Thai sticky chicken wings
Oven-roasted Thai chicken wings glazed with tamarind, fish sauce and palm sugar — sticky, tangy and perfect for parties.
These sticky Thai chicken wings marry tamarind tang, salty fish sauce and caramelised palm sugar for proper party grub. They’re roasted in the oven for crisp skin with minimal faff and finished with a hot-reduced glaze for that glossy, lick-your-fingers finish.
Make them for a crowd, a match night or when you want something more exciting than plain wings — they travel well to a picnic and reheat brilliantly in a hot oven.
Ingredients
- 1.2 kg chicken wings — about 12 wings
- 6 garlic cloves — peeled and finely minced
- 25 g fresh ginger — peeled and finely grated
- 80 ml light soy sauce
- 40 ml fish sauce
- 60 g palm sugar — soft, finely chopped or grated
- 15 g tamarind paste
- 2 lime — zest of 1 lime and juice of both (about 40 ml)
- 30 ml vegetable oil
- 15 ml honey
- 2 red chilli — thinly sliced, seeds optional
- 15 g fresh coriander — roughly chopped, for garnish
- 15 ml sesame seeds — toasted, for garnish
- 2 spring onions — finely sliced, for garnish
Equipment
- baking tray
- baking paper
- small saucepan
- tongs
Instructions
Pat the chicken wings very dry with kitchen paper. Dry skin is critical for crisping in the oven.
Make the marinade: in a large bowl combine minced garlic, grated fresh ginger, light soy sauce, fish sauce, palm sugar, tamarind paste, lime zest and juice, vegetable oil, honey and half the sliced red chilli. Stir until the palm sugar mostly dissolves.
Toss the wings in the marinade so each wing is well coated. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours (or up to overnight) to develop flavour.
About 20 minutes before the end of the marinade time preheat the oven to 220°C fan/240°C conventional and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Remove the wings from the fridge. Using tongs lift the wings out of the bowl so most excess marinade stays behind — reserve the leftover marinade in a small heatproof bowl for glazing and do NOT re-use it raw.
Put the reserved marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a vigorous simmer for 3–4 minutes until slightly reduced and syrupy. This step kills any bacteria from the raw chicken and thickens the glaze.
Arrange the wings in a single layer on the prepared baking tray with space between each piece. Roast on the top shelf for 25 minutes at the preheated temperature to render fat and start crisping the skin.
Brush the wings generously with the hot reduced marinade, then return the tray to the oven for a further 12 minutes until the glaze is sticky and deep golden. Turn the tray halfway through if the heat is uneven.
Remove the tray and leave the wings to rest for 5 minutes so the glaze sets slightly.
Scatter the wings with sliced spring onions, the remaining red chilli, chopped fresh coriander and toasted sesame seeds. Serve immediately with lime wedges for squeezing.
Tips
- Pat the wings dry before marinating — dry skin crisps much better in the oven.
- Never brush on raw marinade without cooking it first; simmer the reserved marinade for at least 3 minutes to make a safe glaze.
- Space the wings out on the tray so air can circulate; use two trays rather than crowd one.
- Make-ahead: marinate overnight for deeper flavour. Keep cooked wings in the fridge up to 3 days and reheat at 200°C fan for 8–10 minutes to regain crispness.
- If the glaze darkens too quickly, move the tray to a lower shelf or reduce the oven to 200°C fan for the final minutes.
Substitutions
palm sugar → soft light brown sugar, same weight (60 g)
Stays closefish sauce → extra 20 ml light soy sauce and 1 tsp extra lime juice (loses a bit of fishy umami)
Noticeably differenttamarind paste → 1 tbsp lime juice + 1 tsp brown sugar (tangier, less complex)
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 770
- Calories
- 55 g
- Protein
- 19 g
- Carbs
- 54 g
- Fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 19 g
- Sugar
- 1680 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make these in an air fryer?
Yes — cook at 200°C for 18–22 minutes depending on size, turning halfway. Reduce the final glaze step to 2–3 minutes in the air fryer and watch for burning.
Is it safe to use the leftover marinade as a glaze?
Only if you simmer the reserved marinade for at least 3 minutes to kill bacteria from the raw chicken. Do not use it raw.
How long can I marinate the wings?
4 hours is great; you can marinate up to 24 hours. After that the acid in the marinade can start to break down the skin texture.
Can I make this gluten-free?
Use a gluten-free tamari in place of light soy sauce and check the fish sauce label — many brands are gluten-free.
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