General Tsos Sticky Wings Recipe

These Baked Sticky General Tso’s Chicken Wings are the perfect balance of crispy, sticky, sweet, and spicy—all without deep frying! Readers call them: “Seriously delicious!! Best wings ever and sooooo flavorful!!” Follow along for my expert method that ensures extra crispy wings on the outside while staying juicy inside, tossed in to-LIVE-FOR sauce.

Baked General Tso's Sticky Wings over rice.

These sticky wings have readers raving:

“They were gone in minutes! Everyone said they were the best wings they had ever had.”

“This was the bomb! YUM.”

“These are my new favorite wings.“

“A WINNER in our home!”

“This is by far the BEST recipe and cooking method I have ever used. We loved them!“

Why You’ll Love this Sticky Wings Recipe

I’ve experimented and perfected this recipe to bring you an easy-to-follow recipe, tips, and tricks for foolproof results every time! Here’s why you’ll love this baked wings recipe:

Your Favorite Chinese Chicken in WINGS Form! The first chicken recipe I ever shared on Carlsbad Cravings was General Tso’s Chicken. And when something is your favorite chicken ever, you want to eat it ALL THE TIME. Enter these sticky wings! Every bit as irresistibly delicious!
INTOXICATING Sauce. The crispy chicken enveloped in sweet caramel-like sauce balanced by zingy ginger, Sriracha, garlic, and toasted sesame seed oil is the perfect balance of sweet heat that I can’t seem to get enough of.
Crispy Texture Without Frying: The wings achieve a crispy exterior through baking (thanks to my tips), eliminating the need for frying and resulting in a healthier yet still satisfying crunch.
Flavorful Spice Rub: A blend of ground ginger, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, and cayenne pepper season the wings, ensuring they are flavorful even before the sauce is added.
Customizable: Crafting these wings at home allows for control over sweetness and spiciness!

Baked General Tso's Sticky Wings over rice top view.

Ingredients for General Tsos

Let’s take a closer look at what you need to make this recipe (measurements in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post):

Wings

Chicken: Select packages that are labeled “wing and/or drumstick” OR “1^st and/or 2nd parts/segments.”
Baking powder: This secret ingredient helps achieve golden, crispy skin.
The simplified science is that baking powder is composed of an acid which raises the pH level in the chicken, which draws moisture to the surface of the chicken skin where it evaporates. The heightened pH level also causes the peptide bonds in the skin to break down which accelerates the browning process so your chicken can get nice and crispy!
Spices: Ground ginger, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, pepper and cayenne coat the chicken wings to make them independently flavorful.

SAUCE

Soy sauce: Use reduced-sodium soy sauce so the sauce isn’t too salty and has wiggle room for salt to taste.
Rice wine: I use “Kikkoman Aji-Mirin: Sweet Cooking Rice Seasoning,” which is commonly found in the Asian section of most grocery stores. You can also Amazon it. I suggest you Google images before you head off to the grocery store so you know exactly what you are looking for.
The best substitute for rice wine is pale dry sherry. Do NOT substitute with rice vinegar; they are NOT the same.
Toasted sesame seed oil: This must-have flavor boost is located in the Asian section of the grocery store or on Amazon. Take care to use toasted sesame oil for its strong, nutty aroma and flavor. Please don’t use light/plain sesame oil, which isn’t nearly as flavorful.
Chili Sauce: I use Sriracha, but you may use your favorite Asian chili sauce like sambal oelek.
Garlic: Three garlic cloves for aromatic depth and a pungent kick or substitute with ¾ teaspoon ground in a bind.
Ginger: Freshly grated ginger paired with the sweet caramel-infused sauce adds a zesty kick needed to cut through the sweetness. You may substitute with 1 teaspoon ground if needed-but fresh is best!
Caramel Sauce: Water and granulated sugar are simmered together, then combined with some of the reserved sauce to create flavor fireworks!
Cornstarch: This thickens the sauce.

How to make General Tso’s Sticky Wings

Let’s take a closer look at how to make this recipe with step-by-step photos (full recipe in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post):

Step 1: Prep. Line baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup. Top a baking sheet with a baking rack and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Step 2: Spice Rub. In a medium bowl, mix the Rub ingredients together. Add half of the Rub to a large freezer bag. Add half of the wings and shake until coated evenly. Line wings on prepared baking rack so they are not touching. Add remaining Rub ingredients and wings to freezer bag and repeat.
Step 3: Bake. Bake on upper middle rack for 45-50 minutes or until golden. Move oven rack approximately 6-8″ from broiler and broil to desired crispiness, watching closely so wings don’t burn. Flip chicken wings over and broil the other side until crispy.
Step 4: Combine Sauce. In a medium bowl, whisk together sauce ingredients (not Caramel Sauce).
Step 5: Make Caramel Sauce. Add 2 tablespoons water and ½ cup sugar to large skillet and boil over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the reserved sauce and simmer the sauce until thickened, about 2 minutes.
Step 6:Combine. Remove the sauce from the heat and allow to cool down slightly. Add cooked chicken to a large bowl and add sauce. Toss until evenly coated with a spatula. Enjoy!

Showing how to make Baked General Tso's Sticky Wings on a baking rack.

How to air Fry Sticky Wings

The air fryer works great to create crispy wings, but the only down side is you can’t cook all of the wings at once. I usually reserve the air fryer for reheating the wings, but you are welcome to air fry them to cook as well.

1. Grease the basket with nonstick cooking spray. Add the wings in a single layer so they aren’t touching. You will need to cook in multiple batches.
2. Cook for 15 minutes at 250 degrees F.
3. Flip the wings over, increase temperature to 450 degrees (or the highest your air fryer goes). Air fry for 15- 20 minutes or until the chicken are wings cooked through and crispy.

Baked General Tso's Sticky Wings over rice in a black skillet.

TIPS for making baked chicken wings

Don’t wash chicken wings: Washing chicken wings before baking can spread harmful bacteria around your kitchen, increasing the risk of cross-contamination. Instead, simply pat them dry with paper towels, as the high baking temperatures will effectively kill any bacteria while helping to achieve a crispy finish.
Dry chicken wings. Don’t just pat the wings dry with paper towels, but squeeze them VERY DRY (this is dry from the packaging not from washing). The drier the wings, the crispier they will get. Dry skin also helps the rub stick.
Prep Ahead: You can refrigerate your wings for up to 6 hours on a baking rack for the skin to dry out even more. If you do refrigerate the wings, be sure to bring them to room temperature before baking. This should only take about 15 minutes on the counter.
Broil chicken. After baking, the wings will be fairly crispy for even crispier skin, you can move the oven rack 6-8″ from broiler and broil away to desired crispiness. Just watch closely so they don’t burn!

General Tso’s Sticky Wings FAQs

What to serve sticky wings with?

This sticky wings recipe is delicious with plain rice to soak up the sauce, stir fried veggies and egg rolls.

What is the difference between General Tso’s chicken and orange chicken?

General Tso’s chicken is typically savory and slightly spicy with a soy-based sauce, while orange chicken has a sweeter, tangier sauce made with orange juice and zest. Both dishes are deep-fried, but the flavors differ in spice level and citrus notes. for a few seconds

General Tso’s chicken features a tangy, slightly spicy sauce with notes of garlic, ginger, and chili, while orange chicken boasts a sweeter, citrus-forward sauce centered on the flavor of orange juice or zest, typically with less heat.

Is General Tso’s spicy or sweet?

General Tso’s chicken is known for its sweet, tangy sauce with just a hint of spiciness. The dish is predominantly sweet, with the heat serving as a subtle, complementary kick rather than an overpowering element.

showing how to serve baked chicken wings by garnishing with green onions

Total Time: 1

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 50

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Ingredients

24 chicken wings with skin, rinsed and patted dry (approx 3 pounds)

Rub

2 tablespoons baking powder
2 tablespoons ground ginger sounds like a lot its amazing
1 tsp EACH salt, onion pwdr, garlic pwdr
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Sauce

1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup Japanese sweet rice wine/mirin (may substitute dry sherry)
1/3 cup water
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seed oil
½ – 1 1/2 teaspoons Sriracha/Asian hot chili sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash of pepper
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Caramel Sauce

1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Line baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup. Top baking sheet with baking rack/oven proof cooling rack and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, mix Rub ingredients together. Add half of the Rub to a large freezer bag. Add half of the wings and shake until coated evenly. Line wings on prepared baking rack so they are not touching. Add remaining Rub ingredients and wings to freezer bag and repeat.
Bake on upper middle rack for 45-50 minutes or until golden. Move oven rack approximately 6-8″ from broiler and broil to desired crispiness, watching closely so wings don’t burn. Flip chicken wings over and broil the other side until crispy.
In a medium bowl, whisk together sauce ingredients (not Caramel Sauce). Set aside.
To make the Caramel Sauce, add 2 tablespoons water and ½ cup sugar to large skillet and boil over medium heat for 1 minute – don’t overcook or it will harden! Add reserved sauce and simmer the sauce until thickened, about 2 minutes.
Remove the sauce from the heat and allow to cool down slightly. Add cooked chicken to a large bowl and add sauce. Toss until evenly coated with a spatula. There will be a little extra sauce which is amazing on rice. Enjoy!

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Leave a Review, I Always Love Hearing From You!

46 Comments

Lana says

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These were so delicious! My family loved them. I love that I was able to get general tso flavor without tedious steps. Thank you so much for your delicious recipes. This is my favorite and most trusted recipe site.

- Jen says
  
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  Hi Lana! Thank you so much for your sweet review! It is so wonderful to hear how much you love the flavors of this dish!

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Baked General Tso’s Sticky Wings

These sticky wings have readers raving:

Why You’ll Love this Sticky Wings Recipe