Baked Honey BBQ Wings (Print)

Chicken wings baked with honey BBQ glaze, crisp and sticky for an irresistible bite.

# Components:

→ Chicken

01 - 1.5 lbs chicken wings, separated at joints, tips removed

→ Seasoning

02 - 1 tsp garlic powder
03 - 1 tsp smoked paprika
04 - 1/2 tsp salt
05 - 1/2 tsp black pepper

→ Honey BBQ Sauce

06 - 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
07 - 1/4 cup honey
08 - 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
09 - 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
10 - 1 tsp hot sauce (optional)

# Directions:

01 - Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and position a wire rack on top.
02 - Pat chicken wings dry with paper towels. Toss wings with garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper until evenly coated.
03 - Arrange wings in a single layer on the wire rack. Bake for 35 minutes, flipping halfway through, until skin is crisp and golden.
04 - Combine barbecue sauce, honey, apple cider vinegar, melted butter, and hot sauce in a small saucepan. Simmer over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
05 - Transfer baked wings to a large bowl. Pour warm honey BBQ sauce over them and toss to coat evenly.
06 - Return sauced wings to the wire rack and bake for an additional 10 minutes until sticky and caramelized.
07 - Serve wings hot, optionally garnished with chopped parsley or green onions.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • They're genuinely crispy on the outside but tender inside, not chewy or overdone.
  • The sauce is tangy and sweet without being cloying, and it actually caramelizes instead of burning.
  • You can have them ready in under an hour with almost no active cooking time.
02 -
  • Pat your wings absolutely bone-dry before seasoning—this is the difference between crispy and rubbery, and I learned this the frustrating way.
  • Don't skip flipping them halfway through the first bake; the bottom side needs just as much heat to crisp up.
  • If your sauce starts to burn during the final 10 minutes, your oven might run hot—cover loosely with foil and check at 8 minutes instead.
03 -
  • If you want extra-crispy wings, pat them dry, then let them sit uncovered in the fridge for an hour or even overnight before the first bake—the cold and air circulation do something magical to the skin.
  • Invest in a good wire rack if you don't have one; it's the single thing that made the biggest difference in my wing game.
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