27 Chicken Wing Recipes That’ll Change Your Appetizer Spread
Updated: Jul. 15, 2024
From sweet and saucy to spicy and crispy, these finger-licking good chicken wing recipes are best served with a few extra napkins and a big bowl of ranch.
We could go on and on about how much we love chicken wing recipes. They’re fun tailgate appetizers and always a hit at backyard barbecues. And we haven’t even gotten into how versatile they are—fried, baked, breaded, spicy, saucy—the options are endless!
If you’ve never cooked chicken wings yourself, know they’re easier to make than you’d think. Here are some of our favorite recipes to serve alone or mix and match. After all, it’s hard to stick to just one of the many, many chicken wing sauces. Don’t forget the homemade ranch dressing to round it all out.
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Barbecue Chicken Wings
There’s a secret ingredient in these sweet, tangy and ultra crispy wings: baking powder! If you dredge the chicken wings with it before baking them, they’ll become extra crispy. You can air fry, grill or deep fry them too. Serve with one of our favorite store-bought barbecue sauces.
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Baked Chicken Wings
These wings are the perfect blank canvas for any sauce or seasoning. For the crispiest, juiciest baked wings, dry the chicken thoroughly with paper towels before you dredge and cook them. You might need to cook them in batches, or on two baking sheets at once, to give them enough room on the baking sheet to cook evenly.
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Crispy Buffalo Wings
Sure, you could pick up a bottle of buffalo sauce at the grocery store, but it’s actually pretty easy to make yourself. Combine butter, brown sugar and hot sauce in a small saucepan over medium heat, and you’ll be ready to slather it on these tasty wings in no time.
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Garlic Parmesan Wings
Zippy garlic and salty Parmesan join forces in this chicken wings recipe that’s sure to be a hit on game day, at potlucks and on every day in between. Freshly grated Parmesan will turn out the best flavor and texture, so opt for the full wedge at the grocery store.
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Smoked Chicken Wings
These smoky wings are a labor of love; they’ll need to slow cook in a smoker for two hours at 250°F. If you don’t own a smoker, turn your grill into a smoker with some wood chips and a few handy tips.
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Air-Fryer Chicken Wings
If you don’t have the time (or patience) for smoked wings, try this quicker version. While they’re cooked in two stages to ensure juicy meat and crisp skin, they’re still ready to eat in less than an hour. To ensure the wings cook evenly and stay crispy, avoid overcrowding the air-fryer basket.
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Fried Lemon-Pepper Wings
We love buffalo wings, but sometimes it’s fun to shake things up and try something new. Impress your guests with tangy lemon-pepper wings, which can be deep fried, baked or air fried, depending on your preference.
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Honey-Barbecue Chicken Wings
If you love honey mustard and barbecue sauce, you don’t have to pick just one. This sweet-and-tangy mashup is the ultimate game-day snack. A drizzle of soy sauce adds an irresistible umami flavor. Add these wings to a full spread of game-day appetizers.
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Five-Spice Chicken Wings
Green onions, sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, garlic cloves, sugar and Chinese five-spice powder team up for a complex sauce you’ll want to pour on everything. Serve these wings with fried rice and a tangy Asian slaw.
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Honey-Mustard Chicken Wings
There’s no frying necessary for these oven-baked wings, which cook for about an hour in a 400° oven. The flavorful homemade sauce—featuring spicy brown mustard, honey, butter, lemon juice and turmeric—is quick and easy to whip up.
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Teriyaki Chicken Wings
These wings are the ultimate make-ahead appetizer. Just whip up a few batches, then store them in the freezer for when company comes over. They’ll keep for up to three months. Thaw them in the refrigerator before reheating them in a 350° oven for 10 to 12 minutes.
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Breaded Chicken Wings
You don’t need to go to a sports bar to get tasty breaded chicken wings. Make them at home with whole chicken wings, an egg, bread crumbs and seasonings. Serve them with buffalo sauce and ranch dressing.
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Best-Ever Fried Chicken Wings
These crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside wings come with your choice of three dipping sauces. You could choose your own adventure, or just make all of them. The spicy Thai sauce is our favorite!
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Crispy Grilled Wings
It’s official: Cooking wings on the grill yields super delicious results. Oil the grill rack and cook covered over medium heat until they’re crisp and the juices run clear, about 20 to 25 minutes. With minimal prep time and almost no clean-up, these wings are as low-maintenance as they come.
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Lip-Smacking Peach & Whiskey Wings
While your guests have likely eaten hundreds of wings before, they’ve probably never tried this sweet and savory version. It features honey, whiskey and canned peaches. A spoonful of Louisiana hot sauce gives it an added kick.
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Sticky Honey Chicken Wings
You’d better make enough for seconds and thirds of this saucy appetizer. Believe it or not, you only need six ingredients to whip it up. You can find orange blossom honey at a local specialty grocery store, or try other types of honey.
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Hot Wings
These spicy wings get an extra kick thanks to a few tablespoons of vinegar and mustard in the sauce. Once you’ve deep-fried them, bake them in the oven to get that extra crispy skin.
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Sticky Maple Pepper Glazed Chicken Wings
Don’t worry; maple syrup doesn’t make these wings too sweet. Ground black pepper balances the sweetness and keeps the sauce from becoming too cloying.
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Ginger-Orange Wings
Cooking these wings in a cast-iron skillet is a win-win. The chicken will heat evenly to get that nice, crispy skin, and you can use the skillet as a rustic serving plate once it cools.
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Quentin’s Peach-Bourbon Wings
Store-bought peach preserves and 1/4 cup bourbon take this recipe from standard to special. Pop the tray into your oven’s broiler for a few minutes at the end for that delightfully crispy exterior.
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Chili-Lime Chicken Wings
Maple syrup and…lime juice? Believe it or not, they make a great combination, especially if you add chili sauce for added zip. If you prefer, you can use uncooked chicken wingettes instead of whole wings for this recipe.
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Sweet 'n' Tangy Chicken Wings
Everything is easier in a slow cooker, and this tasty wings recipe is no exception. It’s a great, low-maintenance recipe for a crowd because it makes two dozen wings and simmers for hours in the pot before your guests arrive.
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Slow-Cooked Cranberry Hot Wings
We often think of chicken wings as a summer food, but there’s nothing like diving into a plate of warm, slow-cooked wings on a winter’s day. The cranberry flavor is genius for the colder months.
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Sticky Chicken Wings
Your guests will suddenly forget their table manners while eating this deliciously sticky appetizer. Soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and a tablespoon of Creole seasoning add a surprising depth of flavor.
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Spicy Butterscotch Wings
Hear us out: Butterscotch is delicious on ice cream, but it’s also incredible when you slather it on chicken wings. A crumb topping made with panko bread crumbs and red bird’s eye chili peppers makes this dish even more special.
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Sweet & Spicy Chicken Wings
Spicy food fans, this recipe is for you. Chili powder and a generous sprinkling of red chili flakes up the ante. Can’t stand the heat? Simply omit those two spices and the wings will be sweet instead.
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Peanutty Chicken Wings
You won’t be disappointed by this unexpected ingredient. Peanut butter adds a sweet and savory depth of flavor to the sauce that will make these wings the most popular dish at the potluck. Just make sure no one coming to the party has a peanut allergy!Originally Published: April 25, 2019
