Curry Sriracha Air Fryer Chicken Wings

Nothing is more gratifying than a stack of wings being doused in hot sauce. Nothing, that is, unless they’re Curry Sriracha Air Fryer Chicken Wings smothered in even more curry sriracha sauce.

Let’s pause for a second and enjoy this image.

I’ve pumped these wings so full of island flavor. Using a Jamaican curry spice rub and aromatic sofrito as the flavor base for the wings, I marinated them overnight to maximize their taste potential. After a quick, oil-less air fry, they get tossed in a sweet-heat Curry Sriracha-based sauce before another quick blast of heat seals in the coating. Nothing can top that…well…except a buttload of money given to me tax-free. 

What’s so great about these Curry Sriracha wings?

Uh. Go back and take a gander at that plate of wings! Seriously? What’s not great about these wings? The fact that they’re finite is the only downside to them.
Not only can you marinate these wings months in advance and freeze them for later; you can cut down on the saturated fat in this recipe because they’re not deep-fried in oil. Air-frying wings are less messy and a healthier option than the traditional cooking method. The sauce alone makes this recipe repeat-worthy. The sauce is not only ideal for wings, but chicken sandwiches, ribs, and pork, as well.

To sum this up, this recipe has less fat, more flavor, and is also make-ahead friendly. Care to retract that question now, my friend? Okay.

What do I need to make Curry Sriracha air fryer wings?

First, you need chicken wings. I buy whole wings and cut the flats from the drums at home. It saves pennies and allows me to release some pent-up frustration. It doesn’t matter the package of the wings you buy; just make sure you buy at least 4 1/2- 5 pounds. No one will tolerate hearing, “There are no more wings,” after they take the first bite of these, so make sure you have enough. Prior to adding the rest of the seasoning, toss them in a small amount of baking soda. Baking soda is what gives wings that crispy exterior.

Grab a bottle of this Curry Sriracha sauce and Bees Knees Spicy Honey or just use plain sriracha and honey. The curry sriracha sauce and my homemade sofrito form the base for the jerk marinade, which the wings will sit in for a few hours. The rest of the marinade is a quick-play on the classic Jamaican jerk rub. I make it with ground cloves, thyme leaves, onion powder, ground allspice, granulated garlic, Jamaican curry powder, sazón, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, and adobo. 

After marinating, the air fryer works its magic. The wings get tossed in a sweet beer-and-sriracha BBQ sauce. A bottled BBQ sauce cuts down on some of the work for us.  

Let’s start with the marinade!

How do I make the curry marinade?

Traditional Jamaican jerk has fresh aromatics and herbs, but this recipe is more about convenience. Instead of busting out the blender, take advantage of dried spices and herbs. Jamaican curry, which is not commonly used in a jerk rub, mellows the sriracha’s heat. Jamaican curry is a mix of spices, mainly turmeric, that is more mellow than its Indian counterpart. It’s totally optional. 

In a mixing bowl, combine the spices for the rub. In addition to the curry powder, to offset the curry sriracha’s heat, add a tablespoon of molasses. The caramel flavor of the molasses not only tastes spectacular, but it also gives color to the air-fried wings. Add the sofrito and the curry sriracha to the mix and stir to combine the marinade’s ingredients into a chunky paste.

You can make this marinade/spice rub 3 days ahead and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. 

How long can I marinate chicken wings?

Toss the wings in the jerk-curry rub and massage the marinade into the wings well. Cover the bowl or transfer the wings to a gallon-size food storage bag.

At this point, the wings can go into the freezer for 3 months. I love to have these wings in the freezer as a last-minute meal option. The bag can be pulled out of the freezer the evening before, so they’re thawed in time for the next day’s dinner.
Store the wings in the fridge and make them the same day (at least 3 hours later) or the following day.

Marinate the wings for at least 3 hours to pack as much flavor into the meat as possible. Overnight is best; however, you don’t always have the time, so marinate as long as you can.

How do I make the Curry Sriracha BBQ sauce?

Take help from the grocery store and use a bottled BBQ sauce as the base for the wing’s curry sriracha sauce. A 14-ounce original style BBQ is best for this recipe; there is no need to muddle the curry and sriracha’s flavors with a smoked or flavored BBQ sauce. Keep it simple and basic. Pour the entire bottle of BBQ sauce into a 4-quart saucepan.

Use a whisk to stir in the salt, more of that Jamaican curry powder, and the curry sriracha hot sauce. 

Sweeten the sauce up with the Spicy Honey. Just whisk it in until the sauce is smooth. 

Bring the sauce up to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Continue to stir the sauce with the whisk to keep it from scorching on the bottom of the pot. 

What kind of beer is best for this BBQ Sauce?

I find that cutting the sauce with a 1/2-3/4 cup of beer takes the flavor to another level of deliciousness. Since this is a play on Jamaican curry and jerk, I have to use a Jamaican lager. There’s no beer more Jamaican than Red Stripe, so in it goes. If you don’t care for Red Stripe, use a lager that you’d drink from the bottle or can. Because the beer’s flavor becomes concentrated as the sauce cooks down, you need a beer that tastes great before going in. Ales, IPAs, or stouts will all work in this sauce. 

Whisk the beer into the sauce, then allow the sauce to come to a simmer. Once the sauce is bubbling, reduce the heat to medium-low. Let the sauce cook down until it has reduced by half, or for about 10 minutes, frequently stirring to avoid sticking. 

Can I make the Curry Sriracha BBQ sauce ahead?

You can make curry sriracha BBQ sauce up to one week in advance and keep it in a sealed container in the fridge. You can also freeze the sauce for 2 months. 

Shoot! If you’re one of those pioneering types of folks, you can even bottle it and keep it in the pantry. I have no idea how to do all that, though, so you’re going to have to find someone that does. 

If Little House on the Prairie isn’t happening today, just set the sauce to the side while you air-fry the wings. 

What’s the best air fryer?

An air fryer is nothing but a mini convection oven. Think of it as a toaster oven with a fan instead of on that just has radiant heat. I don’t like air fryers that have a “bucket-with-a-handle” deal going on. You have to shake the food you’re frying too much, and as a result, it doesn’t fry the food evenly. Instead, I love using my Cuisinart air fryer, which has a wire tray. I can easily lay a dozen wings on the tray and fry them in 10 minutes. 

If you have a convection oven, you can accomplish the same thing without the air fryer. If you have neither and don’t care to buy either, just fry the wings the old-fashioned way (in 350°F oil) or bake them (at 400°F). 

Set the temperature on your air fryer to 375°F. Ensure the knob is on the “Air Fry” setting, then set the timer for an hour or longer. My air fryer will shut off after the timer goes off, so I use it only to keep the fryer on. To monitor the actual cooking time of the wings, though, I use my phone’s timer. 

Remove the wings from the marinade and lay them in a single layer on the air fryer tray. Make sure the wings aren’t crowded together. The air in the fryer needs to circulate freely around the meat.

Air fry the wings on the first side for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, flip the wings over with a pair of tongs and fry them on the second side for another 5 minutes. 

How do I get crispy chicken wings?

Once the wings are fully cooked, toss them in a cup of the curry sriracha BBQ sauce. Add more or less sauce to the bowl as you see fit. There was a cup of sauce leftover once all of my wings were tossed. Because the wings were fully cooked when I coated them, I served the curry sriracha BBQ on the side as a dipping sauce.

Continue to air fry and sauce the wings until they are all cooked.

Although the wings come out really crispy after 10 minutes of cooking, they will lose some of that crispiness after taking a bath in the curry sriracha sauce. I’m okay with sacrificing the crispiness if it means I get that flavor, but there’s a great way to regain as much crunch as possible after saucing the wings.

Lay the cooked and sauced wings on a lightly greased sheetpan in a single layer. Place the sheetpan of wings into a preheated 200°F oven to keep the wings warm while you air fry the rest of the chicken.
Keeping the wings in the oven will seal that sauce to their exteriors and crisp them up a little bit.

How do I serve these Curry Sriracha Wings?

Serve the curry sriracha wings with french fries, chips, or on their own. Steamed rice goes well with these wings, also. I, personally, love to serve wings with celery and carrot sticks and blue cheese dipping sauce. Go wild and stack them like a crazy person or eat them right off of the sheet pan.
Wings are wings. They are informal and don’t require tons of effort to serve them.

What’s the best way to store leftover chicken wings?

I don’t know what these “leftover wings” that you speak of are, but I can assume that you have some weak eaters in your home if you have any leftovers. To store the wings, transfer them to a food storage container, and keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Reheat the wings in a 250°F air fryer or 300°F oven for the best results. You can also, as a last resort, reheat them in the microwave until warmed through.

Can I freeze the chicken wings?

You can also freeze cooked and sauced chicken wings. Transfer them to a freezer storage bag and freeze them for 3 months.

Thaw the wings overnight in the refrigerator and reheat them in the air fryer, oven, or microwave until warmed through.

You won’t regret taking a chance on this mashup of Jamaican and Asian flavors. The ease of the air frying cooking method will make this a go-to recipe, especially during a busy week.

Be sure to pin this Curry Sriracha Air Fryer Chicken Wings recipe to your air fryer boards, then go check out the other products that Bushwick Kitchen has to offer.

Curry Sriracha Air Fryer Chicken Wings

Marta Rivera at Sense & Edibility

5 from 8 votes

Pick up a bottle of savory Curry Sriracha Sauce and make these flavorful wings.

Instructions for conventional frying and baking are in the notes section.

Servings: 8

Print Pin Recipe SaveSaved!

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

marinating time 3 hours hrs

Total Time 3 hours hrs 25 minutes mins

Equipment

• air fryer

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 4 1/2 pounds chicken wings
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Quick Jamaican Jerk Marinade

• 1 tablespoon Jamaican curry powder optional
• 2 teaspoons adobo
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sazón
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1 teaspoon granulated onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons sofrito
• 1 tablespoon Weak Knees Curry Sriracha Sauce (or sriracha sauce and an additional tablespoon of curry powder)
• 1 tablespoon molasses

Curry Sriracha BBQ Sauce

• 14 ounce bottle BBQ sauce
• 1/4 cup Weak Knees Curry Sriracha Sauce
• 2 tablespoons Bees Knees Spicy Honey (or plain honey)
• 1 teaspoon Jamaican curry powder (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
• pinch black pepper or to taste
• 1/2-3/4 cup Red Stripe beer or 1/4 cup white wine vinegar

Instructions 

Marinate the Wings in the Quick Jamaican Jerk Marinade (Can Be Made 3 Days Ahead)

• In a large bowl, toss the wings in the baking soda.

  Set the bowl aside.
• In a separate mixing bowl, combine the curry powder, adobo, sazón, thyme leaves, granulated garlic and onion, allspice, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon.

  Add sofrito, Curry Sriracha sauce, and molasses to the mix and stir to combine the ingredients to make a chunky paste.
• Pour the marinade over the wings in the bowl and massage it into the wings. Cover the bowl, or transfer the wings to a gallon-size food storage bag.

  Marinate the wings in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or, optimally, overnight.

Prepare the Curry Sriracha BBQ Sauce (Can Be Done 1 Week Ahead)

• Pour the bottle of BBQ sauce into a 4-quart saucepan.

  Whisk in the curry sriracha, spicy honey, curry powder, salt, pepper, and beer. Stir the sauce until smooth.
• Bring the sauce up to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Continue to stir the sauce with the whisk to keep it from scorching on the bottom of the pot. 

  Once the sauce is bubbling, reduce the heat to medium-low. Let the sauce cook down until it has reduced by half, or for about 10 minutes, frequently stirring to avoid scorching. 
• If you're preparing the wings right away, leave the sauce on the stovetop.

Air Fry the Chicken Wings

• Set the temperature on your air fryer to 375°F. Ensure the knob is on the "Air Fry" setting, then set the timer for an hour or longer to prevent the air fryer from turning off during cooking.

  Lightly spray a sheetpan with pan spray. Preheat your standard oven to 200°F. This will keep the cooked and sauced wings warm while you cook the rest of the chicken.
• Remove the wings from the marinade and lay them in a single layer on the air fryer tray.

  Because the air in the fryer needs to circulate freely around the meat ensure that the wings aren't touching.
• Air fry the wings on the first side for 5 minutes.

  After 5 minutes, carefully flip the wings over with a pair of tongs and fry them on the second side for another 5 minutes. 
• Once the wings are cooked toss them with a cup of the curry sriracha BBQ sauce in a large mixing bowl. Add more or less as you desire.
• Lay the cooked and sauced wings on the lightly greased sheetpan in a single layer.

  Place the wings into the preheated oven to keep warm while you air fry the rest of the chicken.

  Continue to air fry and sauce the wings until they are all cooked.
• Any leftover sauce can be served on the side as a dipping sauce.

  Serve the curry sriracha wings with french fries, chips, steamed rice, or on their own with celery, carrot sticks and blue cheese dipping sauce.

Notes

Make Ahead and Storage Instructions:

• The Quick Jamaican Jerk marinade can mixed 3 days ahead and stored in a sealed container in the fridge. 
• You can store the marinated wings in the fridge for 24 hours.
• After coating in the Jamaican Jerk marinade the wings may be frozen in a plastic bag for 3 months. Thaw under refrigeration prior to cooking.
• The Curry Sriracha BBQ sauce can be made up to one week in advance. Refrigerate it in a sealed container. The sauce can also be frozen for 2 months. 

Traditional Frying Instructions:

1. Heat peanut or vegetable oil to 350°F.
2. Fry the wings 6 or 7 at a time for 9-12 minutes or until crispy.
3. Drain slightly on a paper-towel lined plate before tossing as instructed above.

Baking Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a sheetpan with non-stick cooking spray. 
2. Arrange the wings on the sheetpan in a single layer.
3. Bake the wings on one side for 20 minutes.
4. Flip the wings over and bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until crispy and cooked through.  
5. Remove the wings from the oven and use a spatula to transfer them from the sheetpan to a bowl containing the Curry Sriracha sauce. 
6. Toss the wings in the sauce to coat evenly and serve immediately. 

To Store ,or Freeze, and Reheat Leftovers:

• To store the wings, transfer them to a food storage container, and keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• Reheat the refrigerated wings in a 250°F air fryer or 300°F oven for the best results. You can also, as a last resort, reheat them in the microwave until warmed through.
• Freeze cooked and sauced chicken wings in a freezer storage bag and freeze them for 3 months.
• Thaw the wings overnight in the refrigerator and reheat them in the air fryer, oven, or microwave until warmed through.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 428kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 29gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 106mgSodium: 1495mgPotassium: 315mgFiber: 1gSugar: 20gVitamin A: 234IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 25mgIron: 2mg

Course Appetizer, dinner, lunch

Cuisine North American

Keyword chicken wings, curry, sriracha

Tried this recipe?Mention @senseandedibility or tag #senseandedibility!