It’s Game Day—are you craving sticky, savory, and spicy Chinese Chicken Wings? This simple and easy 5-ingredient Whole30 appetizer recipe will surprise you and your guests with its super low effort-to-deliciousness ratio. It’ll be our little secret!
Table of Contents
- Two-ingredient marinade
- Can you make Chinese Chicken Wings in an air fryer or on the grill?
- How long do you marinate the wings?
- Can you substitute other chicken cuts?
- What else can you make with All-Purpose Stir-Fry Sauce?
- Ingredients
- How to make Chinese chicken wings
- Want More Game Day Wing recipes?
- Chinese Chicken Wings Recipe
Two-ingredient marinade
The secret to this crowd-pleasing recipe is my All-Purpose Stir-Fry Sauce mixed with my Whole30 Sriracha! The sriracha adds a little heat (though not enough to make the kids complain) and loads of umami, so you should use it even if you don’t love spicy food. Trust me! (Unfortunately, you can’t buy my sauces anymore but you can easily make them at home!)
If you don’t have any sriracha, you can still make some killer Chinese chicken wings using just my All-Purpose Stir-Fry Sauce. And I know you must have some of my sauce in your kitchen by now. It only takes minutes to shake up and it’s the perfect balance of umami, spice, tang, and sweet without any soy sauce!
Can you make Chinese Chicken Wings in an air fryer or on the grill?
Yes to both! However, you’ll probably need to air fry in batches due to the limited capacity of most air fryers. You can cook them in the air fryer at 375°F for about 20 to 25 minutes, flipping the wings over at the halfway point. If you’re grilling the wings, cook them over medium heat for about 20 to 25 minutes, flipping every five minutes, until cooked through and the skin is browned.
How long do you marinate the wings?
It all depends on how much time you have. The Chinese Chicken Wings taste better if they’re marinated for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours. However, they still taste amazing if you mix them in the marinade and pop them in the oven right away. It helps that you’ll be tossing the cooked wings in the umami-packed marinade right before serving them.
Can you substitute other chicken cuts?
Definitely! I’ve used this exact marinade on a spatchcocked chicken, chicken thighs, drumsticks, and breasts. The chicken is done cooking when thighs and drumsticks reach 165°F in the meatiest part and breasts reach at least 150°F. (This link will explain why 150°F is okay.) My favorite meat thermometer on the planet is this one.
What else can you make with All-Purpose Stir-Fry Sauce?
So many dishes! If you’ve got leftover sauce, head on over to this continually updated list on how to use All-Purpose Stir-Fry Sauce on ALL THE THINGS. Don’t worry: there’s enough variety that your family won’t even notice that you’re using the same sauce every day!
Ingredients
- All-Purpose Stir-Fry Sauce: It’s so easy to throw together this indispensable sauce in less than 5 minutes! No need to add salt, garlic, onion, ginger, or anything else because it’s all in the sauce!
- Whole30 Sriracha: If you don’t like spicy, you can substitute some paleo-friendly ketchup instead! Like spicy but no sriracha? You can add some white pepper or red pepper flakes.
- Chicken wings
- Toasted sesame seeds (optional)
- Green onions (optional)
How to make Chinese chicken wings
In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the All-Purpose Stir-Fry Sauce and Whole30 Sriracha.
In a large bowl, toss the chicken wings with ½ cup of sauce. Reserve the remaining ¼ cup of sauce—you’ll use it to toss with the cooked wings at the end.
Heat your oven to 400°F convection or 425°F non-convection with the rack in the middle position. While the oven heats up, place the chicken wings in a single layer on a wire rack on top of a foil- or parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet.
Bake the chicken wings for 20 minutes and then flip the wings over and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes…
…or until the chicken is browned and the flat bones are a little wiggly. Make sure the wings don’t get too dark!
Toss the baked Chinese Chicken Wings in a bowl with the reserved ¼ cup of sauce.
Sprinkle on toasted sesame seeds and scallions (if using)…
…and serve up with plenty of napkins!
Want More Game Day Wing recipes?
Here are some of my favorite paleo chicken wing recipes!
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2022).
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Chinese Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- ¾ cup All-Purpose Stir-Fry Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Whole30 Sriracha
- 3 pounds chicken wings cut into drumettes and flats
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds optional
- 2 scallions thinly sliced (optional)
Instructions
- In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the All-Purpose Stir-Fry Sauce and Whole30 Sriracha.
- In a large bowl, toss the chicken wings with ½ cup of sauce. Reserve the remaining ¼ cup of sauce—you’ll use it to toss with the cooked wings at the end.
- Heat your oven to 400°F convection or 425°F non-convection with the rack in the middle position. While the oven heats up, place the chicken wings in a single layer on a wire rack on top of a foil- or parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet.
- Roast the chicken wings for 20 minutes and then flip the wings over and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes or until the chicken is browned and the flat bones are a little wiggly. Make sure the wings don’t get too dark!
- Toss the baked Chinese Chicken Wings in a bowl with the reserved ¼ cup of sauce. Sprinkle on toasted sesame seeds and scallions, if desired. Serve immediately.
Notes
- You can cook them in batches in the air fryer at 375°F for about 20 to 25 minutes, flipping the wings over at the halfway point.
- If you’re grilling the wings, cook them over medium heat for about 20 to 25 minutes, flipping every five minutes, until cooked through and the skin is browned.
- You can marinate the wings for up to 24 hours in the fridge before baking them.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Wow! Delicious Chinese chicken wings recipe.
Can you do this with frozen chicken wings?
I always thaw my wings first!
This is so delicious – my household enjoyed it so much! The hint of spiciness that comes through is just right.
Could I do this recipe using chicken legs? Would the cooking time be different?
Yep! I would cook the legs for at about 40 to 45 minutes or until the meat reaches at least 165°F. Start skin-side down and then flip skin-side up at the half way point.