The first time I tasted Buffalo Wild Wings’ Asian Zing sauce, it was a revelation. I’d gone to watch a playoff game with friends, and while everyone else ordered the traditional buffalo wings, I decided to venture beyond my comfort zone. When that first wing hit my tongue, it was the perfect harmony of sweet, tangy, and spicy flavors with unmistakable Asian influence,
Soon after, I found myself craving those wings on a Tuesday night when the restaurant was packed with a two-hour wait. Determined not to be denied, I set out to recreate them at home. After several experimental batches (and a very happy neighborhood taste-testing crew), I finally nailed the formula.
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Table of Contents
Why Buffalo Wild Wings Asian Zing Are the Best Wings!
Wings are what you want to serve at your next party or get-together. But it’s a bit silly to always stick with boring Buffalo Wings when you can expand your culinary horizons with Asian Zing wings.
But what is Asian Zing Buffalo Wild Wings sauce? It’s an Asian-inspired sauce with the perfect balance of sweet tang and mild heat guaranteed to excite anyone’s taste buds.
Why You Should Try This Buffalo Wild Wings Asian Zing Recipe
This copycat recipe succeeds by perfectly balancing the key flavor components that make Buffalo Wild Wings’ Asian Zing sauce so addictive. The combination of garlic and fresh ginger creates an aromatic base enhanced by the sweet-sour profile of sugar and seasoned rice wine vinegar. Soy sauce adds umami depth, while the chili garlic sauce provides that signature moderate heat that makes these wings approachable for most palates. The cornstarch slurry ensures the sauce reaches the perfect consistency to cling to the wings without being too thick or gloppy. Finally, offering three different cooking methods—frying, air frying, or baking—makes this recipe accessible for every kitchen setup while achieving the crucial crispy exterior that is the perfect canvas for the flavorful sauce.
Ingredients You Will Need
For the Asian Zing Sauce:
- Garlic – Provides the essential aromatic foundation
- Fresh ginger – Adds bright, zesty flavor and authentic Asian character
- Neutral oil РCreates base for saut̩ing aromatics and carries flavors
- White sugar – Balances the acidity and spice with the necessary sweetness
- Soy sauce – Contributes savory umami depth and saltiness
- Seasoned rice wine vinegar – Offers tangy acidity with built-in balance
- Chili garlic sauce – Delivers the signature heat with complex garlic notes
- Lemon juice – Brightens all flavors with fresh citrus acidity
- Cornstarch – Thickens the sauce to the perfect wing-coating consistency
- Water – Dissolves cornstarch and adjusts sauce thickness
For the Wings:
- Chicken wings – Split into drumettes and wingettes for ideal cooking
- Neutral oil – For frying (if using that method)
- Baking powder – Optional for extra crispiness when baking or air frying
Ingredient Notes
You can purchase precut drumettes and wingettes from the store or do it yourself to save a little money.
Canola, grapeseed, and avocado oil would all work in this recipe.
Huy Fong Chili Garlic Sauce is the standard choice for this recipe, but it can be challenging to get. You can use another brand like Lee Kum Kee or make chili garlic sauce yourself.
Unlike unseasoned rice wine vinegar, seasoned rice wine vinegar contains salt and sugar. Make sure to buy the correct bottle.
How to Make Asian Zing Buffalo Wild Wings
To prepare the Buffalo Wild Wings Asian Zing sauce recipe:
- Mince the garlic and fresh ginger. Set aside for later.
- In a bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water. Reserve the slurry.
- Heat the neutral oil in a heavy-bottomed small saucepan.
- Simmer the garlic and fresh ginger in the oil until fragrant, about two minutes. Stir frequently to prevent burning.
- Stir in the white sugar, soy sauce, seasoned rice wine, and chili garlic sauce into the hot oil. Allow the mixture to cook for two minutes while stirring from time to time.
- Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the saucepan. Continue to whisk until it thickens. Remove the saucepan from the stove and stir in the lemon juice. Set the sauce aside to cool.
To fry the wings:
- Fill a large heavy-bottomed with at least four inches of neutral oil and attach a deep-fry thermometer to the pot’s side. If you have a deep fryer, you can use it instead.
- Heat the oil to 375°F.
- Pat the chicken wings dry with a paper towel and fry them in small batches for 10 to 12 minutes, depending on their size. Don’t add too many chicken wings to the oil at once, or the oil’s temp will lower too much.
- Use an instant-read thermometer to ensure the internal chicken temperature is at least 165 degrees. Allow the chicken to drain on a wire rack on top of a paper towel-lined rimmed baking tray.
- Allow the oil to return to temperature and finish cooking the rest of the chicken.
To plate the wings:
- Warm the sauce on the stovetop.
- Put a few tablespoons of the sauce into a large bowl and toss with four or five wings at a time.
- Put the wings on the serving platter and sauce the remaining wings.
Alternate Ways to Cook Wings
Don’t want to deal with a pot full of hot oil? There are other ways to make these wings that are just as delicious:
To cook the wings in an air fryer:
- Preheat the air fryer to 380°F.
- Some people like to toss the wings in a bit of baking powder at this point to ensure an extra crispy wing, but it is an optional step.
- Pat the wings dry and put them in the air fryer. Fair warning: There will be a lot of dripping from the wings. Lay down some aluminum foil to make cleanup easier.
- Cook the wings for 12 minutes per side.
- Turn the heat up to 400°F and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Ensure the interior temp is at least 165°F before removing them from the air fryer.
- Sauce and serve.
To cook the wings in an oven:
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- You can toss the wings in some baking powder for extra crispy wings.
- Place the wings on a wire rack over an aluminum foil-lined rimmed baking tray. Cook for 20 minutes per side.
- Check that the interior chicken temp is at least 165°F before saucing and serving.
What Can You Serve With Buffalo Wild Wings Asian Zing
Start with the classic carrot and celery sticks, and don’t forget your favorite dipping sauce. Then add French fries or onion rings. Or you can keep with the Asian-inspired theme and go with Asian Slaw, kimchi, or steamed edamame.
Ways to Use Asian Zing Sauce
Sure, this tangy sauce is great for wings, but you can use it in other ways. Here are some ideas:
- Chicken Tenders, especially crispy breaded chicken.
- Stir-fries with chicken or beef
- Tempura shrimp or chicken
How to Store the Leftovers
Be safe regarding food safety, and toss any plated wings remaining at the end of the night. But, if you make more wings than you plan on serving, you can keep the extras in an airtight container in the back of the fridge for up to three days.
Spread the wings on a chilled baking pan and then transfer them to a storage container when they are at room temperature to cool them down as quickly as possible.
What’s the Best Way to Reheat Buffalo Wild Wings Asian Zing Wings
The best way to reheat wings is in a 350°F preheated air fryer for five minutes or until hot. Warming wings on a wire rack over a rimmed baking tray in the oven also works, but you must crank up the temperature to 375°F and increase the time to 8 minutes or until hot.
Buffalo Wild Wings Asian Zing Sauce & Wings Copycat Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup soy sauce
- 3/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup chili garlic sauce
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 pounds chicken wings cut into drumettes and wingettes with wing tips removed
- vegetable or canola oil for deep frying
Instructions
- Place the vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and ginger and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Then add the sugar, soy sauce, seasoned rice vinegar, and chili garlic sauce and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- While the sauce is cooking, make a cornstarch slurry by combining the cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Mix well.
- Add the cornstarch slurry to the sauce and stir. When the sauce thickens, remove the pot from the stove. Add the lemon juice and stir.
- Pat the chicken wings dry with a paper towel.
- In a deep fryer, heat the oil to 375°F. Deep fry the chicken wings for 10 to 12 minutes, until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F. Remove the wings from the fryer and transfer to a wire rack.
- Place 1/4 of the wings in a medium bowl, add a ladle of sauce, and gently toss. Repeat until all the wings are coated in sauce. Serve.
Nutrition
Favorite Chicken Wing Recipes
- Boneless Buffalo Wings
- Buffalo Wild Wings General Tso Wings
- Buffalo Wild Wings Buffalo Wings
- Cajun Wings
- Hot Cheetos Wings
- Garlic Parm Wings
- Grilled Buffalo Wings
- Honey BBQ Wings
- Hooters Hot Wings
- Lemon Pepper Wings
- Pluckers Wings
Popular Asian Chicken Recipes
Check out my easy appetizer recipes and the best chicken recipes on CopyKat!
What is seasoned rice wine? Can I substitute? This is not kept in the normal pantry.
It is a type of seasoning commonly used in Asian cooking, I do not know of a good substitute for it. Maybe some seasoned rice wine vinegar would work ok.