On the weekends, I look forward to watching football games – usually because there’s food involved! And, I have to say, chicken wings are my No. 1 choice for game day or a watch party I may be attending or hosting!
When it comes to hosting the watch party or a tailgate, spending time in the kitchen is not ideal. You certainly don’t want to miss out on all the game day action! My goal with this recipe is to keep active cooking time to a minimum but create maximum flavor. The answer to achieving both of those things: dry brining, oven roasting and glazing.
Dry brining consists of heavily seasoning meat with salt and sugar, and allowing it to sit for 12 hours or overnight in the fridge. The meat absorbs a lot of the seasoning during this time! For chicken wings, the process also helps expel moisture from the skin, which promotes crisping. I also added baking soda to this recipe, another trick to achieving crispy wings.
I felt the wings needed a final touch of sweet and spicy, so I added a honey-hot sauce glaze and allowed enough time for the sugar to caramelize. This leaves you with a sticky and spicy chicken wing to enjoy and share with your fellow football fans! Please enjoy, and don’t forget to share with me on Instagram!
Oven-Baked Spicy Sweet Chicken Wings
Spice Rub:
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
Wings:
- 2 pounds chicken wings (about 11-12 wings)
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable or neutral oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
Glaze:
- 2 tablespoons honey (or agave)
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce
- ranch dressing, for serving
To make spice rub: In bowl, combine salt, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, cayenne, pepper, coriander and brown sugar.
To make wings: Pat wings dry. In two batches, toss 5-6 wings with 1 tablespoon spice rub and 1 teaspoon baking soda. Set wings on wire rack atop rimmed sheet pan. Set in fridge, uncovered, to dry brine at least 6 hours, or overnight. Reserve remaining spice rub.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line rimmed sheet pan with foil and place oven-safe wire rack on pan.
Pat wings dry. Toss with vegetable oil, salt and remaining spice rub.
Place wings on wire rack, skin side up. Ensure they are not touching to promote crisping. Roast 45 minutes.
To make glaze: In small bowl, mix honey and hot sauce.
Remove sheet pan from oven. Increase temperature to 400 F.
Flip wings. Brush on glaze. Roast 7-10 minutes, ensuring wing tips don’t begin to burn.
Remove sheet pan from oven, flip wings, brush on more glaze and return to oven until skin is shiny and crisp, about 10 minutes.
Let rest and cool. Serve with ranch.
Hi! I am Claire Jaspers, of @Claires.Table on Instagram. I live in Kansas City, Kansas with my husband, Austin, and our dog and cat, Teddy and Olive. I started my cooking and food Instagram a of couple years ago, as I really began diving into food and learning new techniques, challenging myself to weekend baking projects. In my free time, you can usually find me flipping through food magazines, reading cookbooks, and listening to the latest foodie podcast, in addition to exploring all the culinary corners that Kansas City has to offer. At Claire's Table, I share tips and recipes (and those baking challenges) to inspire and empower others to learn and cook in their own kitchens and love it as much as I do! I also love to share all the good eats around KC. I hope you enjoy this recipe and come check me out on Insta!