Sticky Thai Chicken Wings

School's out next week. Summer in Houston. God help us all. If you've never experienced a Houston summer, let me paint the picture: it's ninety-five degrees with ninety percent humidity from June to September. Walking to your car feels like walking through soup. The steering wheel is a weapon. Your shirt is wet before you finish buttoning it. And it doesn't cool off at night — it just gets dark and stays hot, like the city is being slow-cooked in its own juices. This is relevant to cooking because summer changes what you want to eat. Nobody wants a fourteen-hour brisket when it's a hundred degrees outside. Well, I do, but I'm not normal. For the kids, summer means lighter food. Cold noodles. Grilled stuff that cooks fast. Salads that aren't boring. This week I made bun — Vietnamese vermicelli noodle bowls. This is the perfect summer food. Cold rice noodles in a bowl, topped with grilled meat (tonight it was lemongrass pork), fresh herbs (mint, basil, cilantro), shredded lettuce, pickled carrot, crushed peanuts, and nuoc cham poured over the top. It's cold and hot at the same time. Refreshing and filling. Takes thirty minutes total including the grilling. Emma ate hers with chopsticks, which she's been practicing since I taught her last year. She's getting good. Tyler used a fork because Tyler has decided that chopsticks are "extra" and he doesn't need that kind of pressure in his life. Fair enough. Lily ate the noodles plain with soy sauce. Again: she's ten. We're on a journey. Bigger news: summer means figuring out childcare. Christine and I split it — she takes them for three weeks, I take them for three weeks, and the rest we juggle with day camps and my mother. Ma has volunteered to take all three kids one week in July, which is either generous or a hostage situation. She'll have them making spring rolls by day two. Tyler will complain. Emma will love it. Lily will eat the rice paper raw. I'm looking forward to my three weeks. I've got plans. Fishing trip to Galveston — Tyler and me, maybe rent a boat, catch some speckled trout. Teach Emma to make a proper roux for gumbo. Take Lily to the Space Center because she's been asking and because I've lived in Houston my whole life and never been, which is embarrassing. Summer. Hot, long, loud with kids. Exactly right.

The lemongrass pork bun I made this week got me thinking about what else belongs in the summer rotation — food that’s fast, punchy, and doesn’t require standing over a stove in a hundred-degree kitchen longer than absolutely necessary. These sticky Thai chicken wings hit that same Southeast Asian nerve: fish sauce, honey, lime, garlic, a little heat. Emma and Tyler will fight over the last one, which counts as a win. Lily will probably eat hers plain, but we’re working on it.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 40 min | Total Time: 55 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 lbs chicken wings, split at joints, tips removed
3 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp honey
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1–2 red Thai chilies, thinly sliced (or 1 tsp red chili flakes)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, roughly chopped, for garnish
1 tbsp sesame seeds, for garnish
Lime wedges, for serving

Instructions

Make the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together fish sauce, honey, soy sauce, lime juice, minced garlic, grated ginger, chili, and brown sugar until the sugar dissolves. Set aside about 3 tablespoons of the sauce for glazing at the end — keep it separate so you’re not basting cooked wings with raw-chicken-touched sauce.
Marinate the wings. Pat wings dry with paper towels and place in a large zip-top bag or bowl. Pour the remaining (non-reserved) sauce over the wings, toss well to coat, and marinate for at least 20 minutes at room temperature or up to 4 hours in the refrigerator.
Prep your cooking surface. If grilling, preheat to medium-high (about 400°F) and oil the grates well. If baking, preheat oven to 425°F, line a sheet pan with foil, and place a wire rack on top. Lightly oil the rack.
Cook the wings. Remove wings from the marinade, letting excess drip off. Grill or bake for 35–40 minutes, flipping once halfway through, until skin is golden and crispy and the internal temperature reads 165°F. Grilling will give you more char; the oven gives you more even cooking — both work.
Glaze and finish. In the last 3–4 minutes of cooking, brush wings with the reserved sauce and let it caramelize. Flip once more and brush the other side. Pull off the heat when glossy and sticky.
Serve. Arrange wings on a platter and scatter cilantro and sesame seeds over the top. Serve immediately with lime wedges on the side.

Nutrition (per serving)

Sticky Thai Chicken Wings — Because Summer in Houston Calls for Bold, Fast, and Something the Kids Will Actually Eat