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These crispy wings are baked and tossed in an easy 4-ingredient honey garlic sauce! They’re sticky and delicious as an appetizer, snack, or entree.

Update: This recipe was originally published in 2021 and has been republished with all new photos.

I’m surrounded by wing lovers in my house so I’ve become quite adept at creating new sauces for their favorite appetizer and game day food. While deep frying in peanut oil or vegetable oil is the cooking method most people associate with chicken wings, I prefer baking because it’s a healthier way to achieve crispy perfection. If you’re skeptical that baking is the best method I’ve got you! I’ll give you all my tips to make sure you have juicy wings with big flavor and the ideal crispiness.

The best part? These honey garlic wings are slathered in an easy sticky honey garlic sauce made with simple ingredients. You’ll be tempted to lick your fingers and I say go for it. I encourage it. This sauce warrants all the finger licking.

I enjoy serving these homemade chicken wings with Air Fryer Frozen Sweet Potato Fries, Air Fryer Frozen French Fries, or Roasted Potato Wedges.

Ingredients for Baked Honey Garlic Chicken Wings

Chicken wingettes: Whole wings are quite large so I recommend using split wings or chicken wingettes.
Honey: Honey adds plenty of sweetness to these delicious wings.
Soy sauce or coconut aminos: Coconut aminos is a great soy sauce substitute. It’s slightly sweet and contains a lot less sodium. Low sodium soy sauce also works well.
Minced garlic: You can mince your own fresh garlic or use a jarred variety.
Seasonings: Garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper are the only seasonings you need for these crispy chicken wings.

How to Make Baked Honey Garlic Chicken Wings

The first step is to pat wings dry with a paper towel. 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 in a single layer 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 cooked through and golden brown.

While chicken is baking, add all Honey Garlic Sauce ingredients to a small pot or small saucepan 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.

Add the baked chicken wings to a large bowl and toss in the sticky sauce to evenly coat. Top the coated wings with sesame seeds or fresh herbs (both are optional) if you’re entertaining and want to make these delicious chicken wings look extra special.

What Kind of Wings are Best

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. Whole chicken wings are quite large! So when you see chicken wings at a restaurant what you’re really getting is actually wingettes or split wings. They’re cut smaller and easier to eat so I prefer using those.

Tips for Crispy Baked Chicken Wings

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. Removing the excess moisture makes a big difference in the final result!
Don’t add the wing sauce until the end.
Spread the chicken wings in an even layer on an oven safe wire rack over a baking sheet. I use the cooling rack that’s for cookies. Really. You don’t want your wings touching the bottom of the pan so this keeps them elevated.
Bake the wings on the prepared baking sheet at high heat. I do my wings at 450 degrees. The higher temperature is essential!
Flip the wings at around the halfway point so both the top and the bottom get crispy.

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 Honey Garlic 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 spicy wings! Feel free to do the same if you like spicier foods.

How to Store Leftover Chicken Wings

Chicken wings are best enjoyed immediately after cooking them. This is when they’re perfectly sauced and crispy. For this reason I recommend trying to not have leftovers. Yes, I’m telling you to eat all the wings! But if you do have leftovers you can refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.

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