These sweet and sour wings are the perfect appetizer to serve for your next party, game day, or after-school snack. They are baked to crispy perfection and then doused in a sticky, sweet, and sour sauce.

Ingredients Needed for Sweet and Sour Wings

There are only a few simple ingredients for this tasty dish. The wings and the sauce! You can follow the recipe for my sauce or buy premade sauce in a bottle to save yourself time.

Wings

• Chicken Wings and Drumettes: You can buy party wings already portioned or grab whole wings and break them down yourself. For each wing, cut through two joints, toss the tip, and use the drumette and wingette.
• Baking Powder: Helps the wings get crispy and crunchy on the outside while sealing the moisture on the inside.
• Kosher Salt: Brings out the flavors in the chicken and the sauce.

Sauce

In a rush? You can use bottled sweet and sour sauce. My recipe makes about 16 ounces, so look for a similar-sized bottle.

• Pineapple Juice: Adds a tangy sweetness to the sauce, enhancing the tropical feel.
• Rice Vinegar: Gives the sauce a nice acidity that balances out the sweetness.
• Brown Sugar: Provides a depth of sweetness and helps the sauce stick to the wings.
• Ketchup: Gives the sauce its red color and adds an acidic sweetness.
• Soy Sauce: Adds a salty, savory flavor that balances the sweet.
• Cornstarch: Thickens the sauce.
• Water: Combined with the cornstarch, creates a paste that thickens the sauce.

How to Make Sweet and Sour Chicken Wings?

This sweet and sour chicken wing recipe comes together easily, especially if you use already portioned party wings. Simply bake your wings, heat up some sauce and you are ready to eat these yummy wings!

Wings

1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Place a baking rack on top of the baking sheet and spray lightly with pan spray. Set aside. Pat the wings dry with paper towels before adding them to a large bowl. Add the baking powder and salt and toss until they are evenly coated.
2. Separate: Arrange the wings on the prepared baking rack, making sure they don’t touch each other. No baking rack, no problem! Flip the wings halfway through baking and make sure they’re nice and dry. You’ll still get crispy wings.
3. Bake: Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the outside is crispy and golden and the inside reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Sauce

4. Simmer: While the sweet and sour wings bake, add the pineapple juice, vinegar, brown sugar, ketchup, and soy sauce to a small saucepan and whisk to combine. Heat over medium-high heat until simmering.
5. Make a slurry: In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water to make a slurry. Whisk into the sauce. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. Turn off the heat.
6. Toss: Once the wings are done baking, transfer them to a large, heat-safe bowl and pour over about ⅔ of the sauce. TIP: Wait until the last minute to toss the wings in the sauce. If you add it too soon, they’ll get soggy after all your work to make them crispy. Toss to combine. Serve the wings immediately with the extra sauce on the side for dipping

More Delicious Wing Recipes You’ll Love

Wings are some of my favorite appetizers. They just always hit the spot! My boys and my husband love them for game day, and my girls and I love them for after-school snacks or when I can’t think of anything else to eat! Here are a few of my go-to recipes for the best wings!