Sweet Chili Jerk Chicken Wings are the PERFECT game-day appetizer! Made with sweet chili sauce plus jerk sauce for a kick of heat, these babies will disappear fast. You can make them with fried, oven-baked, or air fried wings!
Don't you love a good sweet-heat combination for your wing sauce? Look no further, because these Sweet Chili Jerk wings pack the perfect amount of punch. They come together so easily too, so you'll want to keep making them over and over! Serve these with a big helping of oven-baked French fries; you can make everything in the oven at the same time!
The Coined Breakdown
- Total Cost per serving (6 wings): $2.07
- Total Cost (about 24 wings): $8.29
- Those Other Guys: $15.99+ per serving
Ingredients
- Party-Sized Chicken Wings - Grab the wings that have been cut into wingettes and drumettes, also known as party wings. You can buy frozen, but defrost overnight in the fridge.
- Garlic and Herb Seasoning - McCormick makes a garlic and herb seasoning that tastes so great on these wings! If you can't find it, feel free to use a similar spice blend.
- Smoked Paprika - To provide color and a smoky, savory flavor.
- Garlic Powder - Gives our wings some extra umami.
- Baking Powder - This helps get the crispiest wing without frying. Make sure you get baking powder, NOT baking soda.
- Sweet Chili Sauce & Jerk Sauce - To get that perfectly balanced sweet/heat flavor, mix together some sweet chili sauce and the wet jerk seasoning.
- Worcestershire Sauce - For extra savory and smoky flavor notes.
- Sesame Seeds & Green Onions - These are totally optional garnishes, but I think you really elevate the final presentation with sesame seeds and sliced green onions sprinkled on top.
How to Make Sweet Chili Jerk Wings
This recipe uses my crispy oven-baked chicken wing recipe as a base for the wings. It's great because you don't have to use any grease like you would if you were deep frying; plus, you won’t have your entire kitchen smelling like old frying oil!
Step 1: Make sure you pat the wings completely dry using paper towels. This allows the seasoning to really stick to the wings, as well as allowing the skin to get crispy in the oven.
Step 2: Add the dried wings to a large bowl and top with your seasoning mix.
Toss well, ensuring each wing is evenly covered in seasoning.
Step 3: Add them to a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil with a wire rack on top.
Stick this pan in the fridge, uncovered, to marinate for at least 20 minutes.
Step 4: Sift baking powder on top of the dried wings and toss once more until evenly covered.
Add them back to the wire rack and bake at 400°F for 40 minutes, and 425°F for another 10-15 minutes.
Step 5: For the sauce, simply mix together sweet chili sauce, wet jerk seasoning, and Worcestershire sauce.
Step 6: Toss the cooked wings until fully coated.
Add these to the wire rack one last time and broil until the sauce is caramelized. Top with your garnishes, and serve!
Recipe Pro Tips
- Dry, dry, dry your wings! It's extra work, and I really don't like using tons of paper towels... but it's imperative to get your wings as dry as possible. If you have the time, you can add the raw wings to a wire rack on top of a lined baking sheet and pop it in the fridge overnight.
- Do you have an oven with the convection setting? Use it! The convection setting allows for a more even air flow throughout the oven, so your chicken wings crisp up even better.
- Know your spice tolerance. Certain brands of wet jerk sauce can range from mild to really hot. If you are concerned about the spice level, I recommend starting with a mild or medium jar. Keep in mind, however, that the sweet chili sauce will balance out a good amount of heat.
Recipe FAQs
The baking powder raises the pH of our chicken wings, which breaks down some of the proteins in the skin. That makes a crispier, more evenly-cooked wing without having to deep fry.
If you're using oven-baked wings as your base, I recommend it.
This is because when we bake these wings at a high temperature, a lot of the fat underneath the skin renders out. You need to elevate the wings on a rack so the extra fat can fall.
However, because we toss this in sauce at the end, you don't have to worry about reaching the optimal level of crispiness (unless you want that!)
You can pop these in the air fryer until they are fully heated through. If you don't have an air fryer, add them to a lined baking sheet (no wire rack required for reheating!) and bake for 8-10 minutes at 390°F.
Other Party Foods You'll Love!
If you tried this Sweet Chili Jerk Wings Recipe, or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you! Thanks for visiting!
Sweet Chili Jerk Wings
Equipment
- Large Bowl
- Baking Sheet with Wire Rack
Ingredients
Crispy Oven-Baked Chicken Wings
- 4 pounds party-sized chicken wings about 24 wings
- 2 tablespoons McCormick roasted garlic & herb seasoning
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 ½ tablespoons baking powder
Sweet Chili Jerk Wing Sauce
- 1 cup sweet chili sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons jerk sauce
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- sesame seeds for garnish
- green onions chopped, for garnish
Instructions
Crispy Oven-Baked Wings
- Use paper towels to pat your wings dry, then add the dried wings to a large bowl.Take your time to do this thoroughly - the drier they are, the better they crisp up in the oven.
- Sprinkle the garlic & herb seasoning, garlic powder, and smoked paprika onto the wings. Toss wings to ensure they are evenly covered in seasonings.
- Line your baking tray with aluminum foil and add the wire rack on top.
- Add the seasoned wings to the lined baking sheet and wire rack. Let the seasonings marinate, uncovered, in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes. If you let them sit overnight, that's fine too.
- Preheat your oven to 400°F.
- Add the marinated wings to the bowl. Sift baking powder over the wings and toss once more until evenly coated.
- Place the wings back on the lined baking sheet. It's okay if they are a little snug on the wire rack; they shrink while cooking.
- Bake the wings on your lowest oven rack for 20 minutes. Flip the wings, then cook for another 20 minutes on the highest oven rack.
- Finally, turn your oven heat up to 425°F. Bake for another 10-15 minutes on the top rack, flipping the wings every 5 minutes.
- Once they are at your ideal level of crispiness, you're done. Remove them from the oven, and set aside to be tossed with the sauce below.
Sweet Chili Jerk Sauce
- Stir together the sweet chili sauce, jerk sauce, and Worcestershire sauce in a large bowl until combined.
- Add in the wings, and toss until fully coated.
- Set the wings back onto the wire rack and broil on low heat for 5 or so minutes, just until the sauce darkens and caramelizes.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds and chopped green onions and serve hot. Enjoy!
jayla w says
The flavor on these wings are so bomb!! Going to make these for a cards night coming up.
Shani W. says
Thank you Jayla! Glad you liked them!