Wow. Just, WOW. These Sticky Ginger Chicken Wings are just the right amount of salty, sweet, and spicy with a fresh little zing thanks to the ginger. The sticky gooey sauce is so good that you won’t even care when it gets all over your face and fingers. …but maybe keep some wet naps close by. ;)
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Baked Instead of Fried
Restaurant chicken wings are usually fried, but I have an irrational fear (or maybe it’s a rational fear) of deep-frying, so I make my wings in the oven. Sometimes I’ll bake the wings coated in cornstarch to get a nice crispy skin (see my Honey Mustard Wings), but this time I baked my wings right in the soy ginger sauce so the sauce would reduce and turn into a sticky glaze as the wings baked—no need for a second pot. It’s super easy and there’s no danger of fryer grease splashing or causing third-degree burns (or at least that’s what plays out in my head every time I think about deep-frying).
What Kind of Baking Dish is Best?
I used an 8″x11″ glass casserole dish to bake my wings. I suggest glass or ceramic because they conduct heat a little more evenly than metal, which may cause the sauce to burn a bit more on the edges. If you want to double the batch, just use a larger dish, like a 9″x13″, or one that allows you to spread the chicken wings in a single layer.
What to Serve with Sticky Ginger Chicken Wings
Since these wings are so sticky sweet, I would suggest adding a vegetable-heavy side, like this Crunchy Cabbage Salad, or Sesame Cucumber Salad. And then if you want to also add a starch, try something simple like Sesame Rice or Garlic Noodles.
Sticky Ginger Chicken Wings
Servings 2 about 6 pieces eachIngredients
- 2 lbs. chicken wings or drummettes (6.58)
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.04)
- 1/4 cup honey ($0.66)
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce ($0.12)
- 1 Tbsp chili garlic sauce ($0.13)
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil ($0.24)
- 1 Tbsp rice vinegar ($0.13)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.16)
- 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger ($0.30)
- 2 green onions, sliced ($0.20)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Place the chicken wings in a glass or ceramic baking dish so that they're in a single layer. Drizzle the cooking oil over top, then toss the wings to coat in the oil. Transfer the wings to the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
- While the wings are baking, prepare the sticky ginger sauce. Combine the honey, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, minced garlic, and grated ginger in a bowl.
- After the wings have baked for 15 minutes, pour the sauce over the wings, then toss to coat. Return the wings to the oven and bake for an additional 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced into a sticky glaze and deepened in color. Baking time may vary slightly, so keep an eye on the sauce toward the end of the baking time.
- Top with sliced green onions and serve!
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Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Sticky Ginger Chicken Wings – Step By Step Photos
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Place 2 lbs. chicken wings and/or drummettes in a casserole dish so they’re in a single layer. Drizzle 1 Tbsp cooking oil over top and then toss to coat in the oil. Place the wings in the preheated oven and cook for 15 minutes.
While the wings are beginning to cook, prepare the sticky ginger sauce. In a bowl, stir together ¼ cup honey, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp chili garlic sauce, 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil, 1 Tbsp rice vinegar, 2 cloves of minced garlic, and 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger.
After the wings have cooked for 15 minutes, pour the prepared sauce over top and stir to coat. Return the wings to the oven.
Continue to cook the chicken wings for about 45 minutes more, stirring every 15 minutes or so, or until the sauce has reduced into a sticky glaze and turned deep brown in color. Baking time may vary slightly, so keep an eye on the sauce toward the end of the baking time.
Top with sliced green onions, then serve! Enjoy that sticky-sweet-salty-spicy goodness!
I made as dinner last night and the sauce was superb! I guess in 2010 when first published wings were still a ‘budget’ food. I can’t remember, but now at almost 3 bucks a pound I resorted to legs & thighs I had frozen & needed to use. I did line my Pyrex pan with foil expecting a sticky clean-up & was rewarded with that choice. The legs & thighs worked great, cook time in my oven was about 50 minutes total. Stir fried veggie rice on the side made for a memorable meal. Definitely a keeper & will make again with nods of approval from my S.O.! Thanks for posting….really enjoyed this one!
I made this with the cucumber salad and it was amazing. I’ve already made it three times. Highly recommend!
I made this for my family this evening. I followed the recipe exactly as written, except I didn’t have chili garlic sauce… I used hoisin sauce instead! It was a terrific success! I’ll definitely cook this again soon.
Hi. Could I make this in an air fryer? Guess it will have to be done in smaller batches.
I don’t suggest cooking the wings in the air fryer with the sauce because the sauce will just slide off and burn on the bottom of the fryer. Instead, you can use our air fryer chicken wings recipe, then cook this sauce separately on the stovetop in a pot until it reduces into a glaze. Toss the chicken wings in the glaze after they are air fried. :)
Absolutely the best wings recipe, easy to make and all of the flavors meld perfectly!
Another delicious Budget Bytes recipe! I’ve eaten chicken wings for years but never made them. These were incredibly good and my kids agreed. Thank you for providing awesome recipes that are actually doable!
I made this tonight for dinner and it was so delicious! The sauce was amazing! I did change up how I cooked it so there was less clean up, but it still turned out perfect. I covered cookie sheets with foil, baked the chicken with the oil for 50 minutes, boiled sauce in saucepan in the meantime, then added sauce and baked 10 minutes. I spooned some of sauce back onto chicken and added 5 minutes in oven because my sauce was a little runny – the runny consistency didn’t even matter because it bakes onto the chicken well. The result was crispy, sticky, finger-licking goodness. The family loved it and I will absolutely make this again. I wanna try it with legs next time.
Love the sauce! I can imagine using it on all kinds of proteins. The dish is very good, but I like crispy skin so I might try it as a glaze on skinless thighs I have to think about it because that sauce is to die for.
The sauce is AMAZING!! It’s already getting hot enough outside that I didn’t want to turn my oven on, so cooked them in my Foodi (which is also nice because it lets me start from frozen, I’m never prepared lol). In the last half of the air crisping step I tossed the wings in the sauce, and the glaze came out PERFECT, sticky and sweet and wonderful. I think next time I’ll double the chili sauce, I’d have liked more spice with the sweet. Had a salad on the side with ginger dressing, it was wonderful <3
These were so good! I had to cut the cook time by 5 minutes or so because my sauce was getting thick. Chicken was cooked absolutely perfectly. I paired this with a cucumber salad.
I have never cooked with some of these ingredients before, so that was fun. I wonder if I used too much chicken, though, because the glaze wasn’t as sweet or spicy as I thought it would be. I just added some extra honey
These wings were beautiful looking and perfect for guests. Really easy to make.
Absolutely delicious. My kids love this recipe!!