Hot Honey Chicken Wings

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.

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 homemade hot honey wing sauce is buttery, sweet, and just spicy enough. It takes only a couple of minutes to make with honey, butter, and your favorite hot sauce. Toss it with the crispy wings just before serving so they stay crunchy.

How To Make Hot Honey Chicken Wings

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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

• Cornstarch or potato starch: Either works to help create a crispy coating.
• Adjust the heat: Start with 2 tablespoons of hot sauce for milder wings or increase to 4 tablespoons for more spice. The heat will depend on the hot sauce you use.
• Make it sweeter: Add a little more honey to balance the spice.
• Make it extra buttery: Add another tablespoon of butter if you prefer a richer 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

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.