These honey-glazed sticky chicken wings make the perfect quick and easy Friday night supper! Oven-baked in a delicious marinade of soy, honey and garlic, they will have you licking your fingers as you reach for 'just one more'.
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Sticky chicken wings
Back in the day, when I was working at a full-time job and coming home to feed the family every night of the week, I quickly decided that Friday nights would be easy, pre-cooked, pre-frozen dinners. If it wasn't ready-made and in the freezer, then we weren't eating it!
I'd freeze leftovers during the week (bolognese sauce, curry, meatballs and stews). I'd even freeze leftover pasta and rice. And on Friday night, we'd whip something out of the freezer, set the microwave into action, and have a meal on the table in 15 minutes or less.
My one concession to Friday cooking was a dish of oven-baked honey-glazed sticky chicken wings. On Saturdays, when I did my shopping, I'd often pick up a pack of chicken wings and pop them in a freezer bag, complete with soy and honey marinade, ready to be taken out and baked when needed.
This was my favourite Friday supper - sticky chicken wings - served with crusty bread coated in garlic butter, with a sliced tomato on the side. I don't know what it is about chicken, garlic bread and tomato, but they seem to go so well together. A slice of garlic bread, topped with fresh tomato and eaten alongside a pile of sticky chicken wings is my idea of heaven.
OK - so these sticky chicken wings do take 30 minutes in the oven, but if you marinate them in advance, there is not much work involved.
And while these honey and soy chicken wings are in the oven, you'll have time to enjoy a glass of your favourite tipple! A great start to the weekend.
Reasons to try these sticky chicken wings
- No deep-frying. Baking the wings in the oven means you don't need a load of oil, and if you line your tray with baking parchment or tin foil, there's very little clean up afterwards.
- A homemade marinade with no preservatives. Just simple fresh everyday pantry staples - honey, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and chilli flakes.
- Easy to make ahead. Put them in the marinade the day before you want to make them, or do as I do and keep a packet of pre-marinated chicken wings in the freezer. You have an instant meal that's far better than any takeaway in less than half an hour.
- Deliciously sticky wings. Baking and basting the chicken wings with the marinade allows the marinade to thicken and cling to the wings.
Ingredients for oven-baked sticky chicken wings
**This is just an overview to explain why I used a particular ingredient. The exact ingredient measurements are on the printable recipe card at the end of this post.**
This recipe will make enough chicken wings for 4 people.
- Chicken wings - snip off the wing tips and either discard them or keep them for making chicken stock. The remaining piece of the wing can be left whole or separated into two pieces by cutting through the joint between the drumette and the flat part, or 'wingette'.
- Olive oil - adding a small amount of olive oil to the marinade means you don't need to use any oil when you cook the wings.
- Honey - this adds a sweet stickiness
- Soy sauce - I use dark soy sauce because I find the light soy sauce to be too salty. If you do use light soy sauce, you may find that you don't need to add any extra salt.
- Ginger - you can peel and grate a thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, or do as I do, and use ginger paste from a jar.
- Garlic - once again, I use ready-crushed garlic from a jar. If you prefer to use fresh garlic, it should be finely minced.
- Chilli flakes or chilli paste. This is optional - if you like a bit of heat, then add chilli to your own taste, otherwise leave it out.
- Salt and pepper - to taste. You may not need any - taste the marinade first to see how salty it is, then decide whether you need extra.
How to make sticky chicken wings in the oven
Step 1: Combine the marinade ingredients in a large bowl.
Step 2: Add the pieces of chicken wings to the marinade and stir well to coat each piece. Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator for half an hour to marinate, stirring it after 15 minutes.
Top tip - at this point, you could tip the chicken wings and marinade into a freezer container and freeze them for up to 3 months.
Step 3: Arrange the chicken wings skin-side down in a single layer in a baking tray lined with baking parchment. If you prefer, you could use a tray with a rack and arrange the chicken on the rack. Do not tip the marinade into the chicken; leave it in the bowl to reserve it for basting once the chicken wings are half-cooked.
Step 4: Bake the chicken wings for 20 minutes in a preheated oven (200C / 400F). Remove the wings from the oven and turn them over so they are skin-side up. Spoon one or two tablespoons of marinade over the chicken and return the dish to the oven for a further 15 minutes.
Step 5: After the final 15 minutes, the chicken should be fully cooked with a crispy skin. Cooked chicken should register 74C / 165F on a digital probe thermometer.
Transfer the chicken wings to a serving dish, garnish with chopped parsley or sesame seeds, and serve hot with slices of garlic bread and a tomato salad.
Leftover honey and soy marinade make a tasty dipping sauce. Pour the leftover marinade and any remaining cooking juices into a saucepan. Mix one to two teaspoons of cornflour (or cornstarch) with one to two tablespoons of cold water and stir it slowly into the marinade over a gentle heat until it has thickened. You may not need all the cornflour mixture.
Pour the thickened marinade into a small bowl and serve with the chicken.
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Equipment
I like to cut my chicken wings into individual pieces. The easiest way to do this is with a pair of kitchen shears. Failing that, you can use a sharp knife and a chopping board.
You will also need a mixing bowl large enough to hold the marinade and the chicken wings.
For baking the chicken, you will need a large roasting tray or baking dish, which I always like to line with baking parchment or tin foil to make washing up afterwards easier.
Sticky chicken wings FAQ
You can freeze the wings before cooking them (provided the chicken wings have not been previously frozen). Tip the chicken wings and marinade into a large, strong plastic bag (or other suitable container) and freeze for up to 3 months.
To use, allow to defrost in the refrigerator, then cook for the times and temperature given in the recipe.
These wings are delicious either hot or cold. You can store the cooked chicken wings (once they have cooled to room temperature) in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
You may like to try the dipping sauces from one of these recipes:
Crispy air-fryer chicken wings with blue cheese sauce
Crispy chicken wings with barbeque sauce
A chicken wing has three different parts:
- the wing tip, which is mostly bone and cartilage and normally discarded or used to make stock.
- the drumette, which resembles a mini drumstick and which has only one piece of bone running through it.
- the wingette - sometimes called the flat - which has two bones running through it.
The drumette normally has a higher proportion of meat, whereas the wingette has more skin (and in my opinion, the meat is more tender and juicy).
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Related recipes
Visit my chicken recipes page for other amazing chicken recipes. Here are a few chicken wing recipes you might enjoy:
📋The recipe
Sticky chicken wings (oven-baked)
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Kitchen shears OR
- Sharp Knife
- Chopping Board
- Baking sheet
- Baking parchment
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Use this with care. This is an AI-generated result and may contain errors or inaccuracies. I cannot be held responsible for the information returned.
Ingredients
- 2 lb / 1 kg chicken wings tips discarded and wings separated into two pieces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons runny honey
- 4 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 1 inch piece ginger - grated
- 2 cloves garlic - finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon chilli flakes or to your own taste
- Salt and pepper to taste optional
- Chopped parsley or sesame seeds optional for garnish
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 200 °C / 400°F
- Chop the tips off the wings and discard2 lb / 1 kg chicken wings
- Cut the wings into two pieces through the joint
- Combine the remainder of the marinade ingredients into a bowl and toss in the chicken pieces, making sure each piece is nicely coated2 tablespoons olive oil, 4 tablespoons runny honey, 4 tablespoons dark soy sauce, 1 inch piece ginger - grated, 2 cloves garlic - finely chopped, 1 teaspoon chilli flakes, Salt and pepper to taste
- Cover the bowl with cling film and leave in the fridge to marinate for half an hour or so
- Place the chicken wings skin-side down onto a baking sheet that has been lined with baking parchment. Don't tip the marinade into the baking dish. Reserve it to baste the chicken wings.
- Bake the chicken wings for 20 minutes in a preheated oven (200C / 400F). Remove the wings from the oven and turn them over so they are skin-side up. Spoon one or two tablespoons of marinade over the chicken and return the dish to the oven for a further 15 minutes.
- After the final 15 minutes, the chicken should be fully cooked with a crispy skin. Cooked chicken should register 74C / 165F on a digital probe thermometer.
- Serve with a fresh green salad, and slices of garlic bread. Optionally garnish with chopped parsley or sesame seeds.Chopped parsley or sesame seeds
Notes
To use, allow to defrost in the refrigerator and then cook for the times and temperature given in the recipe. Store cooked chicken wings for up to to days in a covered container in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
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