Hot Honey Chicken Wings
These crispy Hot Honey Chicken Wings made in the oven or air fryer are unforgettable because of the juicy and tender meat and the hot honey sauce that clings to the wings perfectly.
Hot Honey Chicken Wings
There are many chicken wing recipes, but this one with hot honey is unforgettable because of the unique combination of crispy wings and out-of-this-world sauce.
I think chicken wings are horribly messy to eat, so they have to be really, really good for me to eat them. Thankfully, I found this version of chicken wings to be one of the most elevated eating experiences ever. Plus, this recipe includes an air fryer version too.
Something about the sauce flavors combined with the beautiful white and tender meat of the wings (along with the crispy skin!) is absolutely divine….not to mention addictive. It’s so good we made a similar chicken thigh recipe.
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Ingredients
- Chicken wings: You can use whole chicken wings or purchase a combination of little drummies and flats already cut up.
- Vegetable or canola oil
- Smoked paprika
- Garlic salt
- Red pepper flakes
- Corn starch
- Baking powder: Not to be confused with baking soda, please!
Hot Honey Sauce
- Hot honey
- Butter
- Garlic
- Hot sauce: If you prefer a spicier sauce, you can substitute sriracha sauce for the hot sauce and stir in some red pepper flakes if you’re brave.
- Soy sauce
- Sesame oil
- Rice vinegar
Cooking Instructions
View the complete recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts and suggested substitution amounts.
Preheat the oven. Adjust your oven rack to the upper-middle position. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire cooling rack on top. Spray the rack very well with non-stick spray.
In a small bowl, combine the paprika, garlic salt, red pepper flakes, corn starch and baking powder.
Use paper towels to pat the wings very dry on all sides. In a large mixing bowl, toss the prepared wings with the oil.
Coating the wings in oil helps the spice blend stick to the skin and meat and makes the exterior crispy. Sprinkle the seasoning over the wings, tossing evenly to coat well.
Arrange the seasoned wings, skin side up, in single layer on the prepared wire rack, leaving space around each wing so the heat can circulate well.
If you use whole wings for this recipe, they get more crispy if you leave them lay flat when cooking instead of “folding” them into themselves on the baking sheet.
If you want to cut whole chicken wings into separate drummies and flats yourself, a good pair of poultry shears makes this task easy and fast when you cut them apart at the joints.
Bake on the upper middle oven rack, turning every 20 minutes until wings are crispy and browned. Total cooking time typically takes about 35-40 minutes, depending on the size of your wings and how your oven cooks. You will know the wings are ready when the meat pulls easily away from the bone.
While the wings bake, prepare the sauce. Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat.
Add the garlic, hot honey, hot sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, and rice vinegar. You can double the sauce if you’d like some to serve on the side for dipping. Bring to a simmer and cook 1-2 minutes until slightly thickened. Keep warm over low heat.
Don’t worry if the sauce separates a bit in the skillet. Just before saucing the cooked wings, stir the sauce well, then pour. The sauce stays together perfectly once it hits the skin of the chicken wings – such magic!
Remove the wings from oven and let them rest for 5 minutes. Transfer the wings to large bowl and toss with the warm, prepared sauce. Serve at once, with more sauce on the side, if desired, for dipping.
How to Cook Hot Honey Wings in an Air Fryer
Preheat the air fryer to 365 degrees F. Follow the recipe as directed in recpie steps 1-4. Place the wings onto the well-greased air fryer rack, leaving space around each one for good heat circulation, working in batches as needed.
Cook each batch of wings for 20-25 minutes, turning half way through the cooking time, or until very golden brown, crispy, and cooked throughout. Continue as directed in recipe steps 7-8.
Keep in mind that air fryer cooking times can vary depending on the brand, style and size of the model.
Easy Clean Up
Chicken skin can stick to even the most well-coated baking rack, making them sometimes hard to clean. To easily remove stuck-on chicken skin, fill a rimmed sheet pan with hot soapy water and add a dryer sheet (yes, such as Bounce).
Slip the rack into the water on top of the wet dryer sheet and let it soak for an hour or so, or until the chicken skins loosen themselves and slide off. I have no idea how or why this works, but it does!
How to Keep Warm
Once you’ve baked and sauced the wings for your party, it’s always good to know how to keep them warm and safe on the counter for easy serving.
I like to use my slow cooker set to the warm setting or my Instant Pot set to the warm setting. I line them with foil to make the clean up easier. Be sure you use the warm setting and not the low setting as the low setting will still burn the wings on the bottom as they sit.
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Silicone- Coated Flat Whisk – This really helps for making the sauce since the flat edge can reach clear up to the very edge of the pan where a balloon whisk cannot. The silicone coating keeps from damaging the surface of non-stick pans.
Poultry Shears – This tool is spring-loaded so chopping is a breeze, even when you’re cutting through bones and joints of chicken wings or slicing through tendons of any raw meat. You’ll use this versatile tool alot!
Cooking Racks – These are actually cooling racks but they are perfect cooking racks for getting really crispy chicken wings. This type is much easier to clean than grid cooling racks.
Other Chicken Wing Recipes
When searching for the perfect chicken wing, we have also found like BBQ Chicken Wings in our Instant Pot. They have a classic honey bbq flavor that is PERFECT!
We also love these Peach Habanero Chicken Wings if you are looking for more of a kick!
Chicken Wings
Ingredients
Chicken Wings
- 3 pounds chicken wings flats and drummies combined, or whatever chicken wing parts you prefer
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Hot Honey Sauce
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- 1/3 cup hot honey such as Mike’s
- 4 tablespoons Frank’s Hot Sauce
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven. Adjust your oven rack to the upper-middle position. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Prepare the Baking Pan. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire cooling rack on top. Spray the rack very well with non-stick spray.
- Prepare the Spice Rub. In a small bowl, combine the paprika, garlic salt, red pepper flakes, corn starch and baking powder.1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic salt, 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1 tablespoon corn starch, 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Prep the Wings and Season. Use paper towels to pat the wings very dry on all sides. In a large mixing bowl, toss the prepared wings with the oil. Sprinkle the seasoning over the wings, tossing evenly to coat well.3 pounds chicken wings, 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
- Transfer the Wings. Arrange the seasoned wings, skin side up, in single layer on the prepared wire rack, leaving space around each wing so the heat can circulate well.
- Bake the Wings. Bake on the upper middle oven rack, turning every 20 minutes until wings are crispy and browned. Total cooking time typically takes about 35-40 minutes, depending on the size of your wings and how your oven cooks. **You will know the wings are ready when the meat pulls easily away from the bone.
- Prepare the Sauce. While the wings bake, prepare the sauce. In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic, hot honey, hot sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, and rice vinegar; bring to a simmer and cook 1-2 minutes until slightly thickened; keep warm over low heat.3 tablespoons butter, 3 cloves garlic, 1/3 cup hot honey, 4 tablespoons Frank’s Hot Sauce, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- Sauce the Wings. Remove the wings from oven and let them rest for 5 minutes. Transfer the wings to large bowl and toss with the warm, prepared sauce. Serve at once, with more sauce on the side, if desired, for dipping.