Honey Buffalo Wings

5 from 2 votes
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Crispy baked honey buffalo wings are sweet, spicy, and ready for game day. Better yet, these wings will please both teams—slightly spicy, yet sweet enough to serve as a mild buffalo wing. So easy to make with unreal flavor and only 10-15 minutes of active work!

Sticky coated orange honey buffalo wings on a white plate served with a side of celery and blue cheese dressing.

Why I Love This Recipe

I love these honey buffalo wings because they’re easily roasted in the oven and then dredged in an amazing sticky sauce. Unlike plain buffalo sauce, this sweetened variation is caramelized to form a glaze that will coat every nook and cranny on the wing. It’s one of my favorite recipes for when I want to go the extra mile.

The secret to my wing sauce is nearly equal parts honey and buffalo sauce. The sauce is prepared in a blender with spices and cornstarch and then slowly heated in a skillet to thicken. The honey will naturally thicken the sauce, but the cornstarch will give it an even more amazing consistency.

Wings work well with just about any cooking method. While these crispy glazed wings are done up in the oven, I also love to grill up a honey garlic version. Looking to use less oil? The air fryer is perfect, and I prefer garlic parmesan or my simple dry rubbed wings on those! And if wings simply aren’t your style, grill up some jerk chicken legs instead.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

  • Assorted chicken wings and drumettes: I always opt for wings labeled as “party wings” or separated wings. You don’t want the flat and drum connected. You can manually separate with a knife, it’s just a pain in the neck to do on your own. Fresh or frozen work just fine. If using frozen, follow the cooking instructions on the bag!
  • Buffalo sauce: regular buffalo sauce and not hot sauce. I like Frank’s Red Hot Wing sauce. If you only have hot sauce, you can melt 2-3 tablespoons of butter and mix it into the sauce, transforming it to buffalo sauce!
  • Honey and brown sugar: honey and sugar adds sweetness to balance the sauce and form it into a sticky glaze.
  • Brown sugar: you can increase the amount of honey and omit brown sugar if you don’t have brown sugar. You can use light or dark down sugar.
  • Worcestershire sauce: I love the flavor of Worcestershire sauce. It’s not the most critical ingredient so it can be omitted if needed. You can add a few dashes of soy sauce in its place.
  • Corn starch: corn starch is a magical flavorless thickening agent. It helps to ensure a sticky glaze forms in the sauce. I would not skip it and recommend it for any kitchen.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities below.

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Step 2.

Season chicken wings with salt and pepper and bake for 45-60 minutes or until internal temperature reaches at least 165°F. Wings are best cooked up to 190-200°F to allow the skin ample time for crisping.

Step 3.

In the last 10 minutes, combine all honey buffalo sauce ingredients in a blender and pulse until fully incorporated. Can also be whisked together until fully mixed.

Step 4.

In a large saucepan or skillet over medium heat, bring the sauce to a low simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

Step 5.

Transfer the fully cooked wings to the skillet in batches to coat in the honey buffalo sauce, flipping until fully coated. Serve immediately. Wings can also be tossed in a large bowl with the sauce for easy coating.

Sticky coated orange honey buffalo wings on a white plate served with a side of celery, blue cheese dressing and golden IPA.

Expert Tips

  • Adding the wing sauce at the very end prevents the sauce from running off in the oven, leaving you with perfectly coated sticky wings.
  • Simmer the sauce in a small saucepan and add it to a very large bowl along with the finished wings. This allows you to easily toss the wings in the sauce for a nice even coating.
  • If you roast the wings on a cooling rack stacked on top of a baking sheet, it will crisp the skin even more, since the fat can drip down off the wings. It’s not necessary, but a preference.
  • You can cook it up to 190-200°F and it will still be juicy and tender thanks to the fat content of dark meat. This gives the skin ample time to crisp up in the oven, making a better-tasting wing.

More Chicken Recipes You’ll Love

Enjoy this recipe? If you made this recipe, please leave a ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ star rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments!
5 from 2 votes

Baked Honey Buffalo Wings Recipe

Servings: 24 wings
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Total: 55 minutes
Honey buffalo wings are equal parts sweet and spicy. Roasted in the oven until crispy and tossed in a sticky homemade honey buffalo glaze.

Ingredients 

  • 24 assorted chicken wings and drumettes
  • salt and pepper to taste

Honey buffalo sauce

  • 1 cup buffalo sauce
  • 3/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • pinch of cayenne pepper
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Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 400°F.
  • Season chicken wings with salt and pepper and bake for 45-60 minutes or until internal temperature reaches at least 165°F. Wings are best cooked up to 190-200°F to allow the skin ample time for crisping.
  • In the last 10 minutes, combine all honey buffalo sauce ingredients in a blender and pulse until fully incorporated. Can also be whisked together until fully mixed.
  • In a large saucepan or skillet over medium heat, bring the sauce to a low simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
  • Transfer the fully cooked wings to the skillet in batches to coat in the honey buffalo sauce, flipping until fully coated. Serve immediately. Wings can also be tossed in a large bowl with the sauce for easy coating.

Notes

While chicken wings should be cooked to at least 165°F internally to be considered safe for consumption, You can cook it up to 190-200°F and it will still be juicy and tender thanks to the fat content of dark meat. 
Adding the wing sauce at the very end prevents the sauce from running off in the oven, leaving you with perfectly coated sticky wings.
Simmer the sauce in a small saucepan and add it to a very large bowl along with the finished wings. This allows you to easily toss the wings in the sauce for a nice even coating.
If you roast the wings on a cooling rack stacked on top of a baking sheet, it will crisp the skin even more, since the fat can drip down off the wings. It’s not necessary, but a preference.

Nutrition

Serving: 4wingsCalories: 346kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 20.8gFat: 14.9gSaturated Fat: 4.2gCholesterol: 64mgSodium: 134mgFiber: 0.2gSugar: 31.2g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
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About Shawn Williams

My name is Shawn, author behind Kitchen Swagger. I'm a food & drink enthusiast bringing you my own simple and delicious restaurant-inspired recipes.

5 from 2 votes

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6 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This is one of only 3 wing recipes I’ve made on repeat for the last several years. I’m asked how I make them at every party. They are insanely good. 100 stars.