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These crispy baked wings are tossed in an easy 4-ingredient honey garlic sauce! They’re sticky and delicious as an appetizer, snack, or entree.
I’m surrounded by wing lovers in my house so I’ve become quite adept at creating new sauces for their favorite game day food.
These Honey Garlic Chicken Wings are sweet and sticky! They’re slathered in the easiest sauce that’ll have you wanting to lick your fingers. Go for it. I encourage it. This sauce warrants all the finger licking.
For this recipe you’ll need (full list of ingredients and instructions are in the recipe card below):
- Chicken wingettes, wings, or split wings
- Honey
- Coconut Aminos
- Garlic
- A few simple seasonings
What part of the chicken to use
Next time you’re in the grocery store grab a pack of chicken wings and a pack of chicken wingettes and hold them side by side. Chicken wings are quite large! The middle part of the wing is actually called a wingette or a flat. When you see chicken wings at a restaurant what you’re really getting are usually wingettes or split wings. They’re cut smaller and easier to eat. I typically purchase wingettes in my grocery store when making wings at home. You’re welcome to use wings, wingettes, or split wings.
How to get wings crispy in the oven
Anyone who says baked wings can’t be crispy isn’t do it right! Here are five simple things you need to do for crispy baked wings.
- Pat your wings dry with a paper towel.
- Don’t add any sauce until the end.
- Spread the chicken wings on an oven safe wire rack over a baking sheet. I use the cooling rack that’s intended for cookies. Really. You don’t want your wings touching the bottom of the pan so this keeps them elevated.
- Bake at high heat. I do my wings at 450 degrees.
- Flip the wings at around the halfway point so both the top and the bottom get crispy.
Can you use soy sauce instead of coconut aminos?
You could but the flavor will be stronger and the end result saltier. If using soy sauce I’d add just a little at a time and taste as you go. Learn more about what coconut aminos is and why it’s so popular in healthy recipes here. (Fun fact: it doesn’t taste like coconut.)
How to thicken the sauce
I love a thick honey-based sauce but you really have to follow the instructions carefully to get the perfect consistency. I’ve seen people struggle to get it thick and people also overcook it until it seizes up and gets really way too thick. I can help!
Combine all sauce ingredients in a small pot or sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Then drop the heat to medium-low. You should continue to see bubbles but they won’t look like they’re about to pour out of the pot. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes or until sauce has thickened. When it coats the back of a spoon you know it’s ready. Let your sauce cool for a minute or two before adding to the chicken. It will continue to thicken as it sits.
Is this sauce spicy?
It’s not spicy. You may notice the cayenne pepper a bit but the honey balances it out really well. This recipe calls for only 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper but I actually use 1/2 tsp when I’m making these because my family likes heat! Feel free to do the same if you like spicier foods.
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Honey Garlic Chicken Wings
Ingredients
Chicken Wings
- 1 1/2 – 2 lbs chicken wingettes, wings, or split wings
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Honey Garlic Sauce
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos
- 1 tbsp garlic, minced
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, If you want more heat (we always do here), use 1/2 tsp.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Pat chicken wings dry with a paper towel. This is an important step to achieving crispy wings so don't skip it!
- Toss chicken in a large ziplock bag or sealed container with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Shake so each wing is fully covered with the seasonings.
- Place wings on a wire rack over an aluminum foil lined baking sheet so that the sides of the chicken don't touch. Bake for 30 minutes. Flip wings. Bake for 20 additional minutes. Remove from oven when done.
- While chicken is baking, add all Honey Garlic Sauce ingredients to a small pot or sauce pan on the stovetop. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat. Then drop the heat to medium-low. You should continue to see some bubbles. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes or until sauce has thickened. Let your sauce cool for a minute or two before adding to the chicken. It will continue to thicken as it sits.
- Toss the baked chicken wings in your finished Honey Garlic Sauce to evenly coat. Top with sesame seeds or fresh herbs (both are optional) if you're entertaining and want to make these wings look extra special.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I arrived late to the wing game, love them, but haven’t tried to make my own. I made these today and they are fantastic! Nice crispy wings and a delicious sauce! This will be a repeat item for sure!