Serve these Sweet and Spicy Cajun Wings for parties, tailgating, snacking and entertaining any time of year. The sweet and spicy flavor combination is a winner no matter when it’s served.

Ingredients to Make Sweet and Spicy Cajun Wings Recipe

These Cajun spicy chicken wings are baked, not fried. There a science behind the technique that results in crispy skin making frying a thing of the past. These wings are basted with a homemade sauce that’s sweet and spicy hence the name. They’re a slightly different flavor from classic buffalo wings (hot wings) but they can be served the same way with carrots, celery and a cool dip on the side. Ingredients to make Sweet and Spicy Cajun Wings: (Scroll down for full printable recipe card.)

Chicken: 4 pounds wing portions, separated.
Seasoning: Prepared Cajun or Creole seasoning.
Baking Powder: This helps release the moisture from the skin making the wings crispy.
Hot Sauce: Buffalo wing sauce, butter, honey, Korean Sweet and Spicy Sauce or similar Asian barbecue sauce, Cajun seasoning.
Zydeco Wings Sauce (Cajun Wing Sauce): Mayo, horseradish, worcestershire sauce, whole grain mustard, hot sauce, crushed red pepper flakes.

How to Make the BEST Sweet and Spicy Cajun Wings

Season the Wings – Mix together Cajun seasoning and baking powder. Rub onto all sides of the wings.
Chill Overnight – Lay the wings in a single layer on a pan and leave uncovered in the fridge overnight for at least 8 hours.
Heat Oven and Prepare Pan – Preheat the oven to 450°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy duty foil sprayed with cooking spray.
Transfer to Clean Pan – Arrange wings in a single layer on baking sheet. Spray top side with cooking spray, then lightly sprinkle with additional Cajun seasoning.
Oven – Bake per the cooking time in the recipe. Use tongs to turn, then bake until the juices run clear.
Make Hot Sauce – Mix together hot sauce, butter, honey, Korean bbq sauce and Cajun seasoning in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Simmer over low heat while wings bake until reduced by approximately a third.
Brush with Sauce – After the wings are cooked through increase the oven temperature to broil. Brush wings with the sauce. Broil chicken wings on each side for 2-3 minutes until charred.
Serve – Remove chicken wings to a platter, brush with additional sauce and serve. Use leftover sauce on the side with zydeco wing sauce for dipping.
Dipping Sauces – Make zydeco sauce or serve these chicken wings with ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing.

Tips for Making Cajun Wings

Kitchen Tools You’ll Need: Large sheet pan, small bowl, basting brush, saucepan, measuring cups and spoons, sharp knife and cutting board.
What is Zydeco Wing Sauce? This creamy Cajun wing sauce is known for its zesty flavor and Cajun spice.
Adjust the Cayenne: You can add more salt or cayenne pepper to the spice amounts depending on the amount of each in the Cajun seasoning used.
Why Chill the Wings Overnight? Leaving the wings uncovered in the refrigerator for several hours to allow the skin to lose some moisture before baking will result in crispier wings.
Science Behind Baking Powder: Adding baking powder to the spice rub changes the ph balance thus rendering fat and creating a crispy skin. The end result would be crispy oven fried wings.
Serving Options: Add a batch of homemade blue cheese dip or ranch dressing to the menu for dipping. Serve this with a crudite platter and fresh veggies or crackers.

Recipe Variations

BBQ Sauce: If you’re unable to find the Annie Chun’s Korean Sweet and Spicy Sauce in the recipe you can use an alternate Korean barbecue sauce of your choosing.
Cajun Seasoning: You can make this recipe using Creole or Cajun seasoning i.e. Zatarain’s or Tony Chachere’s are both easy to find.
Barbecue Seasoning: You could use your favorite bbq seasoning in place of Cajun seasoning.

Storage and Leftovers

Leftovers: Store baked Sweet and Spicy Cajun Wings chilled in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheating: Reheat chicken wings in a 350°F oven on a rimmed baking sheet pan or in an air fryer. You can also reheat gently in the microwave.
Freezer: Freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge then reheat just before serving.

More Easy Chicken Recipes to Make

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Rotel Chicken Spaghetti is always a winning choice for dinner.
Sriracha Barbecue Chicken Drumsticks will bring the heat to meal time.
Bacon Wrapped Barbecue Chicken Breasts only require 4 ingredients to make.
Pan Seared Italian Chicken Thighs from Barefeet in the Kitchen.

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