These honey chipotle wings are covered in a deliciously sweet, sticky and spicy sauce! They can be baked in the oven, air fryer, or on the BBQ grill. This is the perfect appetizer, game day wing recipe or dinner.
These wings are cooked to perfection and then coated with a sweet and sticky honey chipotle sauce. This is the best homemade wing sauce you will find! The sauce has a kick of spice; however, it’s not overly spicy, making it perfect for the whole family or a party.
These honey chipotle wings are dairy free and can easily be made gluten free! They pair perfectly with a big thing of homemade ranch or a bowl of sweet honey bbq sauce.
Looking for a boneless wing option? Check out my oh-so-delicious baked boneless wing recipe!
Reasons to Love This
- This recipe is easy: it takes less than 5 minutes to whip up the sauce, plus some additional time to cook the chicken. You only need 6 ingredients.
- The spice amount is perfect if you are taking these to a party or serving them to the family: they are slightly spicy, yet not overbearing.
- The wings can be served as an appetizer, light lunch, snack or entrée! They are the perfect game-day snack!
- The flavor of these wings is so tasty! They are just like the ones you’d get at a restaurant or at Buffalo Wild Wings!
Ingredients Needed
Chicken wings: any brand of raw chicken wings will work. You can also buy the chicken drumettes, which are just a meatier portion of the wing.
Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce: This is the ingredient that adds the spice! I found this sauce in the Mexican food section of the grocery store. Here's a link to the brand I use!
Honey: adds a sweet sticky flavor to the wings.
Lime Juice: the acid helps to balance out the spice.
Soy Sauce: adds flavor depth, you can sub with tamari which is a gluten free soy sauce.
Garlic Powder: adds flavor; be sure to use garlic powder and not garlic salt!
How to Make Honey Chipotle Wings in the Oven
Prepare the pan: line a cookie sheet with foil. This helps catch grease. Place a cookie sheet cooling rack on top. The sheet pan below should be large enough that the entire cooling rack can sit on the cookie sheet.
Preheat the oven. Grease the cooling rack. Place the wings on the cooling rack so they are evenly apart and not touching. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Prepare the sauce: while the wings are baking, prepare the sauce. Combine the adobo sauce, honey, lime juice, soy sauce, and garlic in a large bowl. Mix well. My adobo sauce comes pureed, however, if your sauce has large chili peppers in it, stick everything in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
Remove the wings from the oven and place in a large bowl. Set aside ½ cup of sauce. Pour the remaining sauce over the wings and mix until coated.
Place the wings back on the cookie cooling rack and bake for another 5 minutes in the oven. The sauce will become sticky on the wings.
Remove from the oven and use a pastry brush to top with the remaining sauce. Enjoy!
How to make the wings in the Air Fryer
Preheat the Air Fryer to 400 F. Grease generously.
Place wings in the bottom of the air fryer to they are not touching or overlapping. Cook for 20 minutes, flipping every 7 minutes.
Remove from the air fryer, place in a bowl, and top with the honey-chipotle sauce. Place back in the air fryer and cook for another 3-4 minutes, or until the sauce is sticky on the wings.
Remove and serve warm. It will take several batches to cook all of the wings, depending on the size of your air fryer basket.
How to Store
Refrigerator: store in the fridge for 3-4 days. Place in a covered container to keep fresh. The wings should be placed in the fridge within 30 minutes of cooking.
Freezer: place in an airtight container or freezer Ziploc bag. Store for up to 3 months.
Reheating: reheat in the microwave, oven, or air fryer! Wings should be cooked to steaming hot.
How to Serve
The sweet chili wings can be served as an entrée, appetizer, lunch, or party food. I love to pair them with a dip, such as homemade ranch, blue cheese dressing, or hot sauce.
If serving as an appetizer, these wings go great with other appetizers. Some of my favorites are cowboy caviar, homemade salsa or pizza quinoa bites. They also go great with carrots and celery sticks.
To serve as an entrée, I love to pair them with bread like this healthy banana bread. I usually add a large side salad to the menu as well, such as strawberry spinach and feta salad.
Expert Tips
- Feel free to brine the meat prior to cooking it for an extra juicy and tender wing! Here’s how to brine chicken wings.
- If cooking in the oven, be sure to cook the wings using the cooling rack on a cookie sheet method. The holes in the cooling rack help air circulate around the wings and cook them evenly. It also prevents the wings from sticking to the pan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, the outside will be crispy! The honey glaze solidifies when cooking, making them slightly crispy. To make them extra crispy, broil for an additional 1-2 minutes.
There is a small amount of spice. To make them even spicier, I recommend adding an extra teaspoon of hot sauce or tobacco sauce. To decrease the spice, add a tablespoon or two of honey.
Wings are done when they reach an internal temperature of 165F, as measured with a meat thermometer. When taking the temperature, stick the thermometer into the thickest part of the meat. Don’t touch the bone, or it will read hotter than it really is.
The wings can be made gluten-free by using tamari in place of soy sauce. Tamari is simply the gluten free version of soy sauce.
More Easy Appetizers
Honey Chipotle Wings
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken wings
- 1 can (7.5 oz) chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ¼ cup honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Line a sheet pan with foil. Place a cookie cooling rack on top of the sheet pan and spray with non stick spray.
- Place the wings on the cooling rack so that they are evenly spaced and not touching.
- Bake for 35 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Honey Chipotle Sauce
- Prepare the chipotle sauce while the wings are baking. Combine the chipotle peppers in adobo, honey, garlic powder, lime juice and soy sauce. Mix well.
- Remove wings from oven, place in a large mixing bowl. Top with chipotle sauce. Mix until the wings are evenly coated with sauce.
- Place the wings back on the sheet pan cooling rack. Return to oven and bake for another 5 minutes to caramelize the sauce. Serve warm.
Sylvia Gonzalez
The perfect balance of sweet and spicy! These were easy to make and tasted great!