These hot honey chicken wings are crispy, sticky, sweet, spicy, and tossed in a buttery hot honey sauce that takes minutes to make. Make them in the air fryer, oven, or deep fryer for game day, football Sunday, or an easy crowd-pleasing dinner.
The secret? A little baking powder and starch help the wings crisp up without deep frying. Then they get tossed in a buttery honey hot chicken wing sauce that takes about 2 minutes to make.
❤️ Why You'll Love Hot Honey Chicken Wings
- ✅ Packed with that sweet and slightly spicy flavor you love
- ✅ Crispy without deep frying
- ✅ Sweet, spicy, buttery sauce - the hot honey wings sauce that takes minutes to make.
- ✅ Air fryer, oven, or fried instructions
If you're looking for a fun dish to snack on along with your hot honey chicken wings, try my quick and easy Shishito Pepper Recipe. This is a go-to snack when I'm entertaining. They're light enough so that they're not filling, but delicious and flavorful.
Quick Look: Hot Honey Chicken Wings
- ⏱ Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🔥 Cook Time: 20 minutes air fryer / 45-60 minutes oven
- 🍽️ Servings: 4
- ❤️ Why you'll love this recipe: Easy, sweet, spicy, buttery, crispy
- 🧑🍳 Main Ingredients: Chicken, honey, hot sauce
- 👌 Difficulty: Easy
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These are perfect for game day, football Sunday, and casual hosting. These are some other go-to recipes for me. 3 Ingredient Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken, Pillsbury Taco Ring with Crescent Roll Recipe, or Best Crispy Baked Chicken Fingers (With Panko).
❤️ What Goes Into This Recipe
✅ Chicken wings: I use about 1.5 pounds, which is usually around 12 wings, depending on size.
✅ Aluminum-free baking powder: This is the crispy-skin secret. Do not use baking soda. Baking soda is usually in the orange box, and it is not the same thing.
✅ Cornstarch or potato starch: Either works. The secret ingredient that gives the wings that light, crispy coating.
✅ Garlic salt and seasoned salt: These season the wings all the way through, so they are flavorful before the sauce even shows up.
For the Hot Honey Sauce
✅ Butter: This makes the sauce glossy, rich, and wing-worthy.
✅ Hot sauce: Use your favorite. I like a mix of Cholula and Tabasco, but any hot sauce you love will work.
✅ Honey: Any kind works here. This is what gives the sauce that sweet-sticky finish.
This is a great starter recipe for honey hot sauce. Drizzle extra sauce over the wings or my Baked Chicken Fingers, spoon it over roasted vegetables, or use it as a shortcut glaze for grilled chicken.
How To Make Hot Honey Chicken Wings
- Pat the wings really dry with paper towels.
This helps the baking powder and starch cling to the skin, and it also helps the wings crisp instead of steam.
- Season the wings. In a bowl, toss the wings with aluminum-free baking powder, potato starch or cornstarch, garlic salt, seasoned salt, pepper, onion powder, and paprika.
- Air fry until crispy
Place the wings in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Air fry at 400°F until golden, crispy, and cooked through.
- Make the hot honey sauce
Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Stir in the hot sauce, honey, and a pinch of salt if needed. That's it. You just made honey hot sauce for wings.
- Toss and serve
When the wings are crispy, toss them with the warm hot honey wings sauce.
Recipe Testing Notes:
For the crispiest no-fry version, the air fryer was my favorite. The aluminum-free baking powder and cornstarch helped dry the skin and gave the wings that light, crackly coating without dragging out a pot of oil.
I also tested the hot honey sauce with different amounts of hot sauce. Two tablespoons keeps it mild and sweet, while four tablespoons give you more heat. But each hot sauce is different, so start slow and add as needed.
Air Fryer Hot Honey Chicken Wings
This is my favorite method because it gets the wings crispy without a big mess.
Air fry at 400°F and start checking around 15-20 minutes with an instant-read thermometer. Cook until the wings reach 165°F, adding 5 more minutes if needed, and don't overcrowd the basket so they crisp up. The time will depend on your air fryer and the size of your wings.
Baked Hot Honey Chicken Wings
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Place the wings on a wire baking rack set over a sheet pan for the crispiest results. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the size of your wings.
Flip the wings around the 25-30 minute mark once they are browned.
Deep Fried Hot Honey Chicken Wings
If you are deep frying, leave out the baking powder.
Fry the wings at 350°F for 8-12 minutes, depending on their size and how much room they have in the pan.
Try not to crowd the pan. Cook in batches so the wings crisp up instead of steaming.
Substitutions and Additions
- Use cornstarch instead of potato starch. Either one works for crispy wings.
- Use your favorite sauce. Hot sauce for hot honey, or sub BBQ sauce.
- Make it hotter. Add more hot sauce or a pinch of cayenne.
- Make it sweeter. Add a little more honey.
- Make it extra buttery. Add another tablespoon of butter if you want a richer hot honey wings sauce.
Expert Tips
- Use an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part of the wing, avoiding the bone, and slowly pull it out to check for the lowest temperature. The wings are done when they reach 165°F.
- Dry the wings really well first. The drier the skin, the better chance you have of getting crisp wings.
- Toss the wings in the sauce right before serving. That way they stay crisp and don't sit too long and soften.
- Reserve a little sauce for serving. Drizzle extra sauce over the top or serve it on the side for dipping.
- Taste the sauce before tossing. Some hot sauces are saltier or spicier than others, so adjust with a little more honey or a tiny pinch of salt if needed.
Hot Honey FAQ
Using a mix of baking powder and cornstarch helps baked chicken wings crisp up like they were fried. It dries out the skin and creates that light, crackly coating we all want.
They can be as mild or spicy as you want. Use less hot sauce and more honey for mild wings or more hot sauce for extra heat.
Yes. You can make the sauce ahead and warm it gently before tossing with the wings.
Hot honey is delicious on pizza, fried chicken, chicken sandwiches, roasted vegetables, biscuits, cornbread, and even cheese boards. It is one of those little sauces that makes simple food feel special.
Warm Water Bath (Best Method):
To decrystallize honey, place the bottle or jar in a warm water bath at 100-110°F for 1-2 hours, until smooth. Keep the water warm, not boiling, especially if using plastic.
What to Serve With Hot Honey Chicken Wings
These wings are sweet, spicy, and buttery, so I like to serve them with something cool and crunchy. My mixed greens salad is an easy side, especially if you're turning this into a casual dinner.
If you're making a full game-day spread, pair them with grilled cheese sliders using Hawaiian rolls.
If you make these hot honey chicken wings, leave a comment and rating below. And tell me if you went mild, spicy, or "why is my forehead sweating?" spicy. I support all versions.
Easy Shrimp Boil Recipe
Equipment
- Large turkey fryer with basket or XL pot and strainer
Ingredients
- Enough water to cover all ingredients
- 2 cans beer optional
- 1 cup Old Bay Seasoning or less depending on preference
- 4 tablespoons salt
- 1 bunch fresh thyme tied with kitchen twine, optional
- 3 heads garlic sliced in half horizontally
- 12 each small red potatoes halved
- 2 each large onions cut into wedges
- 3 pounds smoked sausage cut into 2-3 inch pieces
- 8 ears ears fresh corn shucked and halved
- 5 pounds unpeeled large shrimp 21-25 count
- 4 each lemons plus more for serving
- Melted butter for serving
- Extra Old Bay for serving
- Cornbread optional for serving
- Cocktail sauce For serving- optional
Instructions
- Have a large tray or platters ready to go. and set the table with disposable pie tins or paper plates, paper towels, lemon wedges, melted butter, cocktail sauce, and extra Old Bay.
- Prep all ingredients. Keep shrimp chilled in the refrigerator until ready to cook.
- Fill a large pot with enough water to cover the ingredients. Add Old Bay, beer if using, lemons, salt, herbs if using, and garlic. Bring to a boil.
- Add potatoes and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until just tender. If potatoes are parboiled, cook for 5-10 minutes.
- Add corn, onions, and sausage. Cook for about 8 minutes.
- Add shrimp and cook for about 3 minutes, or until pink and slightly curled.
- Drain the liquid and serve the shrimp boil on large platters, a tray or a table covered with newspaper. Serve with lemon wedges, melted butter, and extra Old Bay.
Notes
- I make this shrimp boil every 4th of July and Labor Day, and for this size batch, a turkey fryer with a basket is the easiest setup.
- Start the water earlier than you think. A big pot takes time to come to a boil.
- Add the shrimp last and watch closely. They cook fast and can turn rubbery quickly.
- Use BBQ gloves or heat-safe gloves when lifting the basket or moving everything to platters.
- Set a large aluminum roasting pan (or cardboard) nearby to rest the hot basket in while draining or transferring.
- If using a propane burner outside, shield the flame from wind so the boil stays steady.
- You can parboil or microwave the potatoes ahead of time, then add them with the corn and sausage.
- Don't shuck the corn too early. Corn starts losing flavor once it's shucked.
- Old Bay is classic, but Zatarain's works if you want more Cajun flavor.
Lesley Newman says
It tastes and good as it looks and comes together so easily. It may look like you slaved all day, but you didn't.
Lauren Lane says
The best hot honey chicken wings recipe ever. I hope you love it as much as I do.