Crispy Honey BBQ Chicken Wings – baked instead of fried these classic chicken wings are as crispy and delicious as ever! The perfect game day recipe!

Crispy Honey BBQ Chicken Wings – baked instead of fried these classic chicken wings are crispy, tender and smothered in a sweet ‘n spicy Honey BBQ Sauce! A definite crowd pleaser and the perfect game day recipe!

Today, so far, is perfection!

I was finally able to get back to the gym since Hurricane Harvey hit and now I’m sitting outside drinking an almond milk cinnamon latte with a cool … YES cool … breeze blowing as I work. I actually had to put a jacket on because I started to get a little cold, which was glorious!

These are my favorite days. Fall days. They have always been my favorite, especially when I lived in the Midwest. In Wisconsin, I loved the weather this time of year. The changing color of the leaves is irreplaceable in my mind. Each year was a different. Each tree was different. Each leaf had a different shade. It was like God was painting this amazing masterpiece and we got to watch it form.

Something about sitting outside makes me feel recharged. To feel the cool breeze on my skin gently blowing my hair. Or to feel the warmth of the sun on the beach while hearing the waves crash. Our world is absolutely beautiful. Sometimes we just forget to get outside and enjoy it. But when we do it’s refreshing for the soul in the deepest parts.

On a more serious note. The first NFL game of the year was yesterday which means it is “go time” this weekend y’all! Packers are on at 3:25pm and the Cowboys play the Sunday night game!

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?

I know I am. I am also ready for the football food. Our main go to on the football foot front is Chicken Wings. It’s kinda a no brainer. Wings, Beer and Football just go together… kinda like Mac & Cheese or PB & J!

On Wednesday, for my husbands fantasy draft at our house, I whipped up these Crispy Baked Honey BBQ Chicken Wings along with some other goodies … ahem Loaded Sweet Potato Wedges and Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Sliders that I cannot wait to share with you.

It was hard to decide which of those game day recipes I was going to share first, but wings are a staple during football season so I figured they better come first. Which one of the other two would you want to see next? The Wedges or the Sliders?

Anywho, back to these Wings. What I love about them is that they are baked in the oven until the meat is done and then I turn on the broiler for a bit to give it that crispy texture you get from “frying” wings. It is absolutely amazing. The process has taken me a while to perfect to get the best texture, but now that I have they come out perfect every time. Now all I have to do is change up the sauce for whatever mood I’m in!

And today it was Honey BBQ. This sauce has a slight tang to it from the mustard, sweetness from the honey and a tiny kick because I decided to add Sriracha at the last minute. You are absolutely going to love it and lick every bite of sauce off those sticky fingers!

Bon Appetit y’all and happy weekend!

Crispy Baked Honey BBQ Chicken Wings

Author: Krista @ JoyfulHealthyEats.com
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 50 mins
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 30-40 wings
Category: gluten free, chicken, appetizer, holiday, kid friendly

Description

Crispy Honey BBQ Chicken Wings – baked instead of fried these classic chicken wings are crispy, tender and smothered in a sweet spicy Honey BBQ Sauce! A definite crowd pleaser and the perfect game day recipe!

Ingredients

3lbs chicken wings
2 tablespoons olive oil

Dry Rub:

1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Honey BBQ Sauce:

1 1/2 cups favorite BBQ sauce (I used Stubbs)
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons stone ground mustard
2 teaspoons sriracha sauce

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Add chicken to a large bowl. Pat chicken dry.
Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, sea salt and pepper. Toss to coat all the chicken.
Place chicken on a wire rack lined baking sheet. (if you don’t have a wire rack, use parchment paper)
Bake for 40 minutes, flipping the chicken after 20 minutes.
Turn the Broiler on to HIGH.
Place chicken under broiler for 8-10 minutes, until browned.
In the meantime, heat a medium sauce pan to medium heat. Add BBQ sauce, honey, stone ground mustard and sriracha sauce. Stir and bring to a simmer, let simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
Remove chicken from oven. Place in a large bowl, pour the Honey BBQ sauce over the chicken wings. Using a pair of tongs, toss the wings to coat all of them with the sauce.
Serve.
Optional: add chopped chives for garnish.