Honey Chipotle Wings (Grilled, Baked, or Air-Fried)

Sweet and spicy honey chipotle wings that crisp up on the grill, oven, or air fryer — high-protein and game day ready. 

These honey chipotle wings have been a staple in our house for over five years — and for good reason! Sweet, spicy, and perfectly crisp, there isn’t a protein my honey chipotle sauce can’t make irresistible.

As a Dietitian, I love wings as an appetizer or tailgate food — high in protein and extra healthy when grilled, baked, or air-fried (all methods that work beautifully for this recipe).

My base version ranks about an 8 out of 10 on the spice scale — definitely hot, but easily adjustable for your taste. Even my husband, who normally avoids spicy food, can’t resist these just as they are, especially dipped in cool ranch or blue cheese!

How to Make Honey Chipotle Wings

Make Honey Chipotle Wing Sauce

First, you'll want to make a batch of my honey chipotle sauce.  It's only 6 ingredients, and best of all, it's no-cook.  Just blend it up and it's ready to use! 

My recipe uses a full can of chipotles in adobo, making it very spicy.   To adjust the heat level, start by just adding one chipotle pepper and one tablespoon of sauce.  Keep adding and remixing until it's spicy enough, but not too spicy!

Defrost and dry: First up, you need four pounds of raw DEFROSTED chicken wings. The only thing you need to do to prep the wings is dry them off.  I used a paper towel to dry them individually. 

Grilled Honey Chipotle Wings (Method 1) 

I did not toss them in flour or oil or anything before grilling them, and the recipe worked perfectly! Why do extra steps if you don't need to?  That's what makes people hate cooking. Place the wings on the grill, evenly spread apart, and let them cook for 3-5 minutes.  Flip them, and brush the cooked side with sauce. 

Separate out ¾ of your sauce to avoid contamination. Pour a little sauce at a time into a separate bowl and use your basting brush in that separate bowl.  Don't dip it into the sauce, because then you contaminate the entire sauce since the brush touched partially cooked chicken.   (As opposed to what I did in the picture Mr. Hungry snapped below.  I had to throw the rest of that one away.)

When the wings are fully cooked, flip again (so now the first side with the sauce is face down) and coat the rest of the chicken wing with sauce (as shown above.)  Mr. Hungry chose to flip the wings one more time, but you don't have to!  

Oven Baked Honey Chipotle Wings (Method 2) 

Place the wings evenly across a cookie sheet, though, preferably on a wire rack on top of the cookie sheet.  Wings will take about 40-45 minutes at 425°F in the oven.  Make sure to flip every 20 minutes for even crispiness, and the internal temperature should reach 165°F.  Then toss them with your honey chipotle wing sauce!

Pro tip: If you broil them for 2-5 minutes after they are done baking, your wings will be extra crispy!

Air Fried Honey Chipotle Wings (Method 3) 

Toss the wings with a bit of oil (not a lot, about a teaspoon or two) or spray them with cooking spray.  Air fry at 400°F for 20-30 minutes, flipping halfway until crispy and internal temperature reaches 165°F.  Once they are done, toss them with your honey chipotle wing sauce!

Swaps and Substitution Ideas

This recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free. Below are a few substitution tips for success!

• Chicken Wings 

You can swap drumsticks and use any of the cooking methods; the time will just increase.  You can also use other cuts of chicken and use this sauce as a glaze.  I love making chicken thighs by searing the in the cast iron, glazing them with this sauce, and finishing them in the oven, find the full recipe here. 

What about boneless wings? Yes, this sauce will absolutely work with boneless wings!  Boneless wings or adult "chicken nuggets" as I like to call them, are delicious, but they do require a bit more prep and tend to cook faster/dry out easily.  I recommend coating your chunks of chicken breast in a light layer of oil and cornstarch before baking or air-frying; grilling wouldn't be the best option in this case. This helps you get that crispiness you'd expect from the skin on traditional wings. Then, toss with the sauce when they are ready.  Cooking time in the oven and air fryer will be reduced by 30-50%.  So, about 20 minutes in the oven and 15 minutes in the air fryer. 

• Chipotle Peppers in Adobo

Please do not try to substitute any other hot pepper sauce or ground chipotle pepper.  You can absolutely adjust the amount of chipotle peppers in adobo, but please don't try to substitute, as it likely won't work.  

 

 

What to Serve with Honey Chipotle Wings

We love to serve these wings with ranch dressing, blue cheese, celery, and/or parsley for garnish.  If you are looking for good pairings with your wings, check out these 50 gluten-free tailgating recipes.  There is something for everyone!

How to Store and Reheat

Storage:  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days, and reheat in the refrigerator.  

Freeze:  Let your wings cool completely and then freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to three months.  Thaw under refrigeration and then reheat in the microwave, air fryer, or oven.  

Can I make them ahead and still keep them crispy? Unfortunately, probably not.  It's difficult to keep anything crispy when it comes to room temperature or is refrigerated.  The best thing to do is the prep the sauce ahead of time and make the wings right when you are ready to serve them. 

FAQs

Do you thaw the wings in the refrigerator or bake them from frozen?

• Always thaw chicken wings in the refrigerator before cooking if grilling or baking in the oven.  You can, however, air fry your chicken wings from frozen and then toss them with your honey chipotle sauce.  So if you go to defrost, I would go for the air fry method.  Make sure to leave space between the wings, and you'll likely have to flip them 2-3 times.  

Can you use cooked chicken?

• This sauce honestly works well on any chicken.  If you have precooked chicken that you want to crisp in the pan, grill, air fryer, or broil, then toss it with this sauce, which would work great! 

Are these honey chipotle wings spicy? 

• Yes, these wings are very spicy, but you can adjust the spice level by modifying the amount of chipotle in adobo sauce you use. 

Can I make the sauce ahead of time?

• Absolutely, you can make the sauce up to a week ahead of time!  

How do I keep the wings crispy after tossing?

• I recommend prepping the wings and serving right when ready to eat.  Once you douse them in sauce, the crispiness will decrease over time.  The fresher they are when you serve them, the crisper they will be.  

Are these gluten-free wings?

• Yes! These wings are gluten-free.  Just make sure if you use soy sauce instead of coconut aminos that it's gluten-free. 

You May Also Like:

• If you love this Honey-Chipotle Sauce, then you'll want to try my Honey-Chipotle Chicken Skillet, Honey-Chipotle Salmon, Honey-Chipotle Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw.
• Tailgating or love wings?  My sweet and spicy dry rub wing recipe, which you can make in the air fryer, has been uber popular for years! Or if you are looking for something easy but less conventional, slow cooker wings literally fall off the bone.