Y'all, these garlic lime chicken wings hit so good. The why-didn't-I-make-more kind of good. There's this beautiful balance of tangy, garlicky, subtly spicy flavors.
I don’t need an excuse to demolish a plate of wings. Give me lemon pepper wings, honey sriracha wings, any kind really (good tasting, of course), any day.
This recipe is actually very midweek-friendly. Leave your wings to thaw when you leave for work. Then, when you get back home, mix them with a few pantry staples, pop them in the oven, toss in the sauce you made in 5 minutes, and ta da!
Don't sleep on this garlic lime sauce!
Not to toot my own horn, but my garlic lime sauce slaps. The overall flavor is more than just the zing and tang from the lime juice. Of course, there’s garlic too (as the recipe name suggests), but there’s also a nice balance from honey and hot sauce. I wouldn’t be surprised if you wanted to smother this sauce on everything else on your plate. I know I do!
Pre-cooking notes
A few things to know before you start prepping.
- I prefer unsalted butter because it allows me to control the saltiness precisely. But if you only have salted butter, reduce the soy sauce a bit, then taste and adjust.
- Avoid jarred minced garlic. Garlic is one of the two hero ingredients, and you want it fresh and vibrant. Plus, jarred garlic can make the sauce grainy, so grate or press the cloves instead.
- This sauce has a bit of a kick (not too much), but if your spice tolerance is low or you’re serving kids, go easy on the red pepper flakes and hot sauce. Taste and adjust as you go.
- I was going to say use fresh lime juice because bottled just tastes meh, but then I remembered you’ll need fresh limes anyway for the zest!
- Don’t sub honey with sugar. The sauce won’t thicken, and it won’t taste the same with plain or brown sugar.
A visual guide for making garlic lime chicken wings
Here are some step-by-step photos to make the cooking process easy to follow. Plus, there’s a printable recipe card below with all the ingredients, instructions, and notes in one place.
Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, then add the garlic and cook for about a minute.
Add all the remaining sauce ingredients except the lime zest, and mix. Let the sauce simmer gently until it’s slightly reduced, then turn off the heat, add the lime zest, and set aside to cool.
Pat your wings completely dry, then transfer them to a large mixing bowl. Add vegetable oil and mix well. Next, add garlic powder, onion powder, salt, paprika, and baking powder, then mix again.
Place a wire rack on a large baking tray or sheet, spray or brush it with oil, and arrange the wings in a single layer (skin side up) on top.
Bake for 45 to 65 minutes. Cooking time will vary depending on your oven and the size of the wings. Flip the wings after the first 25 minutes (see Note D below in the recipe card if you want the air fryer method).
Once done, remove the wings from the oven and let them rest on the rack or tray for 5 minutes. Then transfer to a bowl, toss with the garlic lime sauce, and serve right away.
Top tips
- Don’t wait until the baking time is almost up to make the sauce. Warm sauce will make the wings soggy quickly. So, make it before you put the wings in the oven, or right after. This doesn’t mean you should use refrigerated sauce, because then the wings will get cold. It just needs to be at room temp. Oh, and you can totally make it well ahead of time. Don’t worry if the sauce separates or sets. That’s just butter doing what butter does. Gently reheat the sauce until it’s room temp, and you’re good to go.
- There’s a bit of a science to adding the zest later, but all you need to know is: if you want its freshness and aroma intact, add it to the sauce after you turn off the heat.
Serving ideas
I serve these wings with celery, carrot, and cucumber sticks. Corn on the cob goes really well too. You can also try my lemon dill or criss-cross potatoes with it, kids love the latter.
And that's a wrap!
Besides the garlic lime sauce that takes 5 minutes to make, this wing recipe is a set-and-forget kind of cooking, exactly what you need on busy days. There’s plenty of baking time to get other chores done, so no excuse about time for not trying these!
If you use this recipe, please swing by again to leave your rating and comments. I’d love to hear from you!
Happy cooking – Nelo
Garlic Lime Chicken Wings
Ingredients
For garlic lime sauce
- 4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter - (Note A)
- 4 cloves garlic - grated or pressed
- 2.5 tablespoons lime juice - freshly squeezed
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce - I use sriracha or Frank's
- 4 teaspoons honey - (Note B)
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes - adjust to taste
- ¼ teaspoon lime zest
For chicken wings
- 2 pounds (907 g) chicken wings - split into wingettes and drumettes
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons baking powder - aluminum free (not baking soda)
Instructions
Prepare the garlic lime sauce (before or while the wings bake)
- The sauce needs to cool down a bit, so make it before you start baking wings or right after you put them in the oven.
- To start, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add garlic right after and let it cook for a minute. Add all the remaining sauce ingredients, except the lime zest, and then mix.
- Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer, turn down the heat a bit if needed, just enough to maintain that simmer, and let the sauce reduce a bit. Don’t let it go too long, as the sauce will also thicken when it rests.
- Turn off the heat, mix in the lime zest and set the sauce aside to cool down to room temp (see Note C below).
Make the wings
- Adjust the oven rack to the middle position, and preheat to 425°F / 220°C.
- Pat your wings completely dry with paper towels. Do not skip this step. Transfer to a large mixing bowl, add oil and mix until the wings get evenly coated.
- Mix together garlic powder, onion powder, salt, paprika and baking powder in a separate bowl. Then transfer this spice mix to the bowl with the wings and mix until well combined.
- Place a wire rack on a large baking tray/sheet, spray/brush with oil, and place wings in a single layer (skin side up) on top. You can arrange the wings closely as long as they don’t overlap. Feel free to line your baking sheet with foil before you place the rack, for easy cleanup later. You can also arrange the wings directly on the foil-lined tray/sheet, but the rack helps crisp up wings as the wings don’t sit in their own juices.
- Bake for 45 to 65 minutes. Baking time will vary depending on the kind of oven you’re using and the size of the wings. Start checking for doneness after 45 minutes, and flip the wings after the first 25 minutes (see Note D below for air fryer cooking method).
- Once done, remove from the oven and let them rest on the rack/tray for 5 minutes.
- Then transfer to a bowl and toss with the garlic lime sauce. Sprinkle some chopped cilantro if you like and serve right away.
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