I’ll admit it, I’m not a wing girl, but slather them in this rich Raspberry Balsamic Sauce and I can’t get enough. These Raspberry Balsamic Baked Chicken Wings are sweet, tangy, and deliciously rich. And guess what? I don’t have to feel so bad about it because these super crispy little wings are actually baked, not fried.
Okay, and here’s something else I’ll admit: half the reason I wanted to bake them is because large amounts of hot oil scares me to death. So, whether you make these Raspberry Balsamic Baked Chicken Wings because you want to indulge without being too “indulgey” or you’re just terrified of deep frying like I am, this cornstarch baking method is going to be your salvation.
Balsamic Vinegar Lovers, This One’s For You.
This sweet and tangy raspberry balsamic sauce is really easy to whip up (it only takes about 10 minutes), but you do need to be a fan of balsamic vinegar to like it. So, if you’re not into balsamic vinegar, head over to my Crispy Baked Honey Sriracha Chicken Drumsticks post for an alternative sauce idea. Or, just use your favorite bottled wing sauce, teriyaki sauce (here’s my homemade teriyaki sauce recipe), or whatever type of sauce you like on your wings.
This is a Small Batch Recipe, Scale Up as Needed.
Oh, one more thing. This is a fairly small batch recipe because I am not having a party for the “big game”, so if you’re planning on making these for a gathering, you might want to just double the recipe. There is enough sauce in the recipe below for up to about 2 lbs. of chicken, though.
Ready to see how to make some super killer homemade wings??
Raspberry Balsamic Baked Chicken Wings
Servings 3 4 pieces eachIngredients
CHICKEN
- 1.5 lbs chicken wings and drumettes ($4.75)
- Salt and Pepper ($0.05)
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch ($0.08)
RASPBERRY BALSAMIC SAUCE
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar ($0.44)
- 1/2 cup raspberry jam ($1.01)
- 1/4 cup water ($0.00)
- 1 tsp freshly grated ginger ($0.05)
- 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce ($0.05)
- 2 Tbsp butter ($0.26)
- 1 green onion, thinly sliced* ($0.11)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with foil for easy clean up. Lay two wire racks over the foil to elevate the chicken pieces. Spritz the wire racks with oil for easy clean up, if desired.
- Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towel, then season them with a pinch of salt and pepper. Place the chicken pieces in a bowl and dust with cornstarch. Toss the chicken in the cornstarch until they are fully and evenly coated. Arrange the coated chicken pieces on the prepared baking sheet so they are not touching.
- Bake the chicken in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, or until the chicken is golden brown and crispy.
- While the chicken is in the oven, prepare the raspberry balsamic sauce. Place the balsamic vinegar, raspberry jam, water, soy sauce, and ginger in a small sauce pot. Place the pot over medium-low heat and whisk the ingredients together until dissolved. Allow the sauce to come up to a boil, then boil for five minutes, whisking often, or until the mixture is thick an syrupy. Remove the sauce from the heat, then stir in the butter. Allow the sauce to cool (it will thicken further as it cools).
- When the chicken is finished baking, place the pieces in a large clean bowl. Pour the sauce over top, and add the sliced green onion. Toss the chicken until it is fully coated in sauce. Serve warm.
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Notes
Nutrition
Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Baked Chicken Wings – Step by Step Photos
Begin by preheating the oven to 400ºF. Pat 1.5 lbs. of chicken wings and drumettes dry with paper towel. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper, then place them in a bowl. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp cornstarch over the chicken and then toss the chicken until the pieces are fully coated in cornstarch.
Line a baking sheet with foil for easy clean up, then place two wire racks over the foil to elevate the chicken pieces (spritzing the wire racks with non-stick spray also makes it easier to clean). Place the cornstarch coated chicken pieces on the racks so that they are not touching each other. If you don’t have wire racks, you can place them directly on the sheet, but the bottoms may not get quite as crispy.
Bake the chicken pieces in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, or until they’re golden brown and crispy. They won’t get SUPER brown or dark, so just look for this golden color and for the drippings below to be darkened.
While the chicken is baking, prepare the Raspberry Balsamic Sauce. Add 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, 1/2 cup raspberry jam, 1/4 cup water, 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce, and about 1 tsp grated fresh ginger to a small sauce pot. Heat the mixture over medium-low, while whisking, to dissolve the jam. Let it come up to a boil, then let it continue to boil (stirring often) for five minutes. After five minutes the mixture should be slightly thicker and syrupy. Remove the sauce from the heat, then stir in 2 Tbsp butter. Let the sauce cool (it will continue to thicken as it cools).
When the chicken comes out of the oven, place the chicken pieces and one thinly sliced green onion in a large bowl and pour the thickened sauce over top.
Toss the wings in the glaze until they are fully coated, then serve. You can keep a few slices of green onion to sprinkle on top for effect. The flavor of the fresh green onion perfectly balances the sweet tangy sauce.
Yes, you DID make these incredible Raspberry Balsamic Baked Chicken Wings at home and yes they ARE seriously easy and amazing.
Oh. My. God. I’ve been making Budget Bytes recipes for about 5 years and I have never ever sighed as deeply with satisfaction as I did at this recipe! I made the sauce a day ahead of time because I knew I was short on time tonight. To coat the wings, I put them in a large Tupperware container and shook it, so it was really evenly distributed. Followed the recipe, but forgot the onions. It was really difficult to save some for leftovers!
:D What a wonderful compliment! Thank you! And next time you’ve GOT to get those onions. It really takes them to the next level!
Made the wings with Brussels sprouts and accidentally discovered that the sauce is perfect for them. Made a hot Brussels salad with goat cheese and walnuts with leftover sauce and it was amazing.
Wow!! Sounds amazing!
These were absolutely phenomenal! The only thing was that I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to increase the heat from the starting medium-low when it says to let the sauce come up to a boil. I let it bubble for 5 minutes at medium-low and it barely thickened, so then I cranked the heat and let it do a foamy boil for a few minutes and it thickened fairly quickly. Just make sure to keep stirring so you don’t have a sticky boil-over mess!
I found that mine boiled quite a bit over medium-low because of the small volume, but you can certainly turn it up a bit if needed. Your intuitions were correct! :)
I’m not a huge chicken wing fan, so I used the sauce to make scallopini-style chicken. IT WAS SO GOOD! Seriously had to stop myself from drinking the sauce straight out of the pan. Thanks for this!
Nice improvision! I’m glad you liked the sauce. :)
These look great! If I wanted to use chicken breasts or thighs would I use the same method?
The cornstarch method only works with chicken that has the skin on, but you could definitely brown some boneless thighs or breasts in a skillet and use this same sauce on it! :)
Cannot tolerate raw onion, even scallions or shallots–the sufuric taste just overwhelms and spoils everything a raw onion touches. Taking everyone’s word for the need for a green taste to balance, I used chopped cilantro on a few, finely minced celery on others. I actually thought the fresh taste of cilantro was pretty good, and never would have thought of pairing that with a balsamic reduction.
I expect reactions to certain tastes are genetic. Funny thing, though, cook those alliums and I can’t get enough of them. Pickling can fix them, too, but for more than a couple of hours to work.
Hmm, wonder if the sauce would work on fried tofu and sauteed veggies.
Maybe, but I find that the savory flavor of the chicken helps balance the sweet/tangy flavor of the sauce and I don’t think you’d get that same effect with tofu or vegetables.
I’ve never seen chicken wings prepared anything like this! That looks so delicious! Can’t wait to prepare them by myself!
These turned out amazing! I can’t wait to make these again. Definitely don’t leave out the green onion!
So I am a big email fan of yours (love how you send all the info in one email!!!) and this one really got me excited… except I am not really feeling chicken wings right now. What else could I use this glaze for?
This glaze would be great with pork chops, grilled chicken breasts, or even boneless, skinless thighs browned in a skillet. :)
This is a really cool recipe. I have blueberry wings before actually, but not raspberry. I good switch from the typical buffalo wings you usually get on game day. Thanks for sharing!
I LOVE chicken wings. Looks like I will have to make this recipe soon. :-)
These look sooooo good! I always want to try to work with wings but they’re never on sale in my area. :( Maybe I’ll have to make an exception sometime! That, and I bet this glaze would be super tasty on some thighs too.
OMG I think you’ve outdone yourself with this one! Looks and sounds AMAZING!
Thanks Meg!! :D
These look addictive! Perfect for tomorrow