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Spicy Honey-Garlic Wings

To know me is to know my love for chicken wings runs deep. These spicy honey-garlic chicken wings might be my new favorite! It was love at first crunch with a burst of spicy, sweet, and tangy flavor.

The foundation of flavor in these spicy honey-garlic wings is the buttermilk and hot sauce-based marinade. Buttermilk injects more juiciness and tang into the wings right down to the bone, while the hot sauce ensures heat is tasted in every bite.

For wings that I plan to sauce, I want to make sure they remain crispy and crunchy once coated. Rice flour and cornstarch work particularly well because they fry up crispier than wheat flour. They also absorb less moisture and fat during the frying process, making the chicken wings less greasy. Using a rice flour and cornstarch batter will ensure the wings keep their crispy shell even after being dunked in the spicy honey-garlic sauce.

In the battle of drums vs. flats, I've never met a wing I didn't like. I don't discriminate so I keep the wings whole and in tact because I'm going to eat the whole thing!

Spicy Honey-Garlic Wing Ingredients

  • Whole chicken wings but you use party wings
  • Marinade - buttermilk, hot sauce, bay leaves, Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning, Italian Seasoning
  • Batter - rich flour, cornstarch, round mustard, ginger, paprika, Chinese 5 spice, Creole seasoning and Italian seasoning
  • Honey-Garlic Sauce - honey, minced garlic, butter, chili flakes, soy sauce, Creole Seasoning

How to Make Spicy Honey-Garlic Wings

  1. Combine buttermilk, hot sauce and bay leaves to a large bowl and stir. Add in at least 1 tablespoon of Creole and Italian seasoning and stir until well combined. 
  2. Add in chicken wings and stir until fully coated. Cover and place in the refrigerator for an hour or overnight. 
  3. Prepare dry batter by combining rice flour, and cornstarch in a large bowl. Stir in ground mustard, ginger, paprika, chinese 5 spice, and 2 tablespoons of Creole seasoning and Italian seasoning.
  4. Remove chicken from the refrigerator and allow to get to room temperature. 
  5. Add cooking oil to a heavy-bottomed pot or deep fryer. Heat oil to 300F. 
  6. Remove a chicken wing at a time from the buttermilk marinade and coat toss into the dry batter. Coat each wing fully, pressing the flour onto the chicken to ensure it sticks. Repeat until all chicken wings are coated. Preheat the oven to 200F and place chicken in oven on an oven safe baking sheet to remain warm while you cook the remaining chicken.
  7. In batches, fry chicken wings for 10-12 min until fully cooked and golden brown. Once all chickens are cooked, raise heat to 350F and fry them in batches again for another 3-5 minutes. 
  8. Make the honey-garlic sauce by melting the butter in a skillet over medium heat.
  9. Stir in minced garlic and allow to cook for 3 minutes or until fragrant. 
  10. Pour in honey, soy sauce, and stir. Stir in paprika, chili flakes, and Creole seasoning. 
  11. Coat each chicken wing in the honey-garlic sauce using a basting brush.

When frying the wings in batches, keep them in the oven to stay warm while you finish frying the rest.

Cuisine
Time
Prep Time: 10 10 mins Cook Time: 30 30 mins Total Time: 40 mins
Servings 6
Ingredients
  • 2-3 pounds whole chicken wings
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 1/4 cup hot sauce
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 1/2 cup rice flour
  • 1 cup cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 3 tablespoons Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning (or to taste)
  • 3 tablespoons Italian seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon Chinese 5-Spice
    • Honey Garlic Sauce
  • 1/3 cup minced garlic
  • 3/4 cups butter
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1 tablespoon chili flakes
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Instructions

  1. Combine buttermilk, hot sauce and bay leaves to a large bowl and stir. Add in at least 1 tablespoon of Creole and Italian seasoning and stir until well combined. 

  2. Add in chicken wings and stir until fully coated. Cover and place in the refrigerator for an hour or overnight. 

  3. Prepare dry batter by combining rice flour, and cornstarch in a large bowl. Stir in ground mustard, ginger, paprika, Chinese 5 spice, and 2 tablespoons of Creole seasoning and Italian seasoning.

  4. Remove chicken from the refrigerator and allow to get to room temperature. 

  5. Add cooking oil to a heavy-bottomed pot or deep fryer. Heat oil to 300F. 

  6. Remove a chicken wing at a time from the buttermilk marinade and coat toss into the dry batter. Coat each wing fully, pressing the flour onto the chicken to ensure it sticks. Repeat until all chicken wings are coated. Preheat the oven to 200F and place chicken in oven on an oven safe baking sheet to remain warm while you cook the remaining chicken.

  7. In batches, fry chicken wings for 10-12 min until fully cooked and golden brown. Once all chickens are cooked, raise heat to 350F and fry them in batches again for another 3-5 minutes. 

  8. Make the honey-garlic sauce by melting the butter in a skillet over medium heat.

  9. Stir in minced garlic and allow to cook for 3 minutes or until fragrant. 

  10. Pour in honey, soy sauce, and stir. Stir in paprika, chili flakes, and Creole seasoning. 

  11. Coat each chicken wing in the honey-garlic sauce using a basting brush. Enjoy! 

Keywords: poultry, chicken, chicken wings, honey garlic wings, spicy wings
Read it online: https://creoleseoul.com/recipe/spicy-honey-garlic-wings/
Devin Smith

I’m a homegrown food lover, whom influenced by my mama and MoMo, grew into a self-taught foodmaker. Outside of my day job in tech,, I enjoy developing Cajun/Creole and Asian Fusion recipes, and taking pretty, mouth-watering photos of the food I make. When not in the kitchen, find me binge watching a true crime docuseries or collecting passport stamps across the globe!