These hot honey chicken wings are the perfect flavour for when you like the taste of buffalo wings but are more a sweet than spicy person. They are baked until golden and crispy and then tossed in a delicious sweet, spicy and tangy sauce that will get all over your face and hands but you won’t mind a bit!
For more easy chicken wings, try these honey garlic chicken wings as well!
Chicken wings are such a crowd pleaser but from my experience, they can be pretty hit or miss. I think what makes a good chicken wing is that they HAVE to be crispy. When the skin isn’t, they can be a bit chewy, rubbery and just not that pleasant to eat.
This method of drying out the chicken wings in the fridge before baking at a high temperature in the oven on a wire rack to allow the air to circulate (much like the way an air fryer works) is so easy and fool-proof, you’ll have perfectly crispy cooked chicken wings every time.
Then it’s really just about your sauce of choice. For this hot honey flavour I find the easiest way to make it is just by combining your favourite hot sauce with some honey. That way you can get the balance of sweet and spicy exactly to your tastes, but you can really use any hot honey you like.
Enjoy these at your next gathering, in front of the footy, or just when you’re craving something sweet and spicy. And maybe make a double batch as you’ll want to keep going back for just one more!
👉 Looking for a vegetarian option? Make my air fryer buffalo cauliflower recipe but substitute the buffalo sauce with the hot honey sauce from this recipe!
Key Ingredients
There are very few ingredients needed to make these hot honey chicken wings – and no, baking powder is not one of them!
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Chicken wings – most commonly the chicken wings you buy will be whole. You can leave them that way or cut them at the joints, discarding the wing tips and using just the wingettes and drumettes as they are more enjoyable to eat and tend to crisp up much better.
- Spices – to ensure these wings have maximum flavour, I like to toss them in an easy spice mix of smoked paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Dairy free butter – this is used to brush over the tops of the wings before baking so they get super crispy as well as in the sauce so I recommend using a good quality dairy free butter that you like the taste of.
- Honey – for the key sweetness and flavour of the wing sauce. You can adjust the amount based on the level of sweet vs spicy you want.
- Hot sauce – You can use any hot sauce you like for this recipe. I am using Franks Red Hot as I personally love the taste. It makes these wings perfect for those that love buffalo sauce but prefer something less fiery.
Equipment and Tools
This section may contain affiliate links which means I make a small commission on any purchase made with no extra cost to you. If you’re considering purchasing on Amazon I’d be so grateful if you would do so by first clicking one of these links. Thank you for your ongoing support.
- Baking Tray with Rack – using a tray with a wire rack allows the air to circulate while baking ensuring maximum crispiness. You can also use a large wire cooling rack on a baking tray like I have done.
Step-By-Step Instructions
For the best results, I do recommend planning ahead a little when making these chicken wings. Even if you can just let the wings dry out in the fridge for 1 hour before baking you will help ensure that your wings turn out super crispy.
Start by preparing the wings. The most commonly sold chicken wings are going to be whole, so you’ll need to cut them into the more manageable sized pieces. Sometimes you can buy them pre-cut but it’s really simple to do at home.
Use a sharp knife, and cut the chicken wing at each joint. The knife should slide right through without much resistance. Once done, you can discard the wing tip as this is mostly cartilage and does not contain much meat.
From here, put the wings into a large bowl with the spices and salt and pepper. Give them a good toss to combine.
Place the wings onto a wire rack over a tray that’s been lined with baking paper or aluminium foil – this is going to make the clean up so much easier! Put the tray, uncovered, into the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour, but up to overnight.
Once the chicken wings have rested in the fridge, take them out and preheat the oven. Brush the tops of the wings with a little melted butter and then pop them in the oven to bake for around 40-45 minutes until golden and crispy. I don’t turn them, as by using the rack, they will cook evenly without this step.
👉 Tip! About half way through baking, open the oven door slightly to allow the steam to escape. This again helps create super crispy wings!
Just before the wings have finished cooking, you can add the dairy free butter, honey, and hot sauce to a small saucepan on the stove and gently bring it to a simmer for a few minutes to combine.
Add the cooked chicken wings to a large bowl and pour over the hot honey sauce. Toss well to ensure all the wings are coated in the sauce.
You can serve the wings immediately with any excess sauce from the bowl on the side for dipping or poured over the top.
🤓 Sally’s Tips for making the Best Oven Baked crispy chicken wings!
- Let the wings dry out in the fridge for at least an hour, up to overnight
- Cook the wings on a metal cooling rack on top of the baking tray to allow the air to circulate
- Brush the wings with melted butter right before baking
- Open the oven door around halfway through cooking to allow any excess steam to escape
Recipe FAQs
While this is included in a lot of recipes as the key to ensuring chicken wings are super crispy when baked, I don’t follow this method. Instead I find the combination of drying the wings in the fridge uncovered, followed by a light brush of melted dairy free butter, and baking at a high temperature on a wire rack, is the perfect combination of steps to achieve super crispy and delicious wings.
Yes! If you’d prefer to use your air fryer you can cook the wings at 200°C (400°F) in a single layer for 25–30 minutes, flipping halfway through. You may need to cook them in batches depending on the size of your air fryer.
If you don’t need the recipe to be dairy free, you can easily just use regular unsalted butter in both the marinade and the sauce.
If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with @eightforestlane as I would love to see.
More Easy Appetisers:
Prosciutto Crostini with Balsamic Glaze
Easy Baked Beef Meatballs
Classic Sausage Rolls
Mini Beef Pies (Party Pies)
Hot Honey Chicken Wings
Ingredients
For the wings:
- 1 kilogram chicken wings
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons dairy free butter melted
For the sauce:
- 2 tablespoons dairy free butter
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ¼ cup hot sauce I use Frank's Red Hot
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken wings by cutting them at the joint and discarding the wing tips. Add the chicken wings to a bowl with the smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper and toss well to combine.
- Line a large baking tray with baking paper or aluminium foil and place a wire rack on top. Place the chicken wings on the rack and place into the fridge uncovered for a minimum of one hour or overnight to allow the wings to dry out.
- Preheat the oven to 220°C and remove the wings from the fridge. Brush the tops of the wings with melted butter and place in the oven to bake for 40-45 minutes. At about the halfway point, open the oven to allow the steam to escape.
- When the wings are nearly done, prepare the sauce. Place the dairy free butter, honey, and hot sauce into a small saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer for 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly.
- Once the chicken wings are crispy and golden and the internal temperature is 74°C/165°F, remove them from the oven. Place the wings in a large mixing bowl and pour over the prepared sauce and toss until all of the wings are coated.
- Serve the wings immediately with any excess sauce from the bowl on the side for dipping or poured over the top.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
Made this recipe? Leave a review!