Grilled Thai Curry Chicken Wings

Quick and easy, crispy grilled Thai curry chicken wings marinated in an easy and flavorful coconut curry sauce.

The best part of chicken wings is the crispy skin which is why I love to grill or bake chicken wings. This curry coconut chicken wings recipe uses a marinade made with coconut milk, lemongrass, cumin, garlic, and onions which give these chicken wings lots of amazing flavors.

The trick to getting them crispy is by brushing them with oil at the very end and blasting it with hot heat.

This recipe is very similar to my other two chicken skewer recipes (Grilled Thai Coconut Chicken Skewers and Chicken Satay) but the difference between this recipe is, it has more of a curry flavor and chicken wings get crispy since it is cooked over a dry heat like a grill or bbq.

Ingredients for Curry Grilled Wings

• Chicken Wings - I like to use chicken wings for this recipe so that I can get that crispy chicken skin. At the very end, after you are almost done grilling the wings, you will be brushing them with a bit of oil to make them even more crispy.
• Coconut Milk - You can use either coconut milk or coconut cream to make this chicken wing marinade. I find coconut cream a bit thicker and has a more coconut flavor.
• Lemongrass - You can use fresh lemongrass stalks or frozen pre-ground lemongrass for this recipe. If you are using fresh lemongrass, use the white solid chunk at the bottom of the stalk.  Make sure you rinse it well before using it, they can sometimes be gritty and sandy. I also find it is easier to cut lemongrass after I have used a rolling pin to flatten it a little - this also releases the lemongrass oils better for more flavor. Both fresh and frozen lemongrass can be found at an Asian grocery store. The pre-ground stuff is usually found in the freezer aisle.
• Sweetened Condensed Milk - I use sweetened condensed milk for this recipe because I find it mixes into the chicken wing marinade more easily and it also gives it a bit of creaminess that helps with browning the chicken wings. You can substitute this with sugar.
• Curry Powder - I normally like using Madras curry powder in all my cooking but you definitely can use any type of yellow curry powder that is available to you.
• Tumeric (Optional) - Tumeric is used mostly to give the wings a yellow color.

Why I Skewered My Chicken Wings

You have to admit, chicken wings on a stick seem a bit absurd so why would I do it?

• Skewering chicken wings stretched out the wings so they cook faster since they aren't folded. If you want to make sure your chicken wings are cooked perfectly every time, there's a great guide I reference on How to Tell When Chicken Wings are Done!
• Stretching out the wings allowed the heat to reach every nook and cranny of the wings so you maximize the crispiness and caramelization of the skin.
• Skewered chicken wings were easier to work with on the BBQ, you don't have to worry about the wings falling through the gaps of the grill and losing them. I always seem to lose the flats or tips between the grill.
• Less flipping! You flip the stick once, and it flips all 3 parts. If you did that separately that would be 3x as much flipping per wing!

Alternatively, you can always cut them up to sections as well if that's what you are comfortable and it will taste equally as good!

How to Make Grilled Thai Curry Chicken Wings

1. To prepare the marinade, you can combine everything into a food processor and blitz it until everything is well blended. Alternatively, you can chop everything by hand if you don't have a food processor but make sure you chop the lemongrass stalks finely. I'd also recommend grating the onion and garlic if you are doing it by hand since you want it to coat the chicken very well in the marinade for when you are grilling it for the best flavors. Marinade for a minimum of 4 hours, or overnight if possible.
2. If you are using bamboo skewers, soak the ends (the part that won't be covered with the chicken wings) in a tall glass of water for an hour to prevent the sticks from burning during grilling.
3. The most tedious part would be skewering the wings, be careful not to stab yourself with the sticks.
4. Oh, and heads up, turmeric dyes skin and fingernails! If you don't want discolored skin or nails wear gloves before handling the marinated chicken wings and don't wear white clothes.

How to Grill Curry Chicken Wings

Grilling the Curry Chicken Wings

1. Set your grill to 275F (135C). We liked to use our kamado grill for a bit of smokiness, but this can be done in a traditional bbq as well.
2. Add the chicken wings to the grill and cook them for 20-25 minutes
3. Pour the leftover marinade into a small pot and cook it over the stove for 5-10 minutes and set it aside.
4. After 20-25 minutes, open up the grill (if you are using a kamado bbq, keep it open to get the temperature up as high as possible, if you are using a traditional bbq set the temperature to as high as possible) and apply the leftover marinade on both sides of the wings and cook it for 5 minutes per side. Watch it carefully so that it doesn't burn.
5. Brush oil on all the wings and grill it for another minute or so on each side until it gets crispy.
6. Enjoy!

What to Serve with Grilled Curry Chicken Wings

I like to dip my curry chicken wings in peanut sauce. The sweetness from the peanut sauce pairs wonderfully with the wings, and I like to dip everything.

If you are up for making it from scratch, I have a Thai Peanut Sauce (From Scratch) recipe that requires you to ground your own peanuts and uses wonderful flavors from lemongrass, tamarind, garlic, and coconut milk. If you are looking for an easier peanut sauce recipe, I have one with my Grilled Thai Coconut Chicken Skewers recipe.

For lighter and more summery sides, I like to pair this with a sweet Watermelon Feta Salad, Roasted Okra (which is also done on the grill), or Curtido (Salvadoran Pickled Cabbage Slaw).

Alternatively, I also enjoy these curry wings with heavier sides such as: Japchae (Stir-Fried Korean Glass Noodles), Cumin Beef Fried Rice Recipe, Crispy Garlic Israeli Couscous or Spicy Black Garlic Miso Israeli Couscous.

Looking for More Grilled Recipes? Try these!

• Marinated and Grilled Halloumi Cheese
• Vietnamese Grilled Shrimp Vermicelli Noodle Bowl
• Sweet and Sticky Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)
• Nem Nuong (Grilled Vietnamese Pork Sausages)
• Grilled Thai Coconut Chicken Skewers
• Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken
• Grilled Lemongrass Pork Chops

Did You Make This Grilled Coconut Curry Chicken Wings Recipe?

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Recipe Card

Crispy Coconut Curry Chicken Wings

Grilled, quick and easy, crispy coconut curry chicken wings marinated in an easy and flavorful coconut curry

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Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: Asian, Thai

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

24 Wings

5 from 4 votes

Made with ♡ by Joyce | Pups with Chopsticks

Recipe Notes

• Turmeric dyes skin and fingernails! If you don’t want discolored skin or nails wear gloves or use a utensil before handling the marinated chicken.
• Tumeric is an optional ingredient that I used mostly to give the wings their yellow color.

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Ingredients

 

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• ▢ 24 large chicken wings (approximately 4 lbs)
• ▢ 3-4 tablespoons oil Used to brush on wings at the very end to make it crispy

Coconut Curry Marinade

• ▢ ¾ cup lemongrass (approximately 3 stalks, white ends only)
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic
• ▢ 2 shallots
• ▢ 3 tablespoons curry powder
• ▢ 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• ▢ 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• ▢ 1 teaspoon turmeric (Optional)
• ▢ 2 limes (juiced)
• ▢ ¼ cup sweetened condensed milk (or 2 tablespoons of sugar)
• ▢ 2 cups coconut milk
• ▢ 4 tablespoons fish sauce

Instructions

 

Marinating the Coconut Curry Chicken Wings

• Roughly chop the shallots, lemongrass, garlic, and shallots into small pieces and blitz it in a food processor. You can also finely chop these by hand if you don’t have a food processor.
• In a large bowl combine all the ingredients (except the wings) and mix into a marinade.
• Add the wings into the marinade and marinate it for a minimum of 4 hours. This will taste best if you marinate it overnight.

Grilling the Coconut Curry Chicken Wings

• If you are using bamboo skewers, soak the ends in a tall cup for an hour, this is to prevent the sticks from burning during grilling. No need to worry about the pointy part half since the chicken will be covering that bit.
• Set your grill to 275F (135C). We liked to use our kamado grill for a bit of smokiness, but this can be done in a traditional bbq as well.
• Add the chicken wings to the grill and cook them for 20-25 minutes
• Pour the leftover marinade into a small pot and cook it over the stove for 5-10 minutes and set it aside.
• After 20-25 minutes, open up the grill (if you are using a kamado bbq, keep it open to get the temperature up as high as possible, if you are using a traditional bbq set the temperature to as high as possible) and apply the leftover marinade on both sides of the wings and cook it for 5 minutes per side. Watch it carefully so that it doesn't burn.
• Brush oil on all the wings and grill it for another minute or so on each side until it gets crispy.
• Enjoy! 🙂

Nutrition

Serving: 1Wing | Calories: 101kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 6g | Sodium: 267mg | Sugar: 2g

*Nutritional information is calculated using online tools and is an estimate*

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