Crispy, sticky, and full of flavor, Honey Garlic Chicken Wings will be the undisputed MVP of your game day appetizer spread.
These oven-baked garlic chicken wings nail the appetizer game on multiple levels:
- One: They are deceptively easy to make (as are these Lemon Pepper Wings). Stir together marinade; pour marinade on chicken; bake chicken. Done!
- Two: Despite their simple prep, honey garlic chicken wings look and taste impressive (just like these Buffalo Air Fryer Chicken Wings). With their many layers of intense flavor and crispy exterior, your game day guests will be calling for a time out to ask you for the recipe.
- Three: They’re healthy-ish. While nobody is really counting their calories at the big game, you and your guests will appreciate that these wings are baked rather than fried so you can go back for seconds (or plunge into this Greek Layer Dip) after halftime without guilt.
Easy, impressive, healthy, and (not-to-mention) delicious, crispy honey garlic chicken wings are far from a risky Hail Mary pass; they’re a guarantee slam dunk!
(Forgive me for mixing sports terms, I’m just here for the food.)
5 Star Review
“Made these yesterday and they were delish! I’ll definitely be making them again and again.”
— S.A. —
How to Make Honey Garlic Chicken Wings
Baked rather than fried, honey garlic chicken wings are an easier, less messy, and better for you version of your favorite restaurant-style chicken wings with crispy skin and a sticky honey garlic sauce that’s a little sweet, a little spicy (like these Korean Air Fryer Chicken Wings), and a whole lotta YUM! These crispy baked chicken wings will not disappoint!
Tip!
For maximum flavor, I suggest marinating these wings for a full 24 hours before baking. If you need to speed things up, however, I’ve also baked honey garlic chicken wings after 12 hours and my guests were none the wiser.
The Ingredients
- Chicken Wings. Tender, juicy, and packed with protein. When eating out, I love a good deep-fried wing as much as the next person. However, at home, I prefer to bake my wings to keep things on the healthy side (or sometimes I opt for the Stick Asian Cauliflower Wings from my cookbook or Cauliflower Buffalo Wings).
- Soy Sauce. Tenderizes the wings as they marinate and adds savory umami. No additional salt needed for these!
- Brown Sugar. Adds depth, sweetness, and beautiful color.
- Honey. Make these wings sweet, sticky, and finger-licking good (like these Crock Pot Turkey Meatballs).
- Garlic. Sweet, abundant, and the perfect flavor to complement the spicy black pepper and flavorful soy sauce.
- Black Pepper. Adds just the right amount of heat without overpowering the garlic and honey.
- Green Onions. For a final flourish of color and light onion flavor.
The BEST Chicken Wing Dip
I like to serve my favorite Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip with these honey garlic chicken wings. The cooling flavors of the ranch help balance the spicy black pepper heat from the wings.
The Directions
- Combine the marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Split the wings if needed.
- Marinate the wings for 12 to 24 hours.
- Arrange the honey garlic wings on a prepared baking sheet lined with foil.
- Bake chicken wings at 450 degrees F for 12 to 18 minutes, until the skin is crispy and dark brown. Garnish with chopped green onions and serve. ENJOY!
Storage Tips
- To Store. Cooked wings may be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To Freeze. Fully cooked wings may be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- To Reheat. Warm the wings in a 350 degree F oven until heated through. You may also microwave in a covered container.
Leftover Ideas
If you have leftover wings (which I doubt) shred the meat then turn it into a lettuce wrap or top this Asian Cabbage Salad for a sweet and spicy lunch the next day.
What to Serve with Honey Garlic Chicken Wings
Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe
- Sheet Pan. Not just for cookies. A large sheet pan is great for savory dishes too.
- Mixing Bowl. I love this space-saving nested set of glass mixing bowls.
- Party Platter. Serve your wings on a festive platter to liven up your game day spread.
My Favorite Sheet Pan
These commercial grade aluminum 18×13″ sheet pans are durable clean easily.
With wings this good, your guests will be wanting to intercept the next batch before it hits the table.
Frequently Asked Questions
Since soy sauce typically contains wheat-based additives, for gluten free honey garlic chicken wings, swap the soy sauce for tamari.
I have not made this recipe in the air fryer, but I think it will work great. Use this Air Fryer Chicken Wings recipe as a starting point to learn how to air-fry. No need to deep-fry here!
Everyone’s tolerance for spice is different. However, I find these wings to be mild compared to traditional buffalo wings or Buffalo Chicken Meatballs. If you are extra sensitive to spicy foods, you may cut down on the amount of black pepper for a more mild-tasting wing. Conversely, add more black pepper if you like extra heat.
Chicken wings are typically dark meat, so the its until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160 to 165 degrees F.
Yes and no. Yes, if you thaw them first. Pat them dry with paper towel and then prepare as instructed in the recipe. No, if you want to start from frozen in the beginning.
Honey Garlic Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce (or tamari for gluten free wings)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar plus 1 teaspoon, light or dark
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper plus 1 teaspoon
- 2 pounds chicken wings
- Chopped green onions for garnish
- Prepared Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip for serving (optional)
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl or large measuring cup, stir together the soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, garlic, and black pepper. Set aside.
- To prepare the wings, start by cutting off the wing tip by wiggling your knife edge at the joint “soft spot.” It should separate fairly easily, but if not, put the blade in place, then carefully but firmly hit the top of your knife to apply extra pressure. Repeat at the other wing joint, cutting through the skin to separate the small drumstick from the flat portion of the wing. This joint will require more pressure than the first—again, feel for the “soft spot.”
- Place the wings in a zip-top bag, then pour the marinade into the bag and seal it tightly, removing as much air as possible. Squish the marinade around the wings so that all sides are coated. Place the bag in a baking dish, then let wings marinate in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours, turning the wings periodically to redistribute the marinade and keep the chicken evenly coated.
- To bake, position a rack in the center position of your oven and preheat to 450 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a baking rack on top. Lightly coat the rack with cooking spray, then arrange the wings on the rack in a single layer.
- Bake for 12 to 18 minutes, until the skin is crispy and dark brown. The wings are done when the skin shrinks away from the ends of the bones, and the wing juices run clear when pierced with a fork. Sprinkle wings with chopped green onions and serve with Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip (optional).
Notes
- TO STORE: Cooked wings may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- TO FREEZE: Fully cooked wings may be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- TO REHEAT: Warm the wings in a 350 degree F oven until heated through. You may also microwave in a covered container.
Nutrition
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Try one of these other crowd-pleasing wing and appetizer recipes from Well Plated.
Made these yesterday and they were delish! I’ll definitely be making them again and again. Thanks, Erin!
Has anyone done with an air fryer? Just got one for Christmas and looking for recipes!
Hi Lissa! I haven’t tried this myself, but you could experiment with it. If you decide to play around with it, I’d love to hear how it goes!
You suggest using leftover wings in lettuce wraps … I’m of the opinion that leftover wings are a mystery ingredient, much like leftover pizza or leftover wine. I’ve heard of them, but I’ve never seen them!
Hi Andrew! I am not quite sure I understand what you are asking. As I said in the post “If you have leftover wings (which I doubt) shred the meat then turn it into a lettuce wrap” Here are what lettuce wraps are: https://www.wellplated.com/asian-lettuce-wraps/ Hope this helps.
Kind of like Sasquatch! Lol!
Hi Erin: My sauce is not coating the wings. Left them in fridge over nite but they’re not coated. The coating is too thin??? Now what?
Hi Betty! I’m sorry to hear that you are having trouble with the recipe. Maybe try basting them as they cook?
Not sure why sodium level was left out of the nutritional information. Any chance you can post that? Thanks.
Hi Fernando! I stopped including sodium info because it can vary so much depending upon what products you used, and I found a lot of conflicting info online, so ultimately I didn’t feel comfortable publishing it because sometimes it wasn’t even in the ballpark. If you’d like to calculate it yourself, there are lots of free tools online (myfitnesspal.com is popular). I hope that helps!