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. ;)
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!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
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!
My family LOVES this recipe – it’s our new go-to for wings. The only thing we do differently is boil the sauce down with some cornstarch to thicken it up, then put it on the wings for the last 10 minutes or so – this helps cut down on the blackening of the dish and gets a bit thicker of a sauce.
My sauce didn’t thicken either. When I broiled it, I placed it in the middle of the oven. Maybe these need to be right under the heat. I cooked them in an iron skillet and placed the wings in a bowl. I reduced the sauce on the stove top and it turned out really good. Great taste on the sauce and the wings were very tender.
Mine turned out soupy but were amazing!!! Any tips to make them more glazed?
I did substitute apple cider vinegar for rice vinegar and did not have chili garlic sauce so I omitted it and added a sprinkle of chili powder and garlic powder.
Could you do this same recipe but in the slow cooker? If I were to use drumsticks instead of wings, I would think 5 hours on low then a few minutes under the broiler would do the trick.
It will probably get really soupy in the slow cooker and you’ll probably need to add the sauce after the slow cooking or else it will get diluted and you’ll have trouble making it into a glaze.
could the chicken wings be marinated over night?
I bet they would take on the flavors better by marinating overnight. I would cook down the main ingredients and let cool before preparing though. Sounds like too much liquid. You would not be able to cook down after marinating because the blood and juices would seep into marinate and bringing that to a boil causes coagulation. It wouldn’t make for a nice sauce.
I’ve been making asian style wings for years and this is the best recipe I’ve ever made. Easily. A few tweaks though. If you like your wings crispy, forget baking them in the sauce. Three reasons: 1. The wings won’t get that crispy. 2. They actually don’t need to swim in the sauce to be flavorful. 3. It’s much easier to season them with salt and pepper (maybe some dry spice BBQ or asian spice mixture) and bake them on a parchment lined sheet in the oven while reducing the sauce in a saucepan on the stove. When the wings are done and nice and crispy, just toss them in the reduced sauce and viola. Killer. No need for corn starch or any thickener. Best wings ever.
Tried this recipe last week and it was amazing!! Only thing is it didn’t thicken far much in oven so adding some cornstarch on the stove is great Idea. Finger licking good!!
Delicious!!!!!!
Thanks so much for this recipe, the corn starch was definitely a plus, we found that the sauce didn’t thicken too much in the oven but we cooked a separate batch on the hob which did. Once we finished broiling the chicken, we poured the remaining sauce into the other batch to thin it out, boil that a little and pour over the chicken. Was just incredible.
Thanks
http://imgur.com/a/YcBsl
I just made these and I’m still licking the sauce of my fingers. Oh. My. Gosh. I can’t believe how good these are! Only change I made was less chili garlic sauce, since my boyfriend and I don’t care for super spicy stuff. The sauce thickened beautifully, the whole house smells amazing and this is probably going to be a weekly meal. Thank you so much!
Hello,
Can this recipe be done without honey?
It has to be with honey…..It is the BOMB.COM all day long!
can this be made with chicken thighs too?
Probably, yes.
Did you try this with chicken thighs?
Does it matter if it’s two pounds of the larger wings in smaller packages or two pounds of the smaller wings in the big bulk bag size?
Larger wings may have to cook a bit longer.
This is so yummy! Thanks for sharing this recipe. I made it for breakfast with baked potato wedges and carrots. Since my family like spicy food, so I adjust slightly the recipe by adding chili paste made from garlic, red onion, salt and little tiny hot red chili (the most spicy one in our country same as spicy as jalapeno).
I would just like to thank you for taking time out of your busy day to share this wonderful information! I really appreciate it! Not only are these recipes delicious but they are all budget friendly! I can’t explain how thankful I am for this information! Be blessed! #whodat