Sambal Barbecue Chicken Wings

5 from 1 vote

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When game day approaches, we gravitate towards these sambal barbecue chicken wings. The wings pack heat from the sambal oelek, sweetness from the ketchup, with umami from the soy sauce. This dish is grilled until crispy and then tossed in the sauce, finishing topped with red onion and cilantro. Make sure to dip the wings with Jalapeño Dill Ranch!

If you’re looking for more wings, check out Lemon Pepper Wings, or Old Bay Brown Butter Buffalo Grilled Wings.

BBQ chicken wings on a platter next to jalapeno dill ranch sauce.

Recipe Ingredients

Wings: Use a mix of flats and drums! Or you can use the whole wing. The wings are seasoned with olive oil and salt. That’s all you need as our BBQ sauce has a lot of flavor.

Sambal Barbecue Sauce: This barbecue sauce is made with ketchup, sambal oelek, light brown sugar, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. All it takes is simmering on the stovetop until it darkens slightly. The sauce is brushed over the wings and then tossed after they are cooked.

Garnishes: To finish the wings, top with thinly sliced red onion and cilantro. We love the freshness of the cilantro, and the crunch of the onions!

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How to Make Sambal Barbecue Chicken Wings

Season your Wings: Pat your chicken wings dry with paper towels. Transfer your dried wings to a large bowl with olive oil and salt. Toss to combine and set aside.

Preheat your grill for two-zone cooking, positioning one side of the grill on low heat, and the other side on medium-high heat. 

While your grill is heating up, make your Sambal Barbecue Sauce: In a small saucepan, add ketchup, sambal, brown sugar, vinegar, and soy sauce. Bring the heat to medium-low, stir to combine, and allow the sugar to melt and the BBQ sauce, for about 3 to 4 minutes. 

The BBQ sauce should darken and thicken slightly, but you still want the consistency to be pretty pourable. Turn off the heat and set aside until ready to use.

Grill your Wings: Place your wings on the low heat side of the grill, skin side down for 12 to 15 minutes, flipping halfway. Then transfer the wing’s skin side up to the medium-high heat side of the grill to char and crisp the wings, for another 3 to 4 minutes, flipping halfway. 

At the last minute or two of the wings, brush half of your BBQ sauce on all sides of the wings, and let them cook on the grill for another minute.

Transfer the wings to a large bowl, and toss in your remaining barbecue sauce. Transfer to a serving platter, finishing with thinly sliced red onions and cilantro scattered around. Serve alongside Jalapeño Dill Ranch for dipping.

platter of sauced BBQ wings with fresh onions and cilantro next to ranch sauce.

Options to Cook Your Barbecue Wings

This recipe is showing you how to grill your wings, but you can optionally make them in the oven, or the air fryer!

For the Oven: Preheat your oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and transfer your seasoned wings in a single layer. Cook your wings for 35 to 40 minutes, flipping halfway through. You can also transfer your baking sheet to the highest rack and broil towards the last 5 minutes to get more char and crisp! 

Towards the last 5 minutes of cooking, brush over half of your sauce to continue cooking. Then transfer the wings to a large bowl with the remaining sauce, and toss to coat. 

To Make Air fryer BBQ Chicken Wings: To make air fryer wings, preheat your air fryer to 400°F. Transfer your wings to the air fryer in a single layer and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, tossing halfway. Adjust as needed depending on the size of your wings. Towards the last 5 minutes of cooking, brush over half of your sauce to continue cooking. Then transfer the wings to a large bowl with the remaining sauce, and toss to coat. 

Recipe Pairings

Here are some of our favorite recipes to serve with these wings:

Sambal Wings

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you get barbecue sauce to stick to the chicken wings?

Ensure you are using some form of molasses in your sauce, such as honey, or brown sugar. Any sort of sugar/sticky element will help. 

Another way you can make sure your sauce sticks is by using baking powder, or flour to bake your wings. But, as long as you are thickening your BBQ sauce with a sugar element, you don’t necessarily have to use that! 

A third way is to use butter, like in a classic buffalo sauce, the butter adheres to the chicken wing, and it will allow the wings sauce to stay intact.

Make sure you are tossing your sauce immediately after getting out of the oven, grill, or air fryer. Allowing your wings to sit before adding the sauce will result in a more watery-less cohesive wing.

Should I pre-cook the barbecue chicken wings before adding sauce?

Yes! Unless you are slow-roasting, or braising in the oven at a low temperature, cook your wings first. If you add the BBQ sauce first and then grill your wings, the sugars will burn the wings in this way. Add the sauce towards the end.

Can I add other spices to these wings?

Yes, feel free to mix and match with your favorite seasonings such as black pepper, chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, or onion powder. For this recipe, the sauce packs a ton of the flavor with the heat, and a punch from the vinegars and ketchup, so we like to just season with salt. 

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Grilled chicken wings with sambal sauce, garnished with onions and cilantro.
5 from 1 vote

Sambal Barbecue Chicken Wings

When game day approaches, we gravitate towards these sambal barbecue chicken wings. The wings pack heat from the sambal oelek, sweetness from the ketchup, with umami from the soy sauce.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients 

  • 2 to 2.5 pounds of chicken wings, flats, and drums
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 2 tablespoons sambal oelek
  • 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • Top with thinly sliced red onion and cilantro

Instructions 

  • Season your Wings: Pat your chicken wings dry with paper towels. Transfer your dried wings to a large bowl with olive oil and salt. Toss to combine and set aside.
  • Preheat your grill for two-zone cooking, positioning one side of the grill on low heat, and the other side on medium-high heat.
  • While your grill is heating up, make your Sambal Barbecue Sauce: In a small saucepan, add ketchup, sambal, brown sugar, vinegar, and soy sauce. Bring the heat to medium-low, stir to combine, and allow the sugar to melt and the BBQ sauce, for about 3 to 4 minutes. The BBQ sauce should darken and thicken slightly, but you still want the consistency to be pretty pourable. Turn off the heat and set aside until ready to use.
  • Grill your Wings: Place your wings on the low heat side of the grill, skin side down for 12 to 15 minutes, flipping halfway. Then transfer the wing's skin side up to the medium-high heat side of the grill to char and crisp the wings, for another 3 to 4 minutes, flipping halfway.
  • At the last minute or two of the wings, brush half of your BBQ sauce on all sides of the wings, and let them cook on the grill for another minute.
  • Transfer the wings to a large bowl, and toss in your remaining barbecue sauce. Transfer to a serving platter, finishing with thinly sliced red onions and cilantro scattered around. Serve alongside Jalapeno Dill Ranch for dipping.

Nutrition

Calories: 107kcal, Carbohydrates: 11g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Sodium: 525mg, Potassium: 98mg, Fiber: 0.1g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 154IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 8mg, Iron: 0.3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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1 Comment

  1. 5 stars
    These are a special grilling or game day wing!! They pack a punch from the heat, while mellowed out with crunchy red onions and cilantro. You’re going to love them!