Air fryer sweet chili lime wings
Crisp air-fried wings tossed in sticky sweet chili sauce with lime and green onions, sweet, a little spicy and gone fast.
- 60 min total
- 15 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 8
- About $1.78 a serving
- 250 calories
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Most of the time here is hands-off, so you can sit down while it cooks.
Ingredients
For 8 servings.
- 3 lb chicken wings, flats and drumettes
- ⅔ cup sweet chili sauce
- 1 lime, zested and juiced
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp sesame seeds (optional)
From your pantry
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Each serving has about 250 calories, 17 g protein, 15 g carbs and 13 g fat, and costs about $1.78 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No limes? Lemons work.
- No green onions? Chives work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the wings very dry with paper towels and put them in a large bowl.
Pat dry. Patting dry means pressing paper towels onto food to soak up the moisture on its surface. Wet food steams instead of browning, so this is how you get a good sear and crisp skin.
How you’ll know: The surface feels tacky, not wet, and the last paper towel comes away barely damp.
Dolly’s tip: Dry skin is crisp skin, so take your time here.Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
Sprinkle the baking powder, salt and garlic powder over the wings and until every piece is lightly dusted.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Dolly’s tip: Baking powder, not baking soda. It dries the skin so it blisters and crackles.Lay half the wings in the air fryer basket in a single layer, not touching.
Dolly’s tip: Two batches beat one crowded one. The hot air needs room to crisp every side.Air fry at 380°F for 12 minutes, then flip them with tongs.
Timer: 12 min
Air fry 10 to 12 minutes more, until deep and and the thickest piece reads 165°F.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Crispy. Crispy means the outside is dry, firm and crunchy. It comes from high heat, a little oil and room in the pan, because crowded food steams and goes soft.
How you’ll know: It sounds crunchy when you tap or bite it, and it doesn’t flop when you lift it.
Timer: 11 min
Food safety: Chicken and turkey are done at 165°F in the thickest part. A thermometer is the only sure check. Without one, cut into the thickest piece: it should be white all the way through, with no pink.
Move them to a bowl and cook the second batch the same way.
Dolly’s tip: Cover the bowl loosely with foil to keep the first batch warm.the sweet chili sauce with the lime and juice in another large bowl.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Zest. Zest is the thin, colored outer layer of citrus peel, rubbed off on the smallest holes of a grater. It holds the fruit’s fragrant oils, so it adds bright flavor without the sourness of juice.
How you’ll know: You see bright flecks and smell citrus right away; stop when you reach the white layer, which is bitter.
all the hot wings in the sauce and scatter the green onions and sesame seeds on top.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Dolly’s tip: They’re crispest in the first 20 minutes. Sauced wings can sit out up to 2 hours.Food safety: Food with mayonnaise, dairy, eggs, cooked meat or cream, like dips, salads and cream desserts, can sit out for 2 hours at most, or 1 hour above 90°F. Keep cold food in the fridge or on ice until serving, and hot food at 140°F or hotter.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
When you host a dinner, Dollop builds the menu around your guests’ allergies, works out a cooking timeline back from when everyone sits down, and puts it all on one grocery list.
