Baked sticky honey BBQ wings (Printable)

Crispy chicken wings with a sticky, sweet and tangy honey BBQ glaze, perfect for gatherings.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 1.5 lbs chicken wings, separated at joints, tips removed

→ Seasoning

02 - 1 tsp garlic powder
03 - 1 tsp smoked paprika
04 - 1/2 tsp salt
05 - 1/2 tsp black pepper

→ Honey BBQ Sauce

06 - 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
07 - 1/4 cup honey
08 - 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
09 - 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
10 - 1 tsp hot sauce (optional)

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack on top.
02 - Pat wings dry with paper towels. Toss wings with garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper until evenly coated.
03 - Arrange wings in a single layer on the wire rack. Bake for 35 minutes, flipping halfway through, until skin is crisp and golden.
04 - Combine barbecue sauce, honey, apple cider vinegar, melted butter, and hot sauce in a small saucepan. Simmer over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
05 - Transfer wings to a large bowl. Pour warm honey BBQ sauce over wings and toss to coat evenly.
06 - Return sauced wings to the wire rack. Bake an additional 10 minutes until sauce is sticky and caramelized.
07 - Serve wings hot. Garnish with chopped parsley or green onions if desired.

# Expert Hints:

01 -
  • They come out with a crispy exterior and juicy interior, somehow managing both at the same time.
  • The honey BBQ sauce is tangy enough to keep things interesting, not just sweet.
  • You can make these in under an hour without any special equipment or fussy techniques.
02 -
  • If your wings stick to the foil, the foil wasn't protecting the sauce enough—using a wire rack really is the difference between sticky wings and burnt-on wings.
  • Don't skip the dry-patting step; wet wings steam instead of crisping, and all the sauce in the world won't fix that.
03 -
  • The most common mistake is crowding the wings on the rack—give them space so hot air flows around each one, which is what creates that crispy skin.
  • Make the sauce while the wings bake so it's warm when you coat them; cold sauce won't absorb into the wings the same way.
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