I love a good BBQ – summer skies, hot sunny days, fresh food and good company – and honey BBQ chicken wings… you always serve those, right? But who says they are limited to barbecues? Barbecue chicken wings in the oven are just as delicious (and let’s face it, it’s not summer year round!). This honey barbecue wings recipe ticks all those boxes and more! And marinating your wings in the perfect honey BBQ wing sauce recipe is the secret.
I have tried out so many recipes for BBQ chicken wings and this one has to be up there with my all time favorites. In fact, I think it could be a contender for the best BBQ chicken wings recipe ever!
This delicious honey BBQ wings recipe is tasty AND healthy, as it broils the wings rather than fries them. Marinate your chicken in my amazing honey barbecue sauce for wings before grilling them. Super crispy, incredibly tasty and they soak up the sauce perfectly. Heaven on a grill!
These are much messier than my grilled cilantro lime wings, but they are worth it, I promise.
How Long Do Honey Barbecue Wings Take?
The actual cooking of the honey BBQ chicken wings takes barely any time at all. Just around a half hour under the broiler – flipping them half way through cooking.
But, it really is worth taking the time to marinate the wings in the honey BBQ sauce before cooking them. At least an hour is best! This allows the flavors to absorb into the meat.
How To Make Honey BBQ Wings
There are just 3 steps for how to make honey bbq wings – make the sauce/marinade, marinate the chicken wings, and finally broil them!
How to make honey barbecue sauce for wings:
To make the honey BBQ sauce (which is also the BBQ chicken wings marinade!), you’ll simply simmer these ingredients together:
- Tomato paste
- Honey
- Molasses
- Dijon mustard
- Lemon juice
- Apple cider vinegar
- Paprika
- Ghee
- Cayenne pepper hot sauce
- Sea salt
How to use BBQ chicken wings marinade:
When the marinade is ready, reserve half of it for later. Toss the raw wings with the other half, then set in the fridge to marinate for at least an hour. Don’t forget to cover the chicken with plastic wrap before putting it into the refrigerator.
To make the honey barbecue sauce for wings, simply add all the ingredients except the wings to a pan and bring to a boil. Once you reach boiling point, lower the temperature of the hob and simmer for a few minutes to allow the flavors to combine and intensify.
TIP: The flavors will continue to intensify and absorb into the chicken the longer you leave it. This can be left to marinate overnight if you wish.
How to cook honey BBQ chicken wings:
Cooking honey barbecue chicken wings in the oven is super easy!
In a preheated broiler, broil the coated wings for 12-15 minutes or until the wings start to go crispy and charred in a few spots. Flip the wings over and broil for another 12 minutes.
Finally, toss the wings in the remaining sauce to serve!
How Many Calories Are In BBQ Chicken Wings?
This honey BBQ wings recipe has 227 calories, 14 grams carbohydrates, 13 grams of fat and 12 grams of protein. A serving is 1/4 lb, which is about 4-5 wings.
Can Honey BBQ Wings Be Made In Advance?
Yes, you can make these ahead! The chicken can be prepared and marinated in the special honey barbecue sauce for wings in advance. Just broil when you are ready to serve them.
TIP: Honey BBQ chicken wings are great to take in a lunch box to work or school as a cold snack. They are also perfect to serve at a buffet with other cold meats.
Can Honey BBQ Wings Be Baked In The Oven?
Once you know how to make homemade honey BBQ wings in the oven under the broiler, you might wonder if you could just bake them without broiling. Yes, you could, but they don’t turn out quite as crispy.
If you want super crispy honey barbecue wings, broiling is best!
What Goes With BBQ Chicken Wings?
There are so many recipes that I love to serve with this baked barbecue chicken wings recipe. Here are a few sides to try with it:
- Cauliflower potato salad
- Dairy-free ranch dressing – for dipping celery sticks!
- German pan fried potatoes
- Paleo baked blooming onion
The photos show these wings served with a simple red cabbage slaw, but pomegranate Mexican slaw takes it to a whole new level!
Easy Honey Barbecue Chicken Wings Recipe:
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RECIPE CARD
Spicy Honey BBQ Chicken Wings Recipe
The perfect sweet & spicy honey barbecue wings recipe! Find out how to make baked honey BBQ wings that are EASY - with the best honey barbecue sauce for wings.
Ingredients
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- 2 lbs Chicken wings
- 6 oz Tomato paste
- 4 tablespoons Honey
- 1 tablespoon Blackstrap molasses
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- 2 tablespoons Ghee
- 1/2 cup Cayenne pepper hot sauce
- 1 pinch Sea salt
Instructions
More TIPS about this paleo recipe in the post above!
Bring all ingredients except wings to a boil. Bring heat down and let simmer for a 3-5 minutes for the flavors to combine.
Toss half of the sauce with the wings and let marinate for at least 1 hour .
- Preheat the broiler to high.
Broil for 12-15 minutes or until the skin is getting crispy and charred in a few spots.
Flip and broil another 12 minutes.
- Toss with remaining sauce and serve.
Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1/4 lb honey BBQ wings
Nutrition Information Per Serving
Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database. Net carb count excludes both fiber and sugar alcohols (though the latter are rarely seen on this site), because these do not affect blood sugar in most people. We try to be accurate, but feel free to make your own calculations.
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11 Comments
Sharon Stewart
I forgot to rate the recipe – 5 stars!
Sharon Stewart
I don’t do spicy so was a bit wary of the hot sauce (used Franks original), but these came out fabulously. Just savory-sweet goodness! Served at my Christmas Bunco party last night with other appetizers and desserts. Mine didn’t require quite as long under the broiler, maybe they were closer – just keep an eye on them. Kept warm in my electric frying pan (set to 175 degrees) to serve. Seriously messy, have lots of napkins nearby, but nobody complained, just ate more. I doubled the recipe, for 4.5lbs of wings, and had enough sauce leftover that I’m freezing for a future small batch. No problem with that, consider it an extra bonus, assemble once, enjoy twice!
Jean
I love the flavors you’ve infused into these wings but I’ll say that my favorite part is that they’re broiled. I’ve never liked dealing with the mess associated with fried foods–love this idea!
Amanda
These are AMAZING. I love when wings are sweet and spicy!
Martha
I love how you’ve combined two of my favorite kinds of wings… buffalo-inspired thanks to the Frank’s Hot Sauce and the honey and molasses. Now – I don’t have to choose…!
Lauren
It’s truly the best of both worlds! Thanks for stopping by Martha!
Pam
Just how I like my wings – nice and messy!
Blessing
Whoa, these were superb! Thanks for the detailed recipe.
Kristy
Girl, you and your wing recipes have made me a die-hard fan! I will definitely do the blue cheese thing although they look perfect without it. Thanks for the great Super Bowl recipes!
Lauren
Ha, thanks Kristy! Blue cheese is the way to go for sure if you’re ok with dairy.
Marye
I love a good honey BBQ sauce! These were fantastic.