Name: Spicy Tamarind-Glazed Grilled Chicken Wings
Cook time: 25 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: ¾ cup tamarind purée; ¼ cup fish sauce; 2 Tbsp. light or dark brown sugar; 1 Tbsp. crushed red pepper flakes; 1 tsp. ground cumin; 3 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, divided; 4 lb. chicken wings, drumettes and flats separated if desired; ¼ small red onion, very thinly sliced, preferably on a mandoline; Cilantro leaves with tender stems and lime wedges (for serving)

Active Time
25 minutes
Total Time
1 hour 10 minutes

Marinating chicken wings in a base of tamarind purée, fish sauce, brown sugar, crushed red pepper flakes, and cumin, with more brushed on as they grill, gives optimal flavor and just enough char. Topped with crunchy onion, these wings offer an explosion of flavors, perfect for backyard summer entertaining.

Ingredients

4 servings

¾ cup tamarind purée

¼ cup fish sauce

2 Tbsp. light or dark brown sugar

1 Tbsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1 tsp. ground cumin

3 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, divided

4 lb. chicken wings, drumettes and flats separated if desired

¼ small red onion, very thinly sliced, preferably on a mandoline

Cilantro leaves with tender stems and lime wedges (for serving)

Preparation

Step 1
Whisk tamarind purée, fish sauce, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, cumin, and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a medium bowl until combined and a loose paste forms. Set tamarind glaze aside.
Step 2
Pat wings dry with paper towels, then season all over with remaining 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt. Place in a large bowl; add half of tamarind glaze and toss to coat. Chill 15 minutes. Set remaining glaze aside.
Step 3
Meanwhile, place onion in a bowl of ice water and set aside.
Step 4
Prepare a grill for medium indirect heat (for a charcoal grill, bank coals on one side of grill; for a gas grill, leave one or two burners off). Arrange wings on grate over indirect heat, making sure not to overcrowd. Brush top of each wing with some reserved glaze. Cover and grill 15 minutes. Uncover, turn wings over, and brush other side with glaze. Re-cover and grill until wings are golden brown and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a wing registers 165°F, about 15 minutes.
Step 5
Brush wings with more glaze, then move over direct heat and grill until charred in spots, 1–2 minutes per side.
Step 6
Transfer wings to a platter. Drain onion and place on paper towels; pat dry. Scatter onion over wings and top with cilantro. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing over.

Leave a Review

Reviews (14)

I have made this more than once and my guests loved it. I couldn't get tamarind puree so just used tamarind paste and thinned it with water as another review did. I have used it for bone-in thighs and bone-in chicken breasts, both with great results.
- Greg
- SK, Canada
- 8/30/2023
Can't wait to try it!
- Stella Gramby
- 5/31/2022
excellent recipe for tamarind lovers
- Anonymous
- New york, NY
- 7/14/2021
I made the sauce as written but didn't have red pepper flakes so just used a bit of chili powder and used chicken thighs. I marinated longer just so I would have more time to prep other items, and due to lack of BBQ grill real estate, just cooked directly over heat. Fabulous. I am not a fan usually of raw onion, but the soaking in cold water toned them down and it, with the cilantro, really elevated the dish for our taste, but left them to the side as not everyone is a fan of both. This recipe is easy and a keeper for us. We are going to try using the sauce on roasted cauliflower.
- Calgary
- 6/6/2021
I made the sauce exactly as written. I used bone in thighs and did not marinate, but rather brushed the sauce on the chicken as it grilled and saved half the sauce to drizzle over our plates. Absolutely delicious. I love the tang of tamarind and the funk of fish sauce. What a refreshingly new recipe to try.
- jesslaverty79695
- NC
- 6/4/2021
It’s 3 forks for the taste but I have to give it a 4 to even out the 1 fork reviewer who preferred bottled BBQ sauce over this complex tamarind sauce. I used tamarind paste and dissolved in twice the amount of water in place of the purée, marinated overnight and baked it at 200C for 20 minutes. It was perfect for a quick, fuss-free meal
- lzch
- Singapore
- 6/4/2021
This was spectacular! The glaze is a lovely balance of sour, sweet, and salty, with a delightful punch of umami from the fish sauce. I highly recommend grilling with hardwood charcoal for a touch of smokiness. As we’re not red onion fans, we omitted the onion. It’s easy to prepare, and a nice twist on summertime grilled chicken.
- lisau
- Texas
- 6/1/2021
So disappointing. Was hesitant to cook this recipe without reviews. Learn from my mistake! I cooked the chicken on the grill perfectly, but the marinade was a loser for the whole family. Terrible combo of flavors. We wound up dousing it in bottled bbq sauce to salvage 4 pounds of organic chicken.
- Anonymous
- Oregon
- 5/30/2021
Over the moon GOOD!! In my permanent summer grilling rotation. Tangy, delicious- don’t skip the onions- it’s the final touch.
- KSG
- Lynnwood,WA
- 4/15/2024