Honey Chipotle Chicken Wings
Sweet, sticky and spicy. These wings are finger-licking good! They’re incredibly easy to make and only require a few ingredients. You can cook the wings in one of two ways: oven-grilled or crispy-baked. The oven-grilled method gives the wings a good char, which add huge amounts of flavour. The crispy-baked method doesn’t char the wings, but it does make them nice and crispy. Both are delicious – it just depends on what you prefer!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 5 as a starter/snack 1x
- Category: Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 kg chicken wings, halved at the joint
- 2 tsps chipotle chilli flakes
- 2 tsps garlic granules
- 4 tbsps runny honey
- 1 kg chicken wings, halved at the joint
- 2 tsps chipotle chilli flakes
- 2 tsps garlic granules
- ¾ tsp fine sea salt
- ½ tsp baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
- ¼ tsp freshly-ground black pepper
- 4 tbsps runny honey
Instructions
Method 1: oven-grill
- Heat your oven grill to medium-high. Pat the wings dry with some clean kitchen towel and transfer to a large bowl.
- Season generously with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper. Add the chipotle chilli flakes and garlic granules and toss to coat, ensuring that the chicken is evenly coated.
- Line a large baking tray with foil and grease lightly. Arrange the wings in a single layer, skin-side down. Roast for 15 minutes on the top rack of your oven. Keep an eye on it; if it looks as though things are burning, lower the tray to the middle rack.
- Remove the tray from the oven. Flip the wings and return the tray to the oven for a further 10 minutes, or until cooked through.
- Remove the tray from the oven. Add the honey and toss to coat. Return the wings to the oven and roast for 3 to 5 minutes, or until nice and caramelised. Serve and enjoy!
Method 2: crispy-baked
Baked wings that are actually crispy! How? Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) and a double bake. First, bicarbonate of soda increases the alkalinity of the chicken skin, which makes it brown and crisp up better and faster. You’re only adding a very small amount – not enough to coat the chicken, but enough to increase its pH. Second, baking your wings at a very low temperature before roasting them on high helps to dry them out and render out some of the fat, which makes for delicious, crispy wings. It’s a process, but it’s so worth it!
- Heat your oven to 120℃. Place a wire rack in a large baking tray – cooking the wings on the rack rather than directly on the baking tray allows the hot air to circulate around the wings, making for crispier chicken.
- Pat the wings dry with some clean kitchen towel – moisture is the enemy of crispiness! Transfer them to a large bowl.
- Add the chipotle chilli flakes, garlic granules, salt, bicarbonate of soda and black pepper to a small bowl and mix until well-combined.
- Sprinkle the seasoning over the wings and toss with your hands to coat. There isn’t enough seasoning to coat the chicken as such, but you want to ensure that the seasoning is evenly spread throughout.
- Arrange the wings in a single layer on the wire rack. Bake the wings at 120℃ for 30 minutes then take them out of the oven. They will look pale and dry, and that’s the point! Note: they are still raw at this point, so don’t go in for a bite (at this stage, they won’t look appetising so I doubt you’ll want to anyway).
- Increase the oven temperature to 230℃, or, if possible, 250℃. Once your oven is up to temperature, roast the wings for 25 to 30 minutes, flipping them halfway through, or until golden and crisp. Let them rest for 5 minutes – this will help them crisp up even more.
- Transfer the wings to a large bowl. Add the honey and toss to coat. Serve immediately and enjoy!
