The only Hot Wings recipe you will ever need!
These aren’t just any hot wings. These hot wings are coated in a flavorful rub then smothered in a perfect marriage of honey, molasses and honey hot wings sauce AKA the best Buffalo wings ever! If you’re looking or traditional Hot wings, I’ve also included that recipe too with the same life changing rub! These hot wings will fly off the plate – almost literally.
HOT WINGS VIDEO
HOT WINGS
Usually I am a pretty decisive person. Whenever I was going on a date in college, my roommate would tease me “you’ll know tonight”- meaning I wouldn’t waste his or my time with a second date if I didn’t think it was going anywhere. I had a lot of first and last dates. When it comes to food, I am also usually pretty decisive. But when it comes to which variation of hot sauce concoction to smother your hot wings with (traditional hot sauce, honey hot sauce, or a combo of the two) I am really indecisive.
In this case of win-win-win sauces to make the best hot wings, I just couldn’t bring myself to pick which sauce I liked best – or thought you would like best – it would be like choosing your favorite child – they are all special and different. So I’ve included three variations of hot sauces that you can choose from depending on your mood and you can start with the Buffalo Honey Hot Wings if you are indecisive. But the great news is, you can’t go wrong with any of the sauces, especially when the wings themselves are to live for smothered in the tantalizing rub. 
So I guess the real question is, not what sauce you will pick, but rather, Are you ready for the BEST Buffalo Wings – ever?!!! As in even better than any “wings” place you have ever been to? And easy enough that you will never be tempted to buy hot wings again? In fact, when Patrick and I went out on a double date to a wings joint, we both left feeling completely cheated. Cheated we had spent our hard earned money on wings that may be good by the world’s standards but mediocre compared to the standard of these Buffalo Hot Wings. Its a high standard.How do you make homemade hot wings?
These hot wings are layered in spices, crispy on the outside yet juicy on the inside and smothered in hot sauce or honey hot sauce. They are restaurant (or better!) delicious but you will be AMAZED at just how easy these buffalo wings are to make! First, rinse and pat the wings dry, this will help make your wings extra crispy. Then comes the magic… Whisk together all of the rub ingredients of chili powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, etc. and baking powder to make them crispy.
You won’t be able to taste the baking powder but in simplified terms it helps draw moisture to the surface of the skin where it evaporates, breaks down proteins within the skin and accelerates the browning process resulting in crispy, baked hot wings. 
To achieve this finger licking goodness, all you do is line your pan (for easy clean up), add your wings to a bag to shake with the spices and bake until crispy.
So every crispy hot wing is smothered in tangy sweet buffalo hotness. 
These buffalo wings are so good, I was eating them at every stage – baked with only the rub, baked with the rub and smothered in sauce and then baked with the rub, smothered in sauce then dipped in blue cheese sauce. If I didn’t have pictures I would have lost count of how many wings this recipe makes! In addition to their delish factor, these buffalo wings make the perfect appetizer for any occasion (like New Year’s coming up!) because all of the prep can be done beforehand and because everyone loves crispy smothered chicken that you get to dip and dip and dip… 
How Wings Sauce
Now for a little breakdown of the 3 sauces: 1. Traditional Buffalo Hot Wings Sauce tastes like traditional hot wings flavor by combining hot sauce, molasses and butter – traditional and amazing. 2. Buffalo Honey Hot Wings Sauce (pictured in this post) is a balance of honey and hot sauce for the sweet and spicy combination I adore. This sauce also uses molasses and butter but the primary ingredient is honey which is then spiced with hot WINGS sauce instead of regular hot sauce – which is much spicier than traditional hot sauce allowing you to use less of it and can keep honey as the main ingredient. You can adjust the heat to your liking. 3. Buffalo Mild Honey Hot Wings Sauce is a fusion of the above two recipes with a hint of sticky honey and a slightly milder heat due to the addition of honey and the use of original hot sauce (NOT hot wings sauce). If you still want a hint of honey but like hotter wings, add some Hot Wings Sauce to spice them up (but only add the hot wings sauce if you like HOT).
Can you see my indecisiveness? I just had to share all the sauces because they are each lip smacking delicious depending on what you are looking for. And I’m sure you will find what you are looking for. And more, much more. With one bite, you’ll “know tonight” these hot wings were meant for you. These hot wings are coated in a flavorful rub then smothered in a perfect marriage of honey, molasses and honey hot wings sauce AKA the best Buffalo wings ever! If you're looking or traditional Hot wings, I've also included that recipe too with the same life changing rub! These hot wings will fly off the plate - almost literally.
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| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 60 minutes |
| Servings | chicken wings |
Ingredients
- 24 chicken wings with skin rinsed and patted dry (approx 3 pounds)
Rub
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground celery seed
Traditional Buffalo Hot Wings Sauce
- (Hot sauce unites with a touch of molasses for the traditional hot wings flavor)
- 2/3 cup Frank's ORIGINAL Hot Sauce (NOT hot wings sauce) mixed with 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 1 tablespoon butter
Buffalo Honey Hot Wings Sauce
- (Honey is the dominant ingredient in this sauce for sticky hot wings while still being hot by using Hot WINGS sauce)
- 2-3 tablespoons Frank's Hot WINGS Sauce (NOT original hot sauce like above) mixed with 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoons molasses
Buffalo Mild Honey Hot Wings
- 2/3 cup Frank's ORIGINAL Hot Sauce (NOT hot wings sauce) mixed with 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1-3 teaspoons Hot Wings Sauce (Optional for hotter wings)
Ingredients
Rub
Traditional Buffalo Hot Wings Sauce
Buffalo Honey Hot Wings Sauce
Buffalo Mild Honey Hot Wings
| Rate this recipe! |
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 together Rub Ingredients. 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. Move oven rack approximately 6-8" from broiler and broil to desired crispiness, watching closely so they don't burn. Flip chicken wings over and broil the other side until crispy.
- The prep for all of the sauces is the same. **While wings are cooling, melt butter over medium heat. Add remaining sauce ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce to a simmer until slightly thickened, approximately 3-5 minutes. Taste and add additional hot sauce for spicier sauces/more honey for sweeter.
- When chicken is done, add to a large bowl and pour over sauce. Gently toss wings with a spatula until evenly coated.
- Serve with desired Blue Cheese/ Ranch Dip, etc. dip
- Dig in!
Recipe Notes
Start with the Buffalo Honey Hot Wings if you aren't sure what to try first 🙂
**You don't want to make the sauce in advance or it will become too thick.
***See BELOW for more delicious recipes to use up your bottle of Frank's Hot WINGS sauce.
Ally B says
Hi Jen,
Just made the honey buffalo wings and LOVED them! I was surprised I did because I thought the honey would be much too sweet and hide my precious hot sauce but the sweet worked well with the heat of the crispy rub. I went back in for more when they were cold and apart from YUM, the sauce was gone a little thick as you mentioned it might. Do you think if I left out / halved the corn starch, I could make the sauce in advance and reheat when serving? I’m thinking pot luck dinners or having people over when it’s good to have as much done as possible in advance.
Jen says
Hi Ally, I’m thrilled you loved the Honey Buffalo Wings so much! As far as reheating the sauce, you can definitely leave out half the cornstarch if you are planning on serving it later. To thin it further, heat it on the stove and add a little water a little at a time until it reaches your desired consistency. Happy cooking!
Anna says
Hey can i grill these wings and if so how long should cook them?
Jen says
Absolutely! Grease and heat grill to medium heat (about 350 degrees). Grill for approximately 20-25 minutes, flipping wings every 5 minutes. Enjoy!
Linda says
These were so good !!! I do alot of cooking around the holidays for family and friends I was wondering how can I find the serving chart that you used so that I can cook large quantities of food ?!
Jen says
I’m so happy you loved them, thanks Linda! What serving chart are you referring too? You can change the quantity of servings in the recipe card and it will change the ingredients too.
Linda says
I’m talking about the quantity or servings recipe card like I would like to have one of my own that I can use for my all recipes because I have a hard time when I have like a gathering sometimes I Don’t make enough of the food and I was wondering about the quantity of servings chart that you used so that I could have an idea of how much of ingredients I would need to use on certain recipes that I have of my own is it a file that I would have to download to my computer to be able to type in my recipes and how many servings so that That I can have an idea of how much food I would need to make ?
Jen says
Hi Linda, unfortunately I don’t have any sort of chart. After I make a recipe, I see how much it has made and make an educated guess on servings.
Katrina says
Hi
Could you please tell me if there is a substitute for Frank’s Hot Wing Sauce? We can’t get that product in Australia, sadly.
Thank you
Katrina
Jen says
Hi Katerina, I am not sure of the best substitute in Australia so I would just use your favorite hot sauce – can’t go wrong with that!
Bonnie says
Hello, is there any reason I can’t season wings and put in fridge over night before baking?
Jen says
Nope, that will work great! I would bring them to room temperature before baking the next day. Enjoy!
Bonnie says
Thank you!
Joanne Bonanno says
Hi Jen!
I love your blog and your life story. I hope this email finds you in good health. Would I be able to do these in the slow cooker? I wasn’t sure because of the baking soda. I recently did wings in the slow cooker for Super Bowl sunday which were fall off the bone tender and my son loved them.
Jen says
Hi Joanne, thank you for your kind words! Yes, you can make these wings in the slow cooker but I would omit the baking soda as its purpose is to make them crispy. Enjoy!
Ginny says
Hi these wings look so good. I wish I could reach thru my tablet and grab em. I am gonna make these real soon. Should I use whole chicken wings and split them or can I use the wings already split? Thanx for your response
Jen says
Thanks kind words Ginny! You are welcome to split the wings yourself but I always buy them already split. Enjoy!
Tiffany says
Made the Honey hot wings!!! Fantastic Jen. But everything I’ve made from your site is!!! I’ve been looking for crispy wings from the oven, your rub, by itself is fantastic. Thank you once again for a kick A$$ recipe. You make me look good.!!
Jen says
Yessss! I’m thrilled you loved these hot wings and all my recipes. Thanks so much Tiffany!
Kelly says
Will my wings still be Crispy without a wire rack
Jen says
The wire rack elevates the wings so the hot air can circulate all around – so they will be crispy on the top but not as crispy on the bottom.
Kim says
I made the Honey Buffalo wings and they were a-MAZING, like restaurant quality tasty! I love how detailed your recipes are, if you follow the instructions you come out with an end product that is just as described. I am a North County SD native, but I live on the East Coast now (yeah, I have an ocean, but it just ain’t the Pacific!) and I love making your recipes because, aside from the fact that everything is always delicious, cooking your food makes me think of home 🙂 I hope you and yours are, and will continue to be, well. 🙂
Jen says
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment Kim!! I’m so pleased you loved these hot wings and I’m honored you find my recipes reliably delicious, and most importantly that they remind you of home. Sending you a big west coast hug! xo