Seasoned with fresh cilantro, garlic, and onion, these baked cilantro lime chicken wings are the perfect game-day appetizer!

A pile of Baked Cilantro Lime Chicken Wings on a glass plate garnished with lime wedges.

Hey Cousins! When the Super Bowl comes around, I imagine you could use a few chicken wing recipes! So far, I’ve shared plenty, like my garlic Parmesan wings, lemon pepper wings, and even honey chipotle wings! In this post, I’ll show you how to make zesty cilantro lime chicken wings.

These wings are a family favorite – crispy exterior, juicy meat, and tons of seasoning. Not only are they great as a party appetizer, but anytime you’re craving tasty chicken wings. It’s such a SIMPLE recipe!

How to Make Baked Cilantro Lime Chicken Wings

Depending on how hungry your party crowd is, this chicken wings recipe should easily feed six people. You can double or even triple it to feed more, but make sure you come prepared with enough baking sheets! Be sure to check out the recipe card for the complete printable recipe. Here’s everything you need to make zesty baked cilantro lime chicken wings.

Ingredients

Chicken Wings: I use a 3 lb. bag of party wings, which comes with drumettes and drumsticks.
Olive Oil or Avocado Oil: helps the seasoning stick to the wings.
Limes & Lemons: fresh lime juice is one of the key ingredients in this recipe. Lemon juice just adds another citrusy layer.
Fresh Cilantro: again, fresh is best! We want to use the leaves and the stems—that’s where all the flavor is!
Garlic: you can use fresh or pre-minced garlic, but I prefer the flavor of fresh garlic cloves here.
Onion: use yellow or white onion in this recipe.
Mrs. Dash Original Seasoning: this seasoning blend has everything you need in one bottle—garlic powder, pepper, herbs, citrus, and even a little cayenne pepper for a kick.
Smoked Paprika: adds color and a hint of smoky flavor to the wings.

What other seasonings can I use in the cilantro lime marinade?

I don’t like to overdo it on the seasonings here since I like the garlic, lime, and cilantro sauce to do all the talkin’. But there’s still room for more flavor, always! Mrs. Dash has all salt-free seasonings, so if you like your wings a bit salty, go ahead and add some salt. There’s also a Fiesta Lime seasoning blend that would be delicious on these wings. If you like spice, feel free to add chili powder or red pepper flakes. Of course, add some fresh lemon and lime zest to the marinate for extra flavor.

Instructions

Ready to learn how to make my crispy baked cilantro lime chicken wings? First things first, prep the wings. Use paper towels to make sure they’re nice and dry so the seasonings stick and the skin gets crispy while baking.

Making the Cilantro Lime Sauce

To make the delicious sauce that will stick to these wings, start with onion, garlic, and fresh cilantro. Toss everything into a food processor and pulse until everything is finely minced and resembles a paste.

Next, place the chicken wings into a large bowl. Drizzle in the oil, lemon, and lime juice, seasonings, and finally, the garlic cilantro sauce. Mix everything together until the wings are well-coated.

Baking the Chicken Wings

Once the wings are well seasoned, prep your baking dish for the oven. I prefer a good ol’ baking sheet pan, but you can use a baking dish if you choose. Spray the dish with non-stick spray. If you have a wire rack, line the baking sheet with aluminum foil and place the wire rack on top. The wire rack will help the wings get nice and crispy on all sides while the drippings drip down onto the foil.

Line the wings up on the pan. If there’s any extra sauce in the bowl, pour it over the wings—none of that flavor is gonna go to waste in this house!

Pop those babies in a 400-degree oven, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Then, turn the oven down to 375 degrees and continue baking for another 15 minutes. You can flip the wings about halfway through the cooking time if desired.

Cilantro Lime Chicken Wings Video Tutorial

You can watch exactly how I made my easy-baked cilantro lime chicken wings below! Don’t forget to subscribe to I Heart Recipes on YouTube to catch all my recipe videos. It’s the only place you can watch me make these zesty wangs (yes… I said WANGS 😉)!

Tips and Tricks for the Best Baked Cilantro Lime Wings

Want more tips and tricks for this easy-peasy recipe? I gotchu, fam! I’ve got some tips and frequently asked questions for y’all to make this great recipe even better.

Serve these wings with a drizzle of sriracha or your favorite hot sauce.
Garnish the wings right before serving with a sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley and a squeeze of lime juice—the perfect finishing touch!
Chili Lime Chicken Wings: for a kick of heat, add chili—chopped Thai chili, chili flakes, or even a spoonful or two of your favorite chili crisp to the sauce. Chili and lime are great flavors together!
Leftover chicken wings can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge and will last for 3-4 days.

Can I prep cilantro lime chicken wings ahead of time?

Heck yeah, you can! Mix all the ingredients—the wings, cilantro garlic sauce, seasoning, and lemon and lime juice—together in a bowl or freezer-safe Ziploc bag. Marinate the wings overnight or up to 24 hours in the fridge, then bake them when you’re ready! This recipe is also freezer-friendly—you can have perfectly marinated chicken wings ready to go anytime you want.

Can I use the cilantro lime sauce with other cuts of chicken?

I get this question whenever I make any of my chicken wing recipes. Yes, you can use this recipe for other chicken pieces! You can use chicken breasts, thighs, legs, whatever you want. The only thing that should change is the cooking time.

How do you make these cilantro lime wings in the air fryer?

An air fryer is great for quick cooking if you’re making a smaller batch of wings. However, if you’re going full party wings, stick to the oven; otherwise, you’ll give your air fryer a really good workout! Air fry the chicken wings at about 390 degrees for about 20 minutes (or until they reach 165 degrees F), flipping them halfway through.

You can also reheat leftover chicken wings in the air fryer, but I prefer the oven.

A glass plate piled high with Baked Cilantro Lime Chicken Wings and lime wedges.

More Chicken Wing Recipes from I Heart Recipes

Well, there you have it, Cousins! An easy recipe for zesty cilantro lime chicken wings—the perfect appetizer or game-day treat. Next time you’re craving chicken wings, give this recipe a try! Even better, try one of these:

Loved this easy recipe? Be sure to share + save on Pinterest! Don’t forget to tag and follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and subscribe to I Heart Recipes on YouTube, and check out all my cookbooks!