These Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wings are the perfect party appetizer or game day food. They are sweetened with honey and have just the right amount of spice. Make them in your air fryer or oven!

These sesame wings are the perfect appetizer for your Summer cookout and game day get-together or they make an easy family dinner served alongside sweet potato fries and your favorite salad.
The honey is the key to the sweetness of this recipe and it thickens the sauce which allows it to stick perfectly to the wings. If you are a fan of sweet and spicy, check out my Sweet Chili Chicken Stir Fry.
Ingredients
- Chicken wings- you will need 1-1.5 pounds of chicken wings.
- Spices- salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, ground ginger.
- Coconut aminos- soy sauce or tamari also work.
- Sesame oil
- Garlic- along with garlic powder, you will also use fresh garlic cloves for the sauce.
- Ginger- you can use fresh ginger or ginger paste.
- Honey
- Chili garlic sauce -if you don't have this, you can use red pepper flakes for spice.
- Sesame seeds and scallions- these are optional for garnish.
Instructions
These Sweet and Spicy Sesame Wings can be made in either the oven or in the air fryer.
Begin by preheating your air fryer or oven to 400 degrees F. Pat the chicken wings dry with a paper towel, then add wings to a large bowl and season with spices. Mix with hands until wings are fully coated with the spices.
Cook the wings for 20-25 minutes, flipping them halfway through.
While the wings are cooking, make the sauce by combining all of the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat.
Once boiling, turn down the heat to low and simmer until the sauce has thickened slightly.
Once finished cooking, add the wings to a large bowl, pour the sauce over top and toss with tongs to coat wings with the sauce.
Garnish the wings with sesame seeds and scallions, if desired. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Cut the wings. If you can find precut wings, skip this. However, you can't find them in all stores. Use a good pair of kitchen shears or a sharp knife and cut them right at the joint. This post has more tips on cutting chicken wings.
- Remove extra moisture. Before you season the chicken, pat the wings down with a paper towel. If the wings are too moist, they can become soggy.
- Reheating. If you have leftover wings and need to reheat the next day, you can use the "reheat" option on your air fryer or reheat the wings in the oven at 400 degrees F for about 5 minutes. Check out my tips on How to Reheat Wings here!
- Storage. Store wings in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. You can also freeze the wings in a freezer-safe container or bag. Cool the wings completely before freezing and freeze them without the sauce. Frozen wings should last about 3 months. When you are ready to eat, defrost the wings in the fridge and reheat in the air fryer or oven at 350 degrees F for about 10-15 minutes.
Similar Recipes
Sheet Pan Sesame Chicken and Veggies
🍳Recipe
Sweet and Spicy Sesame Wings
Equipment
Ingredients
Wings
- 1 ½ pounds chicken wings
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
Sauce
- ⅓ cup coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ½ inch fresh ginger, grated
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer or oven to 400 degrees F.
- Pat chicken wings dry with a paper towel, then add wings to a large bowl and season with spices. Mix with hands until wings are fully coated with the spices.
- Add wings to air fryer basket or parchment-lined baking sheet and cook for 20-25 minutes, checking and flipping halfway through.
- While the wings are cooking, make the sauce by combining all of the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Once boiling, turn down heat to low and simmer until the sauce has thickened slightly, about 5-8 minutes*.
- When finished cooking, add wings to a large bowl, pour the sauce over top and toss with tongs to coat wings with the sauce.
- Garnish the wings with sesame seeds and scallions, if desired. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
Leticia Miranda says
It was AMAZING!!! LOVED IT!!!
Made it 2 times in NY air fryer and now again today for Super bowl!!!
Sarah Holt says
Hi Leticia, thanks for the great review! So happy you love them!!