Crispy Hot Honey Chicken Wings (5 Ingredients)
Step up your wings game with golden, crispy, sweet, spicy hot honey chicken wings. Perfect for game day, family gatherings or a weeknight dinner. Bonus – just 5 ingredients!
When the craving for wings hits, choose your cooking method – baking, air frying or grilling – then toss them with a hot honey glaze made with honey and chili crisp. Craving satisfied 🙂
What to expect
Expect an easy recipe for sticky, sweet and spicy hot honey wings with 5 simple ingredients. Make them as hot or mild as you like.
The recipe will take between 30-60 minutes depending on the cooking method you choose and the size of your wings.
Ingredients – tailored to your taste
Chicken wings: I like to buy party wings (wings that are split in half) for easier eating and even cooking. You can, however, buy whole wings and keep them whole or cut them yourself.
Baking powder: This is the secret ingredient used by Cooks Illustrated that accelerates the browning and crisping of the chicken skin on the wings. Don’t use baking soda! Try to get aluminum-free baking powder.
Dry rub: Use your favorite store-bought BBQ or dry rub.
Hot honey sauce: We are making our two-ingredient 1-minute homemade hot honey sauce by mixing pure honey with chili crisp. You can buy chili crisp at your local grocery store (sometimes), Amazon or an Asian store. Of course, you won’t need it all for this recipe, but you can use it on many other dishes like salmon bites and jasmine coconut rice.
Variations
- For chili crisp: If you can’t find a jar of chili crisp (see good brands under FAQ), you can make it yourself with this homemade chili crisp recipe by Chili Pepper Madness. Another option is to use a hot sauce like gochujang, garlic chili sauce, Frank’s hot sauce – about 1-2 tablespoons or to taste.
- For the sauce/glaze – Add a little melted butter for richness and a splash of apple cider vinegar to balance the sweetness if you like.
- Rub: Make your own dry rub with a combination of smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and black pepper. You will need 2-3 teaspoons total.
- Cooking method for wings: See instructions for baking, grilling and air frying in the recipe card.
Step-by-step instructions
Shortcuts
- Buy split wings (party wings) and a store-bought BBQ rub.
- If you want to skip the homemade chicken wings, buy cooked frozen wings, bake them according to package directions, and then toss them with the hot honey sauce.
Make Ahead
The wings can be made ahead without the sauce and either refrigerated or frozen. See how to store, reheat and add the sauce in the recipe card below.
What to serve with hot honey chicken wings
As a main course, I like to serve the wings with white rice or quinoa (to soak up any extra hot honey sauce) and a side of asparagus or broccoli. Or kick it up with our baked Mediterranean rice with vegetables or 3-in-1 side of roasted vegetable salad with quinoa. If you are grilling the wings, try one or two or these best side dishes with grilled chicken.
As super bowl fare or a party appetizer, these delicious wings are great with vegetable sticks or coleslaw.
Chili Crisp FAQs
Chili crisp, also known as chili oil flakes or chili crunch is a popular condiment in many Asian cuisines. It typically consists of fresh chili peppers, garlic, shallots, and various spices infused with oil and fried until crispy. Sometimes vinegar is added, but not always. Chili crisp adds heat, flavor, and texture to various dishes.
Bon Appetite editors recommend the top 10 chili crisps in a jar. Favorites are Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisps (crunchy and spicy but not too spicy), Mẹ’s Way Chili Sauce (includes fish sauce), Momofuku Chili Crunch (very hot, crunchy, umami with some sweetness). Check the ingredients if you are vegetarian (some contain fish sauce, anchovies or dried shrimp).
More chicken wing recipes
- sous vide chicken wings (Korean-style)
- chili lime chicken wings
- easy sweet Thai chili wings
- oven baked honey garlic chicken wings
If you like this recipe, please leave a 5 star rating 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟with a comment in the recipe card below. Thanks so much!
Crispy Hot Honey Chicken Wings (5 Ingredients)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken wings, split into 2 wing pieces, tips discarded, Note 1 (~16-20 split pieces)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder NOT baking soda!
- 2 teaspoons dry rub, Note 2 (or 3 teaspoons)
Hot Honey Sauce
- 1/3 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons chili crisp for mild-medium spicy (add more or less to taste)
- optional: 1 tablespoon melted butter and/or 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.
Garnish (optional)
- chopped green onion or parsley. Or toasted sesame seeds. Or extra chili crisp on the side.
Instructions
- PREHEAT OVEN to 425F/218C. Position rack in upper 1/3 of oven. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Place wire rack (or cooling rack) on top. Spray rack with cooking srpay to prevent sticking. If you don't have a rack, spray foil with oil or use parchment.
- PREPARE WINGS: Pat wings dry well with a paper towel. Place baking powder and BBQ rub in a bag and toss in wings. Shake to coat evenly. You just want a very thin coating. Lay wings on the rack in a single layer with smooth side up. If making a double batch, you will need two pans.
- BAKE WINGS: Bake 20 minutes. Turn them over, bake another 15 minutes. Turn them again and bake 10 minutes or until crispy and browned. A total of 45 minutes. Wings should have an internal temperature of 160F/71C with an instant read thermometer (they will rise a bit when resting). If wings are on the meatier side, you can bake them for 5-10 minutes longer. Let wings rest for 5 minutes. Note 3 to grill. Note 4 to air fry.
- MAKE HOT HONEY GLAZE: Combine honey and chili crisp in a microwave-safe small glass measuring cup. Add optional butter and/or apple cider vinegar if you like. Microwave 15-20 seconds to make it easy to pour.
- FINISH AND SERVE: Place cooked wings in a large bowl, pour on glaze and toss together to coat wings well. Transfer wings to a plate and garnish as desired.
Recipe Notes
- Chicken wing options: I prefer medium or larger wings that will not dry out as quickly when cooking them to a crispy stage. Cook time will take a little longer though. Split wings are easier to eat. Whole chicken wings will work fine too.
- Homemade rub: Instead of a storebought rub, you can use 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder, 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Vary amounts to your taste.
- To grill wings: Spray gas grill with oil (or dip a paper towel in olive oil to grease the grills) and heat grill to High. Tip: I also spray the wings with oil to avoid sticking. Lower burners on half of grill to medium low heat (about 325F/163C). Leave other half on medium-high heat. Place wings on side with low heat. Cover and grill for 15-20 minutes. depending on the size of the wings, turning once or twice. Increase heat under wings to medium-high heat and continue grilling for 2-3 minutes per side until crispy and golden brown.
- To air-fry wings: Grease basket or spray with oil. Preheat air fryer according to machine instructions to 400F/204C. Lay seasoned wings in single layer in basket. Cook for 20-25 minutes, depending on size of wings, until crispy and brown, flipping halfway through.
- Variations and Substitutes:
- For chili crisp: If you can’t find a jar of chili crisp (see good brands under FAQ), you can make it yourself with this homemade chili crisp recipe by Chili Pepper Madness. Another option (without the crunch) is to use a hot sauce like gochujang, garlic chili sauce, Frank’s hot sauce – about 1-2 tablespoons or to taste. Or add red pepper flakes to the honey.
- For the sauce/glaze – Add a tablespoon of melted butter for richness and/or a splash of apple cider vinegar to balance the sweetness if you like.
- Make ahead: Make wings ahead without adding the spicy hot honey sauce, and place in fridge in an airtight container for 2-3 days or in freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat [defrosted] wings at 400F/204C for 6-8 minutes. They will crisp back up. Toss with sauce just before serving. Store leftovers in an airtight container.
