Honey Barbecue Chicken Wings

These sweet and sticky Honey Barbecue Chicken Wings are made in an air fryer.  They’re perfectly seasoned and they turn out juicy on the inside with a crispy exterior. They can be made in the oven, too!

Ingredients to Make Honey Barbecue Chicken Wings Recipe

When I develop and share a recipe with you using a specific appliance, I like to offer other ways to make the recipe. I totally recognize not everyone has an air fryer, and I’m happy to let you know how to make these in the oven as well. Ingredients to make Air Fryer Chicken Wings: (Scroll down for full printable recipe card.)

• Chicken: Chicken wings flats and drummettes.
• Dry Rub: Cornstarch,  garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper.
• Oil: Cooking spray or an oil mister. You can use your favorite kind of cooking spray even a baking spray, if that’s what you have on hand.
• BBQ Sauce: One half cup of your favorite thick barbecue sauce.
• Honey: Adds sweetness and expands the flavor.
• Brown Sugar: For a hint of molasses.
• Citrus: One or two tablespoons of orange juice for a hint of acidic to balance the sweetness.
• Ketchup: Ketchup adds a tomato flavor.
• Soy Sauce: Adds depth to the sauce.
• Parsley: Fresh parsley for garnishing.

How to Make the BEST Honey Barbecue Chicken Wings Recipe

• Prepare Air Fryer – Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Pat dry all the chicken wing pieces with a paper towel.
• Seasonings – In a small bowl whisk together cornstarch, garlic, salt, onion powder and lemon pepper.
• Season Chicken – Toss the chicken with seasoning mixture, rubbing into the chicken coating thoroughly. Spray honey-barbecue wings with cooking spray on all sides.
• Arrange Chicken in Air Fryer – Place wings in the air-fryer basket and cook per the recipe stopping to turn halfway through cooking to flip. Depending on size of chicken wings and the type of air fryer used, you may need to cook in batches. Do not overcrowd the air fryer.  (Look for 165°F internal temperature)
• Make Sauce – While wings cook, bring the barbeque sauce, honey, brown sugar, orange juice, ketchup, and soy sauce to a simmer in a medium sized saucepan. Simmer until thickened.
• Combine – After cooking, toss chicken wings with honey barbeque sauce until coated. (You may also do this brushing onto the wings in the last 2 minutes of cooking to char)
• Serve – Serve honey bbq chicken wings warm.

Tips for Making Honey BBQ Chicken Wings

• Kitchen Tools You’ll Need: So, for this recipe you’ll need an air fryer, mixing bowls and measuring tools, paper towels and a small saucepan. If you’re opting to make them in the oven, replace the air fryer with a large baking sheet lined with heavy duty foil sprayed with cooking spray.
• Use a Quality BBQ Seasoning: You can change the flavor profile of these wings depending on the kind and flavor of barbecue sauce that you use. There are a ton of flavored barbeque sauces readily available, so if you prefer to use one that has some extra flavor, you certainly can. A thicker barbecue sauce works best as the base for the remaining ingredients.
• Spray the Wings Liberally with Oil for a Crisp Skin: It’s important to spray the wings with cooking spray or an oil mister. The cornstarch on the chicken wings can end up being a little grainy if you don’t soak the chicken wings with some cooking spray. To get a nice, crispy finish on the chicken, coat it well. It will mix with the oil to give you the delicious bite everyone wants in a fried chicken wing.
• Broil in the Oven to Char Further: I find it helpful when frying in batches to broil the chicken under the oven broiler while the next batch cooks. This is completely optional.
• Serving Options: Serve with fresh veggies such as carrot or celery sticks, and extra honey-barbecue sauce or ranch dressing and bleu cheese dip on the side for dipping.

Recipe Variations

• Sugar: The chicken wing sauce uses honey and brown sugar. Granulated white sugar could be substituted here, if needed. It may change the flavor slightly, but it will still work. Do this only in a pinch.
• Seasonings: You could add one teaspoon dark chili powder or cayenne pepper to the spice rub.
• Juice: For the orange juice in the recipe you can use either fresh orange juice, or juice from a frozen concentrate. You could also use apple or pineapple juice, if that’s what you have on hand.
• Ketchup and Soy Sauce: You could replace soy with teriyaki or even Worcestershire sauce.

Storage and Leftovers

• Leftovers: Store Air Fryer Honey Barbecue Chicken Wings in an airtight container chilled in the refrigerator for up tp 3 days.
• Reheating: Reheat gently in a 325°F air fryer just until heated through or under the oven broiler, turning as needed.
• Freezer: You can also freeze these wings for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge and reheat just before serving.

How to Make Honey Barbecue Chicken Wings in the Oven

These juicy wings can be made in the oven with equally delicious results. You’ll note the instructions are also printable with the recipe in the recipe card.

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with foil sprayed with cooking spray.
• In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch, garlic, salt, onion powder, lemon pepper and paprika. Toss wings with mixture. Place in a single layer on baking sheet without touching.
• Bake per the cooking time in the recipe flipping halfway through, OR until skin is crispy and golden brown. Remove from oven. (Baking time depends on size of wings, adapt accordingly)
• Turn oven to 500°F (Broil)
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl whisk together barbeque sauce, honey, brown sugar, orange juice, ketchup, and soy sauce. Add wings, tossing until coated on all sides. 
• Return barbecue coated wings to the baking sheet in a single layer, without touching.
• Return to the oven and broil just until sauce is bubbly and caramelized.Turn with tongs to achieve even char. Don’t walk away.
• Let stand for 5 minutes, then serve.

More Easy Chicken Recipes to Make

• Air Fryer Southern Fried Chicken is finger lickign good.
• Baked Buffalo Wings for game day and tailgating.
• Asian inspired Sticky Sriracha Barbecue Chicken Drumsticks. 
• Greek inspired Air Fryer Chicken Thighs.
• Air Fryer Barbecue Chicken Breasts cook in minutes for a quick meal.
• Air Fryer Chicken Tenders from Skinnytaste.

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Helpful Kitchen Items:

• Air Fryer
• Mixing Bowls
• Oil Mister
• Tongs