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These honey garlic chicken wings come out crispy on the outside and coated in a sticky, sweet and savory sauce that hits every corner. They bake up golden in the oven, then get tossed in a honey garlic sauce made with soy sauce, fresh ginger, and just enough chili garlic sauce to keep things interesting. The sauce simmers while the wings cook, so nothing waits on anything else.
More wing recipes to try: Crispy Baked Chicken Wings | Hot Honey Chicken Wings | Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Before You Get Started
Sticky wings really depend on what happens before the sauce ever touches them.
- Pat the wings bone dry — Wet skin steams instead of crisping, and no amount of oven time fixes it. Blot every piece with paper towels, including the folds.
- Use baking powder, not baking soda — Baking powder raises the skin’s pH so it browns and blisters. Baking soda in this amount tastes soapy and metallic.
- Sauce them at the very end — Honey burns well before wings finish cooking, so anything brushed on early turns dark and bitter. Toss after they come out of the oven.
RECIPE WALK-THROUGH
How to Make Honey Garlic Chicken Wings
See the recipe card below for full, detailed instructions
Four steps, and two of them happen at the same time. Here’s how it goes.
Step 1: Dry and Coat the Wings
Pat the wings as dry as you can with paper towels, then toss them in the flour, baking powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper until every piece is coated.
Shake off the extra flour. A heavy coating turns gummy under sauce, so you want a thin, even dusting.
Arrange the wings in a single layer on a wire rack set over a lined baking sheet, then give the tops a light spritz of cooking spray. The rack is what lets air circulate underneath so the bottoms crisp instead of sitting in rendered fat.
Step 2: Bake Until Crisp and Golden
Bake at 450°F for 20 minutes, flip, then bake another 15 to 20 minutes. You’re looking for deep golden skin that feels firm and crackly when you tap it, not pale and soft.
If your oven has convection, turn it on for the last 8 minutes. It pulls moisture off the surface fast and gets the skin noticeably crisper.
- Air Fryer Option: The air fryer works just as well and skips the oven preheat. Preheat to 400°F, arrange the wings in a single layer in the basket, and cook 10 minutes. Flip and cook another 8 to 10 minutes, until crisp and cooked through. Work in batches so nothing overlaps, because crowded wings steam.
Step 3: Simmer the Honey Garlic Sauce
While the wings bake, whisk the honey, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, chili garlic sauce, rice vinegar, and cornstarch together in a small saucepan. Bring it to a gentle simmer over medium heat and cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring often, until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Honey scorches fast, and the sauce goes from glossy to grainy in under a minute.
- Need it gluten-free? Tamari or coconut aminos both work in place of the soy sauce. Coconut aminos run sweeter, so cut the honey by a tablespoon if you use them.
Step 4: Toss and Serve
Put the hot wings into a large bowl, pour the sauce over, and toss until every piece is coated. Scatter sliced green onions and sesame seeds on top and get them to the table while they’re hot.
The sauce sets as it cools, so wings tossed early lose their shine.
Want all drumettes instead? My Crispy Baked Chicken Drumettes use the meatier half of the wing and cook the same way.
- Every wing flavor I make, from buffalo to teriyaki to these sticky honey garlic ones, is in my Chicken Wing Recipes collection.
Adjusting the Heat
My recipe is more mild. The chili garlic sauce is there for depth and another hit of garlic more than for burn, so it’s safe for a table with kids at it.
For a little more kick, swap in sriracha and start with 1 teaspoon, then taste and go up from there. For real heat, keep the chili garlic sauce and add a pinch of cayenne to the pan. You can also stir in an extra tablespoon of honey if you overshoot and need to pull it back.
More Honey Garlic Recipes: Honey Garlic Chicken | Honey Garlic Salmon | Spicy Honey Garlic Meatballs
What to Serve With These Wings
These are appetizer wings, but the sauce is sweet and savory enough that they turn into dinner easily. Steamed rice and a green vegetable is all it takes, and the extra sauce in the bowl is worth spooning over the rice.
If you’re putting out a spread instead, keep the sides light. The wings are rich and sticky, so crisp vegetables and something cool alongside balance the plate better than another heavy dish.
Make it a meal: Easy Egg Fried Rice | Coconut Rice | Air Fryer Broccoli
Storage Tips
Storage and Reheating Leftovers
Refrigerator: Store leftover wings in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Let them cool before you cover them so steam doesn’t soften the coating any further.
Reheating: The air fryer brings back the most crunch. Reheat at 400°F for 3 to 5 minutes. A 450°F oven works too, on a rack, until heated through. They won’t be quite as crisp as they were fresh, and that’s normal once sauce has been sitting on them.
Make ahead: Bake the wings earlier in the day and leave them uncovered at room temperature, then re-crisp for a few minutes in a hot oven and toss with warm sauce right before serving. The sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead and rewarmed with a splash of water to loosen it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use frozen chicken wings?
Yes, but thaw them completely first. Frozen wings release a lot of water as they cook, and that water is exactly what keeps the skin from crisping. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then pat them dry more thoroughly than you think you need to. Skip the flour coating until they’re dry, or it’ll clump.
What if I don’t have a wire rack?
You can bake them straight on a foil lined sheet, with two adjustments. Flip them at the 20 minute mark as usual, and expect the bottoms to be softer since they’re sitting in rendered fat. Pouring off the fat when you flip helps. If you make wings more than a couple times a year, a rack is the cheapest upgrade you can make.
Can I double this for a crowd?
Easily. The sauce doubles without any changes at all. For the wings, use two racks and two sheet pans rather than crowding one, and swap the pans between oven racks when you flip so both batches brown evenly. Hold the first batch on a rack in a 200°F oven while the second finishes, then sauce everything at once.
Do I need to marinate the wings first?
No, and it works against you here. A marinade puts moisture back into skin you’re trying to dry out, and all the flavor in this recipe lives in the sauce that goes on at the end.
If you want to marinate your wings, my Chicken Wing Marinade is great and gets a different result.
More Chicken Wing Recipes
- Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings
- Crispy Baked BBQ Chicken Wings
- Crispy Baked Buffalo Wings
- Fried Chicken Wings
- Huli Huli Chicken Wings
Honey Garlic Chicken Wings
Equipment
- Rimmed baking sheet
- Wire rack
- Small saucepan
Ingredients
For the wings:
- 3 pounds chicken wings split
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Nonstick cooking spray
For the honey garlic sauce:
- ½ cup honey
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 4 cloves garlic minced or pressed
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated
- 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
For serving:
- Sliced green onions
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or foil, set a wire rack on top, and spray the rack with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
- Pat the wings as dry as possible with paper towels. Toss them in the flour mixture until well coated, shake off any excess, and arrange them in a single layer on the rack. Spritz the tops lightly with cooking spray.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Flip the wings and bake another 15 to 20 minutes, until crisp, browned, and cooked through. If your oven has convection, turn it on for the last 8 minutes.
- Air fryer method: Preheat the air fryer to 400°F. Arrange the wings in a single layer in the basket, working in batches. Air fry for 10 minutes, flip, then cook 8 to 10 minutes more, until crisp and cooked through.
- Make the sauce: While the wings cook, add all sauce ingredients to a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until thickened. Remove from heat.
- Transfer the cooked wings to a large bowl. Pour the sauce over and toss until evenly coated.
- Garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds and serve immediately.
Notes
- Dry wings are crisp wings. Blot every piece before coating. This matters more than anything else in the recipe.
- Baking powder, not baking soda. They aren’t interchangeable, and baking soda leaves a soapy taste.
- Sauce after cooking, never before. Honey burns at 450°F and turns bitter.
- Convection finish: Turn convection on for the last 8 minutes for extra crisp skin.
- Heat level: As written the sauce is mild. Substitute sriracha for the chili garlic sauce, starting with 1 teaspoon, or add a pinch of cayenne for more heat.
- Chili garlic sauce is sold in a jar in the Asian section of most grocery stores.
- Dried ginger works. Use ½ teaspoon in place of the fresh.
- Gluten free: Tamari or coconut aminos in place of soy sauce. Coconut aminos are sweeter, so reduce the honey slightly.
- This recipe doubles well. Use two pans and two racks rather than crowding one.
- Storage: Airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days. Reheat in the air fryer at 400°F for 3 to 5 minutes, or in a 450°F oven until warmed through. They won’t be as crisp as they were fresh.
- Serving: Steamed rice and a green vegetable turn these into dinner.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
