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by ChihYu
September 25, 2019 (updated 10/3/23)
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5 from 17 votes
These Thai Air Fryer Chicken Wings are seriously CRISPY! A quick 10-minute no chopping marinade and the skin is so unbelievably crisp. It’s hard to believe they aren’t deep fried and are so easy to make. The recipe comes with air fryer and oven instructions. Give these Air fried Thai Chicken Wings a try and you’ll be converted for life!
Thai Air Fryer Chicken Wings (Paleo, Whole30, Keto)
I have to admit that I’m particularly fond of Asian style chicken wings, for example my Chinese Chicken Wings and Malaysian Chicken Wings. I Heart Umami fans have shared both recipes more than six thousand times combined plus raving reviews so it’s time for a Thai Chicken Wings recipe!
What I LOVE about this Thai air fryer wings recipe is that it takes only 10 minutes to marinate. The wings are air fried to golden crispy with an unbelievably crispy skin. No wonder people love air fryer chicken wings because they make the best finger food and game day recipes.
Thai Chili Dipping Sauce – Jaew Sauce
The real flavor comes from the Thai style chili sauce, called Nam Jim Jaew. The Jaew sauce is a northern Isan style Thai chili sauce that’s wildly popular on the streets of Thailand and is probably the most common condiment served in restaurants. To keep it simple and accessible for my audience, I modified the recipe to make it Paleo/Keto/Whole30 and with all local ingredients.
Of course, you can dip the air fried Thai chicken wings in sweet chili sauce – that’s probably the most common Thai chili sauce we know in the west – but I want to show you how locals would enjoy these golden crispy Thai chicken wings because I know that my audience is a little different than others. You want to experience the most authentic flavor and in the meantime still keep it simple, low carb, and gluten-free. :))
Pro Tip: How To Make The Best Thai Chicken Wings In Air Fryer Or Oven
- It’s important to only marinate the chicken wings for 10 minutes total only. Any longer the flavor profile will change so please set a timer to help you keep it on track.
- Spray or lightly brush the air fryer basket with avocado oil so that the chicken wings are less likely to stick to the basket wire when air fried.
- Pat dry the wings and place them with a little space in-between. I do not recommend stacking the wings. For larger quantity, air fry the wings in separate batches.
- Flip the chicken wings at half baking point so both sides will be golden crispy!
How To Serve These Air Fryer Thai Chicken Wings
These Thai chicken wings are really great for many occasions and they do make fabulous finger food for sharing. I like to serve these air fried wings with my crispy Cauliflower Fried Rice and a chilled spinach salad.
Or do the casual party-platter style with the air fried wings, roasted cauliflower, mung bean sprouts salad, and my Keto Chinese Egg Rolls. You can check out more of my healthy appetizer recipes and my Whole30 Paleo Thai Recipes for more choices!
The best way to enjoy these air fried Thai chicken wings is to have the Thai chili dipping sauce next to the wings! Divide the sauce to individual serving bowls. You want to dip the wings in the sauce and take a bite and dip again and take another bite. Repeat the process and I guarantee they will be gone in minutes!
Air Fryer Lovers!
- Air fryer whole chicken
- Vietnamese air fryer chicken wings
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- Thai chicken satay
- Air fryer lemon chicken bites
- Air fryer honey sriracha chicken
- Chinese ginger scallion cod (yes you can “steam” the fish in an air fryer!)
- Healthy sesame chicken (baked or air fried)
- Soy ginger glazed salmon fillets
- Air Fry Eggs 7 ways!
- More healthy air fryer recipes
5 from 17 votes
Thai Chicken Wings In Air Fryer (Paleo, Whole30, Keto)
Prep Time: 15 minutes mins
Bake time (non-active):: 20 minutes mins
Total Time: 35 minutes mins
Servings: 3 people
Author: ChihYu Smith
These Thai Air Fryer Chicken Wings are so easy to make and the skin is unbelievably crisp. You’ll fall in love with these air fried Thai chicken wings!
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Ingredients
- 1.25-1.5 lbs chicken wings, wings and drumette separated
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- Less than 1 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp cumin powder, optional
- Olive oil spray
- Jaew dipping sauce
Garnish:
- 2-3 whole Thai red chili peppers, alt. 1 red serrano or fresno chili, optional
- 1-2 tbsp chopped cilantro, optional
- Lime wedges
Instructions
In a shallow pan/tray that’s just big enough to fit-in all the chicken wings, marinate the wings with fish sauce and sprinkle with pepper and cumin powder on both sides.
Marinate the wings for a total of 10 minutes only. Flip after 5 minutes to marinate the flip side. Use a timer to help you measure the time. We only want to give the wings a little salty flavor. Any longer they will turn fishy. See notes if you don’t feel comfortable about this and want to skip the fish sauce marinade.
Pat dry the wings with paper towel. Spray the air fryer basket with some olive oil so that the wings won’t stick to the basket wire. Place the wings in one layer with some gap in-between.
Air fry at 400F for 10 minutes per side (i.e. 20 minutes totaor until both sides are golden crispy.
In the meantime, prepare the jaew dipping sauce. Allow the dipping sauce to sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes. The flavor will deepen during the resting process.
Sprinkle chopped chilies and cilantro, if using, over the baked wings and serve the lime wedges and jaew dipping sauce on the side.
Pro tip – the best way to serve Thai chicken wings: divide the dipping sauce to each individual serving bowls. You want to dip the wings in the sauce and take a bite and dip again and take another bite. Repeat the process 🙂
Notes
Prefer to skip the fish sauce marinade? This is a popular recipe in Thailand. As a matter of fact, most of the time locals will marinate the wings for 20-30 minutes (i.e. even longer). Personally I found that the flavor becomes too strong and unpleasant. I reduce the marinating time to 10 minutes only but if you still don’t feel comfortable about it, I recommend skipping the fish sauce. Here are the workarounds:
- Instead of using 2 tsp fish sauce in the marinade, substitute it with 2 tsp coarse sea salt.
- Season the wings with white pepper and cumin powder. Same quantity as listed in the recipe.
- Use your hands to rub the salt, pepper, and cumin in the wings so they absorb the seasonings.
- Follow the rest of the recipe instructions.
- Serve the wings with the Jaew Thai chili dipping sauce.
– Jaew dipping sauce (AKA Thai dried chili pepper dipping sauce): This is a very popular dipping sauce for meat, especially grilled steak, chicken, or pork. It’s a thin, liquid based dipping sauce. Store extra in the fridge. Best finish in 4-5 days.
– No air fryer? Preheat oven to 450F (425F convection). Pat dry the wings and place them over a wire rack lined with parchment. Bake for 30-40 minutes total. Rotate the sheet pan at half baking point.
– If you are making a larger batch, please air fry the wings in separate batches. Air fryer setting and temperature differs, If not crispy enough, add 2-3 minutes extra per side.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 233kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 19g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 79mg, Sodium: 390mg, Potassium: 171mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 150IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 18mg, Iron: 2mg
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Thai
Keyword: Air fried Thai chicken wings, Air fryer chicken wings, Air fryer Thai chicken wings, Thai air fryer chicken wings, Thai chicken wings, Thai chicken wings in air fryer
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Tag @iheartumami.ny on Instagram and hashtag it #iheartumami.
Air Fryer Chicken Wings Cook Time
For 1.25 lbs -1.5 lbs chicken wings, air fry at 400F for 20 minutes total. Flip at half baking point.
How To Cook Chicken Wings In Air Fryer
You want to pat the chicken wings dry first. Spray or lightly brush the air fryer basket with olive or avocado oil. Place the wings with some gap in-between so they will get air fried evenly.
Can You Put Foil In An Air Fryer
Yes! As long as the foil doesn’t touch your food. Line a layer of foil in the bottom of the basket and place the basket wire on top. Careful not to cover the air circulation holes in the basket.
Can You Stack Wings In An Air Fryer
I do not recommend it. Leave some space between the wings in an air fryer basket so that the air can circulate fully. Your chicken wings will be more crispy.
Pairings for Chicken Wings + More Chicken Recipes!
- Chinese Chongqing Chicken Wings
- Paleo Father’s Day recipes (Dad’s favorite dishes plus wings!)
- Asian carrot-celery slaw
- Chinese broccoli recipe (Fans’ favorite dark leafy green veggie!)
- Chinese New Year’s Recipe (a collection of popular Chinese New Year dishes to pair with the wings!)
- Crispy Thai Chicken Salad
- Chinese Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- Instant Pot Chicken Cabbage Soup
- Easy Chicken Pho Soup
Make It A Full Meal With –
- Thai cashew nut chicken
- Keto Beef and Broccoli (This recipe has been shared over 238K times!)
- Wonton Soup (with gluten-free rice paper!)
- Garlic Shrimp Vietnamese-Style!
- More easy healthy appetizers
- More Air fryer recipes
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posted by ChihYu on September 25, 2019
22 Comments / Leave a Comment »
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22 comments on “Air fryer Thai Chicken Wings”
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Ann — Reply
Yum! First time for me to make wings in the air fryer. So quick and my spouse and 12 y.o. loved it, especially with the dipping sauce. Thank you!-
ChihYu — Reply
Thank you so much! so happy to hear!
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Vicki — Reply
These were phenomenal. Perfect crispy skin, and the sauce was fabulous. Very unexpected but will probably make this on a regular basis!-
ChihYu — Reply
So happy to hear. Thank you, Vicki!
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Heather — Reply
I can just hear that crunch on these wings! Perfection! -
Heather — Reply
I love the sauce you came up with for these! YUMMY! -
Cheryl Malik — Reply
What a great idea. Another fantastic recipe for my air fryer. Yay!-
Vicki — Reply
These were phenomenal! Perfectly crispy skin, and a fabulous sauce! Was totally unexpected for us and will now be a regular.
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Kari — Reply
These look like the ultimate wings, so much flavor and I love how crispy they look! -
Erin — Reply
10 minutes to marinade?! That is pretty incredible! I bet these are amazing. -
Zuzana — Reply
I just got my air fryer and about to collect all of the recipes. This came at the right time-
ChihYu — Reply
So happy to hear!
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STACEY CRAWFORD — Reply
Oh my, those look so good & crispy. I have an air fryer and can’t wait to try these! -
Linda — Reply
The combined flavors of fish sauce and lime juice is absolutely amazing! And that sauce looks so droolworthy! -
Don Baiocchi — Reply
Oh, I’m TOTALLY trying this with the fish sauce! -
Kelly — Reply
So crispy and full of flavor! Easy to make!! -
Raia Todd — Reply
These look delicious! I’m gonna have to try them in my oven, since I don’t have an air fryer. -
Jenni LeBaron — Reply
These look spectacular! I love how crisp they get in the air fryer and that dipping sauce is so great!-
ChihYu — Reply
Thank you, Jenni! We love these wings very much, too!
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Tessa Simpson — Reply
I adapted this for my oven since I don;t own an air fryer yet…but they were delicious! So much great flavor!!! -
Aprille — Reply
Which air fryer do you recommend?
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ChihYu — Reply
I have Gourmia 5 quart and I also have Cosori 6 quart, which I haven’t opened the box yet. :))
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