These Hot Honey Chicken Wings are perfectly sweet, spicy, and always a hit at our game day parties. They’re super crispy baked wings with a thin, crackly skin thanks to the parboil method! Perfect for gatherings or a fun, casual dinner anytime.
Looking for more easy game day recipes? Try these spicy Hawaiian chicken chili kabobs and Buffalo chicken sliders.
If I were to claim a specialty, it would be extra-crispy baked chicken wings. I’m talking wings with a thin, shatteringly crisp skin on the outside and moist, tender meat on the inside. After discovering how to make perfectly crispy baked wings without adding breading or deep frying in oil, there was no turning back. Because the flavor possibilities are endless! Next up are these hot honey chicken wings, another variation that my family has come to love. These wings are sticky-sweet with just a bit of heat, all with that super thin, crispy skin and juicy, tender insides.
WHY THESE Baked Hot Honey Chicken Wings Always Come Out Crispy
When baking homemade chicken wings, there are a few guidelines that I follow for deliciously crispy results every time. I will warn you, if you’re making these for game day, go ahead and make a double batch. Because, trust me. They disappear fast!
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT:
- No-fail parboil method. Briefly boiling the uncooked chicken wings before baking kickstarts the cooking process on the outside, so by the time they go into the oven, the skin is ready for crisping.
- Drying the wings. After boiling, I’ll show you how to thoroughly drain the wings. The less moisture, the more they brown in the oven.
- Bake first, then sauce. Finally, you’ll bake and broil these chicken wings so they’re juicy and cooked through inside and perfectly golden on the outside before tossing them with hot honey. The hot honey wing sauce is only 3 ingredients!
- No deep-frying or breading. You’ll see, these hot honey chicken wings turn out even better without it.
What You’ll Need
These sweet and spicy baked chicken wings require only 5 ingredients, plus salt and pepper. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for exact measurements.
- Chicken wings – I’m using chicken wing portions (also called “party wings”) which have the flat and drummet separated. If you have whole chicken wings, make sure to remove the wing tip and separate the flat and drummet.
- Kosher salt – Dalt helps season the wings so they have great flavor, but it also helps pull extra moisture out of the chicken skin while boiling.
- Unsalted butter – Butter thins the honey sauce so it isn’t overly sticky. Plus, it adds a great mouthfeel and richness to the hot honey butter sauce. It’s delightful!
- Hot honey – Mike’s Hot Honey is awesome, but there are plenty of great brands out there. Or make your own by warming ½ cup honey and 3 tablespoons hot sauce together until combined. I use Frank’s Original Hot Sauce for this method, which offers a hot honey that is less “hot” than Mike’s Hot Honey. You could also add red pepper flakes if you like it extra spicy!
- Garlic powder – I love the hint of garlic flavor that garlic powder adds to the sauce!
- Sliced green onion – Sprinkle some fresh green onion over the finished wings for a tasty, beautiful contrast. Another option would be chopped parsley or cilantro.
How to Make Hot Honey Chicken Wings
The best, crispiest wings begin with an easy parboil before baking. Here’s a look at how to make these hot honey wings following this method, step-by-step.
- Parboil the wings. Boil water over high heat, then add 2 tablespoons of salt. Add the chicken wings and cook for 7 minutes.
- Dry the wings & season. Afterward, drain the wings and transfer them to a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Squeeze the wings with more paper towels to remove as much moisture as possible. The more moisture you remove, the crisper the wings will be. Sprinkle with salt & pepper.
- Bake the wings. Bake the wings for 10 minutes, then flip and bake for an additional 15 minutes. For extra crispy wings, broil them on high heat for 5-8 minutes, taking care that they don’t burn.
- Make the honey sauce. While the wings are baking, whisk all of the sauce ingredients in a saucepan until the butter is evenly incorporated.
- Serve. Toss the wings with some of the hot honey butter sauce and offer more of the sauce for dipping. Garnish with sliced green onion and serve right away. These wings are at their absolute crispiest best straight out of the oven.
Why parboil chicken wings?
Parboiling, which means quickly boiling the wings before baking, cooks off some of the fat in the chicken skin so it’s thinner and less flabby. This sets the wings up to get significantly crisper when baked in the oven.
This is a technique that I discovered in a previous quest for the best, crispiest chicken wings. I didn’t want to add extra breading or use baking powder, and I wanted to stay away from a deep fryer (or the way my kitchen smells all week after!). It’s an additional step, but an easy one. And the result is so very worth it!
BRENDA’S TIPS for the Best Wings
- Use thawed wings. If using frozen wings, be sure to thaw them completely before making this recipe.
- Don’t overcook during the parboil stage. You want to boil the wings for 7 minutes only. The goal is just to cook off some of the fat from the skin, not to completely cook the meat.
- Make sure the water is completely boiling before adding the chicken. The water should be rapidly boiling BEFORE adding the chicken wings. Otherwise, the fat won’t cook off quickly enough, and the meat will cook too much.
- Line baking pan with foil. For the easiest clean-up, line your baking pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil. I like to give the foil a light spritz of non-stick cooking spray to help with any wings that want to stick.
- Be sure to flip the wings in the oven. To ensure all sides are equally crispy, take the time to flip the wings over during baking.
- Keep an eye on the broiler. I always finish by popping the wings under the broiler for about 5 to 8 minutes. Make sure they’re set about 6 inches from the top. You do want to keep a close eye on the wings during this part to ensure they don’t burn. Broiling is essential to getting that skin extra crisp; do not skip this step!
- Make it spicy. The butter does reduce the spiciness of the hot honey butter sauce. If you want to kick it up a notch, add in some red pepper flakes.
What to Serve With Hot Honey Chicken Wings
These wings are a huge game day favorite. But we also turn them into casual meals as well, usually with a side of truffle fries and/or a salad (like this Greek chopped salad or dill potato salad). For an appetizer, I keep it pretty classic with fresh carrot and celery sticks and a side of ranch and/or blue cheese. I like to sprinkle some sliced green onion over the wings, for both flavor and presentation. And I always offer more hot honey sauce for dipping or drizzling. It’s so addictive, I always want more!
Storage and Reheating
Crispy baked wings are best when enjoyed immediately. As they cool, they will begin to lose some of their crispiness, so I usually don’t recommend storing them. However, if you do have leftovers:
- Refrigerate: Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheat: Reheat in the microwave or oven. They’ll still taste amazing; the skin just won’t be crispy.
More Chicken Recipes
Hot Honey Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken wing portions
- 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon kosher salt divided
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup hot honey
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Sliced green onion or chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450° F and lightly spray a large rimmed baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. For easy clean-up, line the baking sheet with heavy duty foil and lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- Line a second baking sheet with paper towels and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Once water is rapidly boiling, add 2 tablespoons of the kosher salt and stir to combine. Add chicken wings to the pot and cook for exactly 7 minutes, stirring occasionally so they don’t stick together.
- Once the chicken wings have par-boiled, remove them to the baking sheet lined with paper towels. When wings are cool enough to handle, squeeze them with more paper towels to ensure that they are completely dry – remove as much moisture as possible to ensure super crispy wings!
- Place dried wings on prepared baking sheet and sprinkle both sides with remaining 1 teaspoon of the salt and pepper. Turn them skin side down and bake for 10 minutes. Flip the wings (skin side up) and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
- For extra crispy wings, place the wings 6” away from the broiler and broil them on high heat for 5-8 minutes, or until the skin is bubbling, golden brown, and crisp. Make sure to keep an eye on them so they don’t burn!
- While the wings broil, place the butter, hot honey, and garlic powder in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Allow the butter to melt and then whisk the sauce until smooth and combined. Set aside until ready to serve.
- When the wings are crisp, remove them to a large bowl and toss with the warmed hot honey butter. I usually toss about half of the honey butter with the wings and save the remaining half for dipping, but feel free to use as much or as little of the sauce as you like. Garnish with sliced green onion or chopped parsley and enjoy immediately for the crispiest wings experience.
Nutrition Information:
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