Whether its gameday, or the craving for chicken wings hits, I got you with this oven-baked sweet and spicy chicken wing recipe! This recipe consists of a seasoning blend, which you’ll use on the wings the night before you bake them, and a hot sauce-and-honey glaze you apply while baking. These two components are what make these chicken wings so delicious!

I developed this recipe with the initial idea of preparing these for hosting a game watch, tailgate party, or simply a gathering where you’re not going to want to be trapped in the kitchen while having guests over. The actual cooking process consists of an initial roast for about 45 minutes, during which you can hang out with your guests while the wings do their thing in the oven. Next, you’ll flip them, and turn up the heat in the oven. This is when the glaze will come in, which you’ll apply every 10 minutes or so, until the wings finish. During this time, you can work on other parts of your meal. Overall, you’re only required to tend to the oven for about 20 minutes, and that’s it!

This chicken wing recipe was originally featured on Culinary.net where I wrote a featured blog post in February 2022. The first edition of this recipe can be found here: Sweet and Spicy Gameday Grub. The recipe in my post here has been adapted from the original writing on Culinary.net!

Things to know before making this recipe:

This recipe will have you season the wings, and set in the fridge overnight. The amount of time and the quantity of salt allows for the seasoning to dissolve through the meat of the chicken all the way to the bone. Time is key here! This method of seasoning will also help dry out the chicken skin, and lead to crispy wings without needing to fry them.

Another method to achieve crispy skin on the chicken wings is the addition of baking powder! Baking powder reacts with liquids to form gasses- usually in baking this is what causes cakes and cookies to rise. But in this application, it helps the chicken skin lose it’s leftover moisture, and leaves behind a skin that’s crisp!

Want to learn more about baking powder and crispy skin? Read this article by Serious Eats!

I like to serve my chicken wings with a side of ranch and celery sticks, and also a side of extra napkins!

Check out the recipe:

Oven-baked Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wings

Dry brined chicken wings, with a sweet and spicy glaze. These wings are baked in the oven, and require just a couple moments of flipping and glazing, so you don’t miss a minute of the big game!

Author: Claire Jaspers

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Prep Time 6 hrs Cook Time 1 hr Total Time 7 hrs

Ingredients

Servings

For the spice rub:

• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp Onion Powder
• 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
• ¹⁄₂ tsp Cayenne
• ¹⁄₂ tsp Black Pepper
• ¹⁄₂ tsp Coriander
• 1 tbsp Brown Sugar

For the wings:

• 2 lb Chicken Wings (About 11-12)
• 2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 ¹⁄₂ tbsp Neutral Oil (Like vegetable oil)
• 1 tsp Salt

For the sweet and spicy glaze:

• 2 tbsp Honey (Or agave)
• 2 tbsp Hot sauce (I like Frank’s)

Instructions:

Dry brine the chicken wings

1. Mix together spice rub

   Combine salt, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, cayenne, pepper, coriander and brown sugar.

2. Prepare the wings

   Place a wire rack on top of a rimmed sheet pan. Set aside. 

   Pat wings dry. In two batches, toss 5-6 wings with 1 tablespoon spice rub and 1 teaspoon baking soda. Reserve remaining spice rub.

   Set wings on wire rack atop rimmed sheet pan. Place in fridge, uncovered, to dry brine at least 6 hours, or overnight.

The next day, bake the chicken wings

1. Preheat the oven and prepare baking sheet

   Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

   Line a rimmed sheet pan with tinfoil, and place an oven-safe wire rack atop.

2. Dress the wings, and bake

   Remove wings from refrigerator. Pat dry. Toss with vegetable oil, salt, and remaining spice rub.

   Place wings on wire rack, ensure they are spaced evenly and not touching. Roast for 45 minutes.

Glaze the wings

1. Mix together sweet and spicy glaze

   Combine honey and hot sauce. Heat up the mixture if not evenly combining.

2. Turn up the oven and brush on the glaze

   Remove the sheet pan of chicken from oven. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

   Flip the wings, brush on the glaze.

Finish the wings

1. Roast and flip the wings

   Roast the wings for 7-10 minutes. 

   Remove sheet pan from oven, flip wings, brush on more glaze and return to oven until skin is shiny and crisp, about 10 minutes. Ensure the wing tips don’t start to burn!

Let rest, and serve with a side of ranch!

Note

Dry brining is a method of seasoning meats and proteins with a salt and sugar mixture. Over time, the salt and sugar dissolves, seasoning the meat all the way through.

Try to dry brine overnight, but 6 hours is probably adequate. 

Dry brining and using baking soda helps promote crisping!

Keywords: chicken, wings, buffalo sauce, spicy, sweet heat

1. […] I wrote this recipe for a Snack Series, featured on my Instagram page, in preparation for the 2021 NFL Super Bowl!…

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