Grilled Honey Hot Wings
Beautiful, binge-worthy Grilled Honey Hot Wings bathed in a sweet and spicy sauce are a savory, super tasty game day snack!
Grilled Honey Hot Wings are the ultimate salty, savory snack! Chicken wings are simple to prep, grill up gloriously juicy and crispy, and finish with a 4-ingredient sauce of honey, butter, hot sauce, and garlic that is absolutely out of this world!
What’s So Great About Chicken Wings Anyway?
Chicken wings are incredibly popular these days! Buffalo wings, deep-fried wings, bbq wings, boneless wings…entire take-out restaurants devoted entirely to chicken wings and the plethora of sauces for dipping them in!
But what makes hot wings so great?
For one, they’re economical. While the price of every other food has skyrocketed, chicken wings remain reasonable. For another, they’re simple to make! Just 5 minutes to season, then toss them on the grill while you whip up a simple sauce! And finally, they have that perfect tender-meat-to-crispy-skin ratio that makes these perfect 2-bite appetizers a MASSIVE crowd-pleaser!
Other Game Day Recipes to Serve with Hot Wings
- Three-Ingredient Sausage Roll Bites are another easy-to-make & bake game day snack food!
- Game Day Bacon Cheese Balls – Bacon. Cheese. Do I need to say more?
Ingredients
Chicken: Chicken wings with the tips discarded. That’s all you need! Of course, you can do wingettes, drumettes, or even boneless “chicken wings” if you want!
Seasoning: These grilled chicken wings are seasoned with salt, pepper, and onion powder, which gives the crispy skin a salty, tangy taste!
Sauce: Honey, melted butter, hot sauce (your favorite), and chopped garlic whip together to make the most amazing sauce to coat the grilled chicken wings. It’s SO yummy!
Dip: The wings are amazing on their own, but a thick, creamy blue cheese dressing makes a delicious dipping sauce!
How to Make Grilled Honey Hot Wings
STEP ONE: Preheat the grill to medium-high. In a large bowl, toss the wings with salt, pepper, and onion powder until they’re evenly coated.
STEP TWO: Grill with the lid closed for about 18-22 minutes (opening to flip the wings every 3-5 minutes) until the juices run clear.
STEP THREE: While the wings are grilling, combine the honey, melted butter, hot sauce, and garlic in a large bowl.
STEP FOUR: Remove the wings from the grill and place them straight into this sauce. Coat them thoroughly, then return the wings to the grill to cook for another 2-3 minutes until the sauce becomes thick and sticky.
STEP FIVE: Remove the finished wings from the grill and toss them in the sauce a second time. Arrange the finished wings on a platter and serve with Blue Cheese Dressing for dipping!
Tips for Success
- Don’t underestimate how many wings you must make – they go FAST!
- To prevent the wings from sticking, drizzle them with a tablespoon or two of cooking oil before seasoning and tossing them onto the grill.
- If using wingettes and drumettes, cook them separately, as the wingettes will cook up faster.
- A meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken should read 165 degrees F to ensure it is done.
- Always leave the skin on chicken wings! The skin is their superpower!
- Don’t overcrowd the grill – each wing deserves its own cooking space to get perfectly crisp and done!
- Flip the meat on the grill every few minutes throughout the cooking process for evenly cooked and charred wings!
- Serve wings with carrot and celery sticks with ranch or bleu cheese dressing!
What’s the Secret to Great Chicken Wings?
Perfect chicken wings should be charred and crispy outside, tender and juicy inside, and have an amazing sauce! The key to achieving this perfection is to start the wings on the grill over indirect heat, slowly cook them for 15 minutes, then move them over direct heat to give them a beautiful charred finish and a super crispy skin! Serve them with your favorite wing sauce, and you’re good to go!
Can You Make Hot Wings in the Oven?
Hot wings can be baked or broiled in the oven or fried in the air fryer if the weather doesn’t call for grilling. Preheat to 400 degrees F for the oven method, place the lightly oiled and seasoned wings on a wire rack (over a baking pan) so they brown on all sides, and bake for 40 minutes. They’ll be crispy and juicy!
Or, you can broil chicken wings in the oven on a rack about 6 inches from the top, flipping every 5 minutes. (Warning: This method will smoke up your kitchen!)
Wings can also be air-fried at 400 degrees F for about 25 minutes. Toss them about halfway through cooking to keep them from sticking. They will be super crispy and flavorful!
So, while you can definitely make great chicken wings in the kitchen, just know there is no substitute for grilling! Tossing chicken wings on the grill is the only way to get those beautifully browned edges and that signature charred flavor!
Other Great Grilled Chicken Recipes
- Grilled BBQ Chicken Legs
- Tequila Lime Grilled Chicken
- Grilled Barbecue Chicken Salad
- Berry Avocado Grilled Chicken Salad
- Grilled Chicken Fajita Skewers
- Teriyaki Grilled Chicken
*This post originally posted on 09/25/2014.
Grilled Honey Hot Wings
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
- Place the chicken wings in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle them with salt, pepper, and onion powder, and then toss them to coat.
- Place the wings on the grill and cook for about 18-22 minutes, flipping every 3-5 minutes. They're done when the juices run clear and the internal temp reaches 165 degrees F.
- While the wings are grilling, in a large mixing bowl combine the honey, butter, hot sauce and garlic
- Pull the wings from the grill and put them into the bowl with the honey hot sauce mixture. Toss to coat evenly.
- Place the wings back on the grill and cook another 2-3 minutes to thicken the sauce. Place them back in the sauce and toss on more time.
- Serve warm with Super Thick and Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing for dipping and celery and carrot sticks if desired.
Aubrey, loving these wings! My boys would be diggin’ these, as well! So happy you shared these grilled honey goodness with all of us at the Show Stopper this week… you rock!
I love honey hot wings! They’re my favorite!!