Honey BBQ Chicken Wings

When I first started making my own chicken wings about 6 or 7 years ago, the recipe was nothing special. I’d buy one of those big economy packages of whole chicken wings and a bottle of Kikkoman’s Roasted Garlic Teriyaki sauce, line a pan with aluminum foil, not even using a non-stick spray, lay out the wings, pour on the bottle of sauce, and throw them in the oven for an hour at 350. They were pretty good, and I think I may have even impressed a few dates. I knew, however, that there was something I was missing. I mean, the wings place down the street from my apartment had like 22 flavors of wings! How did they do that? The difference was all in the sauce. Certainly, I had a lot to learn.

Things have changed over the years. Without going into too much detail, because I could really go on with this one and I don’t want to bore you with stories of unsuccessful chicken wing experiments, I am going to share with you my favorite recipe to date. Though it is a little more complicated than throwing a bottle of your favorite sauce on them, it really is worth the little bit of effort you are going to add.

Nowadays, I will only buy the whole-wing economy package if they are sold out of the smaller packages of halved whole-wing pieces called “drummettes and wing portions.” These are pretty convenient, as in the earlier years, I would halve the whole-wing pieces myself, which not only takes time, but unless you have a dangerously sharp knife to halve them with, it can be a big pain in the you-know-what. I had the knife, but I didn’t have the patience!

Perdue packages them, and most supermarkets will generally stock both Perdue and a generic brand. Our generic brand is White Gem, and they are just a little bit smaller and a more traditional “chicken wing” size than the Perdue. Personally, we are Perdue loyalists. We even started a Perdue Facebook Fan Page!



For this recipe I decided to use 2 packages of the White Gem brand drummettes and wing portions, just to see how they compare.

Pre-heat your oven to 350. Next, line a 12 x 18” pan with aluminum foil and give a good spray with Pam or non-stick spray of your choice.

Lay the wings out evenly in the pan, avoiding contact with the sides of the pan and other wings as much as possible. There will be some contact and that’s fine. You just want to give them ample room to cook all around and brown evenly.



When the oven hits 350, place them on the middle rack and set your timer for one hour. Now we can get to work on the sauce.

I have tried making so many different sauces over the years. I even remember getting so discouraged at one point that I was convinced I was doomed to using bottled sauces for eternity! After all, it’s tricky science, getting all those flavors to come together. Sometimes I would use too much garlic powder, other times not enough, or I would use so much spice in general that I would have an upset stomach for two days. Fortunately for you, my failed experiments are going to be your pleasure. So here we go. This is my very own honey BBQ sauce recipe and you are more than welcome to tweak it any way you want to suit your own tastes, or if you try it and decide that you can do it better. I encourage you. All I ask is that you post your thoughts on the blog so that maybe we can all learn a thing or two.

Get yourself a small mixing bowl, or like I do, get a large Pyrex measuring cup so you can measure out as you go and mix it all up in that.

1/2 C. honey
1/2 C. ketchup
1 tsp kosher salt
2 TBLSP tomato paste
1/2 tsp Old Bay
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce
2 TBLSP fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice

If you are in the mood for a spicier version, you can also try this recipe:

1/2 C. honey
1/2 C. ketchup
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 TBLSP Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce
2 TBLSP fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice

The secret ingredient in this version is the Sriracha sauce. You've probably seen big bottles of the stuff in your favorite Asian restaurant. Here is a picture so you know what I am talking about.


Ah yes, you remember now.

Mix all ingredients and cover your mixing cup with aluminum foil. When the wings have about 10 minutes left, start heating the sauce in a small sauce pan.



While it heats, make sure to continually stir it as there are a lot of natural sugars in there due to the honey and you do not want this to burn. Let the sauce come just to a simmer, or what I like to call the “blop” stage. As it begins to gently boil, you will get thick, globby bubbles that actually make the sound “blop!” as they rise and fall. After you start getting those bubbles, turn it off and cover until the wings timer sounds.

Take out the wings and place them on your stove top. They should be a nice crispy, golden brown.



Time to apply the sauce.



Using a good brush or spoon, (we use the Amco Stainless Steel 2-in-1 Rotating Brush) you are going to want to get the sauce on them as quickly and as neatly as possible (as it is horribly sticky) and you don’t want them to cool down too much. Once the wings are completely covered, place them back in your oven for a good 7 to 10 minutes. When you take them out after the allotted time, they should have a nice "glazed" look, with some browning in spots.



I served these up with blue cheese dressing and I was in heaven. I added an extra burst of fresh squeezed lemon juice, which really brought out the flavors.

In conclusion, however you decide to make these, remember: there are a lot of combinations, so try something different if you like. No two recipes are the same and personal preference varies wildly. The key factor is to experiment to find the tastes that suit you best. Bon Appétit!