These spicy and sweet chili lime chicken wings are packed with flavor and perfect for parties, appetizers or a fun dinner! These crispy baked chicken wings are paleo with a Whole30 option to sweeten the sauce, family friendly and a total crowd pleaser.
Whether you’re a football fan or not, wings are just always a good idea. They’re perfect for a party or a quiet night at home alike, an appetizer, meal, snack – you name it.
My crispy buffalo chicken wings are definitely one of the more popular recipes on my site, and I’ve been meaning to create new, equally delicious flavors.
That brought me to these BBQ chicken wings (which are so tasty!) and now these chili lime chicken wings! Spicy, sweet, and you even have an option to make them Whole30 compliant – score!
My daughter and husband went wild for these wings and the leftovers are just as delicious! And yes my husband made sure I posted them EARLY on a Sunday, just in case you simply NEED them for Sunday football 🙂
What You Need To Make Chili Lime Chicken Wings
Simple ingredients make the best recipes! Here’s everything you’ll need to make these delicious paleo wings:
- Chicken wings (wingettes + drumettes)
- Sea salt and pepper
- Arrowroot or tapioca starch (optional)
- Raw honey (or date paste, see below)
- Ancho chili powder
- Chipotle Chili powder
- Smoked paprika
- Garlic powder
- Limes
- Cilantro (garnish)
- Paleo ranch dressing (dipping)
How to Make Crispy Baked Buffalo Wings
The first step is to bake the chicken wings. Pat them dry with paper towels (they’ll get crispier if you remove the moisture) and season with salt and pepper.
Tossing them with the starch will get them even crispier, but it’s an optional step if you don’t have it on hand or are avoiding starches. The wings will still bake up crispy without it.
I like to line my baking sheet with a wire rack to get the wings crispier. Line the baking sheet with aluminum foil for easier cleanup, then place the wire rack on top. Arrange the chicken on the rack and bake at 425° F for 30 minutes to cook through.
While they bake, make the sauce. Simply whisk all the ingredients together well to form a sticky sauce. If you use date paste, you might need more water to get the sauce the right consistency. You should be able to brush it smoothly on the wings.
After 30 minutes, brush the sauce all over the wings. Return to the oven and continue to bake another 10-12 minutes, watching that the wings don’t burn.
Remove from the oven and brush with any additional sauce. Then garnish with additional lime zest, minced cilantro, and serve with dipping sauce if desired. My paleo ranch would be great or you can use store bought, like Tessemae’s or Primal Kitchen.
How to Make Date Paste (for the Whole30 Option)
I sweetened these with raw honey to make them paleo, however, honey is not Whole30 compliant. But – dates come to the rescue again!
Whenever I need to sweeten a sauce for a Whole30 recipe I make date paste from medjool dates and it’s super easy. All you need are dates and water!
First, pit your dates. Use about 8-10 pitted medjool dates (you’ll have extra) which is about 6 oz. Soak them in very hot water to soften them (I heat it in the microwave) and place them in a blender with about 1/2 cup of warm water.
Blend the dates and water, adding more water if needed to get a very smooth paste. For this recipe, you’ll use 1/4 cup of date paste and you can save the rest for other uses. Here are some of my favorite Whole30 recipes using date paste:
Crispy Chicken Salad with “honey” mustard
What To Serve with Chili Lime Chicken Wings
These crispy baked chicken wings are perfect with paleo ranch dressing for dipping. I have a recipe for ranch on the blog, but they are also awesome store bought paleo + Whole30 ranch dressings from Tessemae’s and Primal Kitchen.
If you’re serving with ranch, make sure to include raw veggies like carrots, peppers, cucumbers and celery which are the perfect companion for the wings and the ranch.
I hope you’re ready for some seriously yummy, good for you baked chili lime chicken wings! They couldn’t be easier and after the first bite, you’ll be hooked!
Chili Lime Chicken Wings {Paleo, Whole30 Option}
Chili Lime Chicken Wings {Paleo, Whole30 option}
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 3 lbs cut chicken wings wingettes and drumettes
- Sea salt and black pepper
- 2 Tbsp arrowroot or tapioca starch*
Sauce:
- 1/4 cup raw honey melted, or date paste**
- 3 Tbsp ghee melted, or avocado oil
- 2 tsp ancho chili powder
- 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- Zest of 1 lime finely grated
- 1 1/2 Tbsp lime juice about 1 lime
- Fresh minced cilantro for garnish
- Paleo ranch dressing for serving
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 425° F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil, then pace a wire rack over the baking sheet.
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Pat wings dry with paper towel to absorb excess water, then place in a large bowl. Sprinkle all over with the arrowroot (optional), salt and pepper - toss to evenly coat.
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Arrange wings on wire rack and place in the middle rack of the preheated oven and bake at 425° F for 30 mins.
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Meanwhile, make the sauce. Whisk together the honey or date paste with the ghee or oil, spices, salt, lime zest and juice.
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After 30 minutes, brush the wings with the sauce, leaving a little for after they bake, if desired.
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Continue to bake for 10-12 more minutes, remove from oven and brush with any extra sauce. Garnish with cilantro and serve with Paleo ranch dressing (such as Tessemae's) or other dips of your choice if desired. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*This helps make them crispy, but can be omitted if desired
**If you use date paste, you may need to add a bit of water to thin out the sauce
Nutrition
Shop Products and Ingredients:
Want More Paleo Chicken Recipes? Try One of These!
Crispy Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings
Honey Mustard Chicken in the Instant Pot
Paleo “Breaded” Chicken Cutlets
Nut Free Paleo Chicken Tenders
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Looks yummy! Do you think these would work in the air fryer?
I’m also wondering this.
We made this recipe, no starch, Lordy it was DELICIOUS.
Amazing wings, best I’ve made in a long time!!!
Delicious! I will definitely make these again; the recipe came out perfectly. Thank you!
Delicious!!! Best wings I have made. Really enjoyed! Thank you for the recipe!
These were amazing, made them last night, great crunch and awesome flavor, will try to add some heat for next time, thank you!
I made these tonight and they were delicious! I forgot to season the arrowroot and it definitely made a difference so don’t goof like me. Some of them burned up so next time I will probably do 25 minutes at 425 degrees and then 10-12 after basting. Other than that, what a great recipe! Thanks for sharing
Your style of writing is so unique, I’ve never seen it in other posts so far. Not only that, but the information you share is useful, so it is great that you can share more of your posts when the opportunity arises. I always follow your site because there is so much information you share that is very good for me. Thank you very much.
Can’t wait to make these!
Ps. How long before the “extra date paste expires”?
Delicious! I used the date paste. The sauce was a good mixture of sweet and spicy.
I made these tonight for the super bowl and my husband and I eat are heart out they were amazing like all your food is! Thank you soo much!!! And l made my wings in the air fryer and they came out so nice and crispy!!
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