my air fryer for all kinds of dishes, but it’s a no brainer when it comes to frying chicken wings in it. They simply turn out perfect every single time, plus they are so much better and healthier for you.
These chicken wings are Thai inspired, tossed with a red curry paste and lemongrass paste sauce that’s a little bit spicy but so good. And if that’s not enough, I made an epic coconut chili garlic sauce with peanut butter that’s out of this world, perfect for dipping these yummy wings in. Best air fryer wings, in my opinion.
Air Fryer Thai Chicken Wings Highlights
- Healthier For You. Using the air fryer is so much healthier for you because you’re not frying these wings in lots of oil. Just place them in the air fryer and let it do all the work for you. In a matter of minutes they’re all done and ready to enjoy.
- So Easy To Make. Anyone can make this recipe, no special skills required. Just toss everything together, place the wings in the air fryer and wait. While you’re waiting though, go ahead and make that spicy coconut sauce that’s a must for these wings.
- Perfectly Crispy, Juicy And Tender Wings. You’ll be surprised how crispy your wings can get in the air fryer, and not to mention how quick they cook.
Chicken Wings
- Chicken Wings – Wing or drumstick, or better yet both, rinsed and patted dry.
- Red Curry Paste – You want to make sure you use a good red curry paste. My favorite brand is Maesri but if you can’t find it, use any other red curry paste you can find. This recipe will be great regardless.
- Lemongrass Paste – You will want to use lemongrass paste in this recipe because the stalks won’t work. You can find the link in the recipe card to order it from amazon.
- Fish Sauce – I know a lot of people don’t like fish sauce, especially the smell, so if you want you can use soy sauce or tamari instead.
- Soy Sauce – Because these Asian dishes usually tend to have quite a bit of sodium, I always use and recommend a low sodium soy sauce.
- Cornstarch – You’ll need a little bit of cornstarch to give the wings a nice crispy and crunchy crust on the outside.
Coconut Chili Garlic Sauce
- Chili Garlic Sauce – Such as Sambal Oelek which is my favorite, but any chili garlic sauce will work. Sub with sriracha sauce.
- Soy Sauce – As I mentioned already, choose a low sodium soy sauce for less sodium.
- Peanut Butter – I prefer smooth peanut butter, but use whatever you have.
- Lime Juice – You’ll need some freshly squeezed lime juice.
- Coconut Milk – You’ll need ½ cup only to make our dipping sauce extra creamy and delicious.
- Honey – For a little bit of sweetness and to balance out all the other flavors in this sauce.
- Toss the chicken wings with marinade ingredients. In a large bowl combine the red curry paste, lemongrass paste, fish sauce, and soy sauce together. Add the chicken wings and toss to coat evenly. Drizzle cornstarch all over them and toss to coat the wings.
- Cook the chicken wings. Place the chicken wings in the basket of your air fryer in a single layer. Air fry the chicken wings at 400°F for 10 minutes, then flip them over and air fry for another 10 minutes, total of 20 minutes.
- Make the dipping sauce. In the meantime, add all the sauce ingredients to a small saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until well combined. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt as needed.
- Garnish and serve. Garnish chicken wings with green onions, sesame seeds or red chiles and serve chicken wings with coconut chili garlic sauce.
I Don’t Have An Air Fryer, Can I Bake These?
Of course! Place the chicken wings on a parchment paper lined baking sheet in a single layer and bake them in the oven at 400℉ for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until crispy, flipping them over half way through.
Can I Double The Recipe?
You can, but you’ll have to do this in two batches. You will want to place the chicken wings in a single layer in the air fryer basket to achieve the ultimate crispiness.
How To Serve These Thai Chicken Wings
As I mentioned, these wings are great on their own as an appetizer with this incredible spicy coconut peanut butter sauce, but you can also serve them as a meal along some cooked rice. Here are a few suggestions of what you could serve them with.
Cilantro Lime Rice
Easy Tossed Salad
Air Fryer French Fries
Macaroni Salad
Expert Tips
- My wings already came pre-cut into wingettes and drumettes, but if they are not, remove the wing tip then cut them vertically through the joint. Discard the wing tip.
- Always pat your chicken wings dry with paper towels. Not only does this result in crispier wings, but in this case it will ensure the sauce will better stick to the wings.
- Make sure to place your chicken wings in a single layer in the air fryer basket, otherwise you won’t end up with crispy wings.
- You can spray the air fryer basket with some cooking spray, but I found it doesn’t really make a difference if you do.
My Favorite Air Fryer
I often get asked which air fryer I use so here’s the one I use on a regular basis.
Leftovers
Transfer leftover wings to an airtight container. They will last in the fridge for 4 days. You can reheat them in the microwave, or pop them back into the oven at 375℉ for about 10 minutes or until they’re heated through. Store the sauce separately in an airtight container for up to a week in the refrigerator.
You can also freeze these chicken wings. Cooked wings are good for 6 months frozen. You can reheat them straight from the freezer either in the microwave, or in the oven at 375℉ for 15-20 minutes.
Discover More Chicken Wings Recipes
- Sticky Chinese Chicken Wings
- Air Fryer Chicken Wings
- Honey Garlic Chicken Wings
- Crispy Baked Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings
- Crispy Baked Parmesan Chicken Wings
- Red Chimichurri Chicken Wings
- Lemon Pepper Wings
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Air Fryer Thai Chicken Wings
Video
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken wings
- 1 tablespoon red curry paste
- 2 teaspoons lemongrass paste
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce (low sodium)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Coconut Chili Garlic Sauce
- ½ cup coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ½ cup peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons lime juice (freshly squeezed)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce (low sodium)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Toss the chicken wings with marinade ingredients. In a large bowl combine the red curry paste, lemongrass paste, fish sauce, and soy sauce together. Add the chicken wings and toss to coat evenly. Drizzle cornstarch all over them and toss to coat the wings.
- Cook the chicken wings. Place the chicken wings in the basket of your air fryer in a single layer. Air fry the chicken wings at 400°F for 10 minutes, then flip them over and air fry for another 10 minutes, total of 20 minutes.
- Make the dipping sauce. In the meantime, add all the sauce ingredients to a small saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until well combined. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt as needed.
- Garnish and serve. Garnish chicken wings with green onions and red chiles and serve chicken wings with coconut chili garlic sauce.
Equipment
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
So good. The only change I made was I marinated the wings for several hours bec I knew I’d love the flavor that much. I baked them at 400 degrees since I didn’t have my air fryer with me. The peanut sauce was delish too. I served it all with a side of coconut jasmine rice. I was hoping for leftovers, I certainly made enough, but it was wishful thinking. Thanks Jo for another great recipe.
My pleasure, Jan! So glad you liked these wings, and yeah that sauce is my fav!