Get ready to savor the perfect balance of crunch and creamy goodness with this easy-to-follow recipe for Air Fryer Thai Peanut Chicken Wings. These flavor-packed wings are air-fried to crispy perfection, then tossed with a slightly spicy peanut sauce.
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❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- Mega flavor, less oil. Air-fried chicken wings have all the flavor of fried wings without the excess oil.
- Appetizer or main dish. Chicken wings make great appetizers and along with a salad or side, they make a full meal. Finger-licking deliciousness!
- Juicy chicken. Cooking chicken wings in an air fryer is a healthier option than cooking them in oil! Your air fryer is like a mini convection oven. The fat renders off, leaving crispy skin and juicy meat.
- Easy cleanup! An air fryer is very easy to clean! A soak in soapy water and a quick wipe and it's ready for next time. No messy oil or sticky baking pans to deal with.
- Easy to adapt. This recipe has a slightly spicy peanut sauce. If you like more heat, increase the Thai chili sauce or add Sriracha or red pepper flakes.
🛒 Ingredients
You'll find a complete list of ingredients with quantities in the recipe card below. But before we get to the full recipe, here are a few notes about the ingredients.
- chicken wings: you can use both the drumettes and the wingettes.
- baking powder, sea salt and black pepper: You'll toss the wings in this mixture before air frying them.
- homemade peanut sauce: This is an easy recipe to make in a blender or food processor. You'll need natural creamy peanut butter, coconut milk, gluten-free tamari, rice vinegar, fresh ginger root, sweet Thai chili sauce (or chili garlic sauce or Sriracha sauce) garlic and lime juice.
- sesame seeds: for sprinkling on the cooked wings
- green onion: sliced thinly or chopped fresh cilantro for optional garnish
🔪 How to make chicken wings with peanut sauce
Here are step-by-step instructions to make this recipe perfectly.
1. Preheat the air fryer: Preheat your air fryer to 400°F (200°C).
2. Coat the chicken wings: In a large bowl, toss the chicken wings with baking powder, salt, and pepper, ensuring an even coating. This step is crucial for achieving that perfect crispy texture in the air fryer.
3. Air fry to crispy perfection: Arrange the coated wings in a single layer in the air fryer basket, frying the wingettes and drumettes in separate batches. Cook for 10 minutes, then use tongs to flip the wings over and continue cooking for 5 -7 minutes or until the wings have reached at least 165°F. Adjust the cooking time as needed, depending on the size of your air fryer and the meatiness of your wings.
4. Prepare the Thai peanut sauce: While the wings are air frying, combine all the Thai peanut sauce ingredients in a food processor or blender. Process until the mixture becomes smooth and creamy. Transfer the sauce to a bowl and set aside.
5. Toss wings in peanut sauce: Once the wings are crispy and golden brown, transfer them to a large bowl. Drizzle the prepared Thai peanut sauce over the wings and toss until each wing is lightly coated.
6. Garnish and serve: Arrange these Thai Peanut Chicken Wings on a serving platter, and garnish sesame seeds and/or chopped green onions or cilantro. Offer left over peanut sauce as a dipping sauce.
7. Enjoy: Serve immediately with napkins!
🔁 Possible Variations
This favorite peanut sauce recipe is mildly spicy. If you like more heat, increase the amount of Thai chili sauce or Sriracha sauce.
👍🏼 Helpful Tips
To ensure even cooking, air fry the drummettes in one batch and the wingettes in another.
Use an instant-read meat thermometer to make sure the wings have reached an internal temperature of at least 165°F. Make sure the probe is inserted into the thickest part of the meat, not the bone. The bone can give a higher reading, misleading you to think they're done.
🍽 What to serve with Thai peanut chicken wings
Chicken wings make a great party or game day snack. If you're serving a variety of finger foods, you might like to pair them with any of the following:
- Puff Pastry Spinach Artichoke Pinwheels
- Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Dates
- Easy Cold Crab Dip
- or search the Appetizer section for more inspiration.
⏰ Storage Instructions
To store: Store cooked chicken wings in an airtight container in the fridge. Avoid letting leftover wings sit at room temperature for more than two hours.
To reheat: Chicken wings can still taste great when reheated. If you've frozen the cooked wings, thaw them in the refrigerator overnight, then let them sit at room temperature for 5 minutes. Place them in the air fryer in a single layer so they will reheat evenly. You may have to do this in batches if you have a small air fryer.
Set the temperature to 390°F. or 400°F. and reheat for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the basket, let cool slightly and enjoy!
You can also reheat them in the microwave, but watch carefully as they can quickly become tough if overcooked.
Freeze them! To freeze cooked wings, lay them out on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet and freeze. Once frozen, store them in an airtight container in the freezer.
You can also make the sauce and freeze it separately, ready for a quick fresh batch at a moment's notice!
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📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Thai Peanut Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. (1 kg) chicken wings, split
- 1 tablespoon baking powder, gluten-free
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil, or grapeseed oil
Peanut Sauce
- ½ cup natural peanut butter, creamy style
- ½ cup canned coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons gluten-free tamari
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 clove garlic
- ¼ inch knob fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon sweet Thai chili sauce, or more
- 1 teaspoon lime juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- green onion or cilantro, for garnish
- 1 medium lime, for lime wedges for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Toss the wings in a combination of baking powder, sea salt and pepper. Use a manual oil mister to lightly coat the air fryer basket with a thin layer or oil or if you use a liner, use a brush to add a thin layer of oil to the wings. Arrange them in your air fryer basket in a single layer so the air can circulate.
- Preheat the air fryer to 390°F. for 3 minutes. Air fry for 10 minutes, then pause the air fryer, remove the basket and flip the wings over. Replace the basket and continue air frying for another 5 - 7 minutes or until the wings are crispy and have reached an internal temperature of 165°F. when measured with an instant-read meat thermometer. Air frying times will depend on the size of the wings and the type of air fryer you have.
- While the wings are cooking, combine the ingredients for peanut sauce and blend until smooth.
- In a large bowl, toss the cooked wings in peanut sauce until lightly coated.
- Arrange on a platter, then sprinkle the cooked wings with sesame seeds and garnish with snipped green onions or chopped cilantro, if desired. Offer extra peanut sauce in a small bowl for dipping.
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