These Hot Honey Chicken Wings are everything you want in a crispy chicken wing, sweet, spicy, sticky, and irresistible! You can air fry, deep fry, or bake them. Perfect for game days, parties, or a quick weeknight craving!
They come together quickly with simple pantry ingredients, and you can adjust to make them as mild, medium, or hot as you like. This wing recipe is simple, fuss-free, and always delicious!
If you can never say 'No' to wings (just like me), you’ve gotta try my Korean Fried Chicken Wings, Air Fryer Crispy Chicken Wings, and Spicy Thai Wings next! They’re just as finger-lickin’ good as these hot honey ones!
Khin’s Go-to Sweet and Spicy Wings
Growing up, these wings were always a family favourite, the kind of dish that disappeared the moment it hit the table. My mom has been making them for a long time, before air fryers were a thing and before hot honey chicken became the viral food sensation it is today.
Now, they’ve become my go-to party finger food as chicken wings are affordable, easy to make, and guaranteed to have everyone asking for the recipe. When I want something easy, flavourful, and totally satisfying, these wings are my answer. If you love that mix of sweet, spicy, and garlicky heat, this one’s for you!
What you’ll need for this recipe
- 1kg Chicken wings
- 1tsp Garlic granules or garlic powder
- 1tsp Paprika or chilli powder
- 1tsp Black pepper
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Cooking oil
For the hot honey wings sauce:
- 2 tsp Fresh garlic
- 1 tsp Crushed chilli ( chilli pepper flakes )
- 2 tsp Cooking oil or unsalted butter
- 4 tbsp Hot chilli sauce ( I used Thai Sriracha sauce, you can try with Buffalo sauce, Frank's Redhot, Tabasco or a choice of hot sauce. )
- 4 tbsp Honey
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice
- 1 tbsp Soy sauce ( regular soy sauce )
- 2 tbsp Water
How to make these hot and honey wings
- Prepare the wings: Pat the chicken wings dry with paper towels. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Marinate and set it aside for at least 30 minutes.
Toss well to coat evenly. This helps create that perfect crisp texture for your honey hot chicken wings.
- Fry the wings: Preheat the air fryer to 190°C/375°F. Place wings in a single layer and cook for 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway, until golden and crispy.
- Make hot honey wings sauce: Heat the pan over low-medium heat, drizzle with oil, and sauté garlic and crushed chillies.
Reduce the heat to low and add water, soy sauce, honey, hot sauce, and lemon juice. Stir well until the sauce is glossy and slightly thickened.
- Coat the wings: Now toss the fried chicken wings in the warm hot and wings sauce until they’re fully coated, glossy and sticky. Serve immediately.
Yes! you can deep fry. Heat oil to 180°C/350°F. Fry wings in batches for 8-10 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
To Oven bake, preheat oven to 200°C/390°F. Line a tray with parchment or a rack. Bake for 35-40 minutes, turning halfway until the wings are crispy and cooked through.
Little tips for the perfect honey garlic hot wings
- Dry the wings well before cooking for extra crispiness.
- You can coat the marinated wings with a light layer of cornstarch or potato starch for a crispier coating texture.
- Do not overcrowd the air fryer basket or tray. You need airflow in the fryer to make them crispier.
- Simmer the hot honey wings sauce a bit longer if you prefer a thicker glaze.
- Sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds for an extra toasty touch!
What I love having it together
French fries, fried wedges, sweet potato fries, corn on the cob, coleslaw, or a light salad are my classic go-tos!
If you want to make it Asian, pair it with simple plain rice, Special Fried Rice, Japanese cucumber salad, or with some Noodles.
A few twists you can make
- Swap chicken for cauliflower to make spicy Hot Honey Cauliflower Bites.
- Add grated ginger to the sauce, and add some chopped green onions for garnish.
- Use butter instead of oil for an extra buttery sauce. Check out my popular Honey Butter Fried Chicken recipe which is loaded with buttery honey sauce.
- Use Korean gochujang for a different spicy kick.
More Chicken Wings and Bite-Size Appetisers!
If you love these hot wings with honey recipe, try more of Khin's family favourite appetisers for your next party:
- Honey Garlic Chicken Wings ( Crispy wings with simple honey garlic sauce. )
- Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings ( Takeout favourite! )
- Broccoli Tempura ( Irresistible broccoli bites! )
- Air Fryer Prawn Toast ( Chinese takeout favourite prawn toast, but a healthier version. )
- Rice Paper Dumplings ( My reader's new favourite crispy dumplings. )
Love this Recipe?
I’d love to hear how it turns out in your kitchen. If you've tried out this honey hot wings recipe, don’t forget to leave me ⭐ ratings and share your thoughts in the comments below!
For more delicious recipes and kitchen inspiration, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Pinterest.
📖 Recipe
Hot Honey Chicken Wings
Ingredients
Chicken Wing and Marinade
- 1 kg Chicken Wings About 2.2lb/35.2oz
- 1 tsp Garlic powder Or garlic granules
- 1 tsp Paprika powder Or chilli powder
- 1 tsp Black pepper
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Cooking oil
Hot Honey Wing Sauce
- 2 cloves Garlic Minced
- 1 tsp Crushed chillies Chilli pepper flakes ( Adjust to taste )
- 2 tsp Cooking oil Or unsalted butter
- 4 tbsp Sriracha sauce Or a choice of hot sauce
- 4 tbsp Honey Or sugar
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice or rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp Soy sauce or salt to taste
- 2 tbsp Water or more if needed
Instructions
- Pat the chicken wings dry with paper towels.Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Toss well to coat evenly, this helps create that perfect crisp texture for your Honey Hot Chicken Wings!
- Preheat air fryer to 190°C/375°F. Place wings in a single layer and cook for 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway, until golden and crispy. ( Deep frying and oven-bake option in note section. )
- Heat the pan over low-medium heat, drizzle with oil, and sauté garlic and crushed chillies.
- Reduce the heat to low and add water, soy sauce, honey, hot sauce, and lemon juice. Stir well until the sauce is glossy and slightly thickened.
- Now toss the fried chicken wings in the warm Hot and Honey Chicken Wings sauce until they’re fully coated and sticky. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Deep fry option: Heat oil to 180°C/350°F. Fry wings in batches for 8-10 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
- Oven-bake method: Preheat oven to 220°C. Line a tray with parchment or a rack. Bake for 35-40 minutes, turning halfway until the wings are crispy and cooked through.
- What type of hot sauce to use? I used Sriracha sauce in this recipe, you can try with Buffalo sauce, Frank's Redhot, Tabasco or a choice of hot chilli sauce.
Sophia says
I made this today. It was great. I omitted the hot sauce and added a little cornstarch as I was making a small batch. It turned out great. It will definitely be on my rotation! 😋
Cleve says
Yum yum yum! Some heat with some sweet and completely delicious. I made it exactly as written and they were spectacular! For the heat I used 2 tablespoons of sriracha and 2 tablespoons of my homemade cayenne pepper sauce and the heat level is perfect. Yet another outstanding recipe from Khin’s Kitchen.
Ani says
Your ingredients list doesn't mention chillies but description does. Can you explain please.
Khin says
Hi Ani, the ingredients list is updated. You will need 1 tsp crushed chillies for this recipe. Thanks for pointing out and hope you enjoy this recipe.