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Hot Honey Chicken Wings deliver everything you want in one bite: crispy skin, juicy meat, and a sticky hot honey glaze that’s sweet with just enough heat. Using my viral crispy air fryer wings method, you get that fried-chicken crunch without breading or deep frying, plus a quick, dump-and-stir sauce that comes together in minutes.
What I love most about these wings is how effortlessly they bring people together. Whether it’s game day, a casual family dinner, or an impromptu get-together, this recipe keeps things simple and stress-free while still feeling special.
The air fryer does the hard work, the sauce comes together in minutes, and suddenly you have a platter of wings everyone wants to gather around, sticky fingers, extra napkins, and all.
What Makes these Hot Honey Wings Special
This recipe keeps making its way back to our table because:
- It starts with my viral crispy air fryer wings that deliver that fried-chicken crunch without flour or breading
- The air fryer does all the heavy lifting, so you get perfectly crispy wings without deep frying or a messy cleanup
- The sauce couldn’t be easier: just dump everything into a pot, stir, and you’ve got a sweet-heat glaze that tastes like you worked way harder than you did
Ingredients You’ll Need
Below are a few helpful notes to set you up for success before you start. You’ll find the exact measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Chicken Wings
- Chicken wings (flats and drums, no tips): Using sectioned wings helps them cook evenly and crisp up better in the air fryer. Wing tips don’t crisp the same and are best saved for stock.
- Sea salt & black pepper: Season lightly, especially if your hot sauce and butter are already salty.
- Spices (smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder): Smoked paprika adds a subtle smoky depth that mimics fried wings, while the other spices build a savory base without overpowering the sauce.
- Baking powder: This is the secret to ultra-crispy skin in the air fryer. It helps draw out moisture so the wings crisp instead of steam.
- Olive oil: Just enough to help the seasoning stick and encourage even browning.
Hot Honey Sauce
- Sriracha sauce: Brings heat and tang. You can adjust the amount to control how spicy the wings turn out.
- Honey: Adds sweetness and that signature sticky glaze. Regular honey, bottled hot honey, truffle honey, or sugar free honey all work perfectly here.
- Salted butter: Creates a rich, glossy sauce and balances the heat and sweetness.
- Red pepper flakes: Optional but recommended for an extra layer of heat and texture in the glaze.
Once you’ve got these ready, the rest comes together quickly, making these perfect for busy nights or last-minute gatherings.
How to Make Hot Honey Chicken Wings
Use the step-by-step photos below as a quick visual guide.
Prep the Seasonings
Mix the seasonings and baking powder. Since the spice mix has a lot of flavor, mixing it before putting in on the wings, helps with coating the wings evenly later.
Prep the Wings
Toss the wings until they’re fully coated in the spice mix. Don’t hold back here; the full seasoning mix helps create the crunch and gives the wings so much flavor.
Arrange the wings in a single layer in the air fryer basket and drizzle lightly with olive oil.
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Air Fry Until Crispy & Make Sauce
Cook the wings until the skin is deeply golden and crisp. I flip them halfway through to make sure the cook is even. I also slightly overcook the wings so they stay crunchy even after I toss them in sauce (we don’t like soggy wings in my house).
When the wings are almost done cooking, whisk the hot honey sauce together in a small saucepan and warm it just until smooth.
Toss & Serve
Toss the hot wings in the glaze, then serve right away with blue cheese dressing for the ultimate sweet-heat bite.
Oven Option for Crispy Wings
Want all the crispiness without an air fryer? Check out my Oven-Baked Wings recipe for a foolproof way to get golden, crunchy wings every time. This method is perfect for bigger batches or when you’re sticking to your oven.
Tips & Tricks for Perfect Wings
Getting crispy, flavorful wings is easier than you think when you follow a few key tricks:
- Pat the wings very dry: the drier the skin, the crispier the result.
- Don’t skip the baking powder: it’s the secret to golden, crunchy skin.
- Give the wings space: cook in a single layer, using batches if needed. When in a pinch, I add to the cook time and flip more often if my air fryer basket is looking full.
- Cook until deeply golden & crisp: this helps them stay crisp under the sauce.
- Sauce right before serving: the wings keep their crunch and flavor.
Simple Substitutions & Variations
One of the best things about this recipe is how easy it is to tweak to your taste or what you have on hand. A few simple swaps can make it feel fresh every time:
- Heat: Use chili garlic sauce instead of sriracha. You can also use a hot sauce that comes with extra seasoning like Franks – I typically, check the ingredients for extras like garlic in addition to the peppers and vinegar.
- Sweet: Swap in a sugar-free honey alternative for low-carb wings.
- Oil: Avocado oil works in place of olive oil.
- Spice level: Adjust red pepper flakes to your taste.
- Protein: Swap the wings and use the sauce for crispy air fryer chicken drumsticks, bone-in chicken thighs, boneless wings, or chicken bites
- Budget-friendly: Buy wings on sale or in bulk and freeze extras for quick meals.
What to Serve With This
If you’re looking to turn these hot honey chicken wings into a party spread, here are some of my favorite recipes to serve this with:
- Ranch Dressing
- Blue Cheese Dressing
- Air Fryer Buffalo Wings
- Honey Sesame Ghost Pepper Wings
- Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings
Common Questions About Hot Honey Chicken Wings
Oh yes! The sweet heat is perfect with crispy wings. It’s the perfect combo of spicy and sweet. You can use the bottled version in this recipe as a spicier substitute for regular honey.
Super simple! I just warm honey with a little sriracha, butter, and red pepper flakes. Then, I toss it with the wings right after they’re done so it clings to every bite.
Baking powder is my little hack. It helps the skin dry out so the wings come out golden and crunchy, even without deep frying.
Yes, seriously good. The sweetness balances the chicken, the heat keeps it interesting, and every bite is just so satisfying. It is spicy though, so think of them as like a sweet & spicy alternative to buffalo wings.
Storage & Reheating
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days
- Reheat in the air fryer at 375°F for 4–6 minutes until hot and crispy
- You can use the microwave if needed, but the wings won’t stay as crispy. I personally eat leftover wings cold!
Hot Honey Chicken Wings
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Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken Wings
- 1.5 lbs Chicken Wings, sectioned into flats and drums (no wing tips)
- 1/4 tsp Natural Ancient Sea Salt, optional
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
- 1.5 tbsp Baking Powder
- Olive oil, for drizzling and browning the wings as they cook, about 2 tbsp
Hot Honey Sauce
- 4 tbsp Sriracha Sauce
- 4 tbsp honey, use a sugar-free honey alternative for low-carb
- 2 tbsp Butter, salted
- 1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
Instructions
- Remove the chicken wing parts from the refrigerator and pat dry (removing as much moisture as possible helps to have a crispy wing skin).
- Mix the sea salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and baking powder in a small dish or ramekin.
- Sprinkle seasoning mixture on the wings and toss to coat. Using all of the seasoning mixture helps make the wings crisp.
- Place wings on a flat, single layer in the air fryer basket. Drizzle olive oil on top.
- Cook the wings for 12-15 minutes per side at 400 degrees. I tend to overcook the wings so that they are still crisp after being topped with sauce.
- When the chicken wings are almost done, add the sauce ingredients to a small saucepan and whisk. I heat it through for about 2 minutes and remove it from the heat.
- Toss the wings in the hot honey and serve with a side of blue cheese dressing immediately.
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Recipe Notes
- Pat the wings very dry: the drier the skin, the crispier the result.
- Don’t skip the baking powder: it’s the secret to golden, crunchy skin.
- Give the wings space: cook in a single layer, using batches if needed. When in a pinch, I add to the cook time and flip more often if my air fryer basket is looking full.
- Cook until deeply golden & crisp: this helps them stay crisp under the sauce.
- Sauce right before serving: the wings keep their crunch and flavor
Nutrition Details
The nutrition facts come from entering the recipe ingredients into Spoonacular API, a database of food ingredients. They may vary for any recipe based on the exact product used.
