Crispy Honey Sriracha Wings

Chicken wings, my sweet little loveys! ♡

Is this not the most perfect Friday food?

These crispy honey Sriracha wings are my favorite of all the favorites. Pizza – yes. Onion rings – okay. But wings – GIMME NOW. There is never a wrong time for wings. So much good happens when you make these and toss them into the honey and Sriracha sauce. They are crispy, sweet, spicy and wonderful. That’s how every Friday should be.

Now, will you believe me if I tell you that these crispy wings are baked and not deep fried?? After I saw this method of getting crispy baked wings going viral on our good old friend internet I had to give it a try. And oh my, I’ve never cried harder for joy during a meal. The star of the show, my friends, is the strange, but effective technique of coating the wings in baking powder spice rub before baking. Through the magic of chemical reactions, the skin of the chicken wings becomes crackling dry, and eventually crisps up to something very similar to what would come out of a deep fryer.

Instead of the mushy, slippery skin associated with most oven baked wings, we get a crispy, blistered surface that absorbs onto whatever glaze you decide to toss your wings with.

These crispy honey Sriracha wings are HOT. I used the full fourth of a cup of Sriracha, but my family can handle spicy. If you prefer things on a milder side then take it down to two tablespoons and adjust with more honey and soy sauce. Other than that, this recipe is a no brainer. It’s almost not a recipe. You can serve them as a dinner with a side of rice and a salad or as an appetizer. In both cases you will need lots of beer and napkins.

Ingredients:

2 lb chicken wings

1/2 tbsp salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

2 tbsp baking powder

1/3 cup honey

1/4 cup Sriracha

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1/4 tsp peanut or sesame oil

few slices of chili pepper and lime to garnish (optional)

Unpack the chicken wings, lay them on a baking tray and pat dry.

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Prepare the spice rub by combining salt, pepper, paprika and baking powder. Place the chicken wings in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle them with the spice rub. Toss to coat.

Line a baking tray with foil. Grease the rack on the baking tray with oil and place the wings on top of the rack. It will still work if you don’t have one of these baking trays with racks, but by raising the wings up a little bit and getting heat convention underneath it helps with crispiness process.

Bake for 20 minutes on one side, then turn and bake for another 10 minutes on the other side. The skin will get wrinkly and really really crispy.

In the meantime prepare the glaze by combining honey, Sriracha, rice vinegar, soy sauce and peanut oil. Whisk everything to combine and toss the wings in the sauce.

Serve immediately with lime wedges and chili pepper slices. And beer, don’t forget beer!