These barbecue chicken wings are sweet, smoky and just sticky enough to make us very very happy. We love getting a little dirty, it’s just more fun that way! Not so dirty that you need to bring out the Stain Master, but dirty enough to require more than one napkin. The sauce for these brown sugar barbecue baked chicken wings recipe is a cinch… no cooking needed! All you do is stir a few things together then coat the wings and bake.
As far as the chicken goes, we’ve seen them sold two ways … first, everything has been done for us - the drumette and wing are already separated. It’s great to find this, but sometimes we don’t and instead have to do some light butchering before cooking. Separating the wing and drumette is super easy, just hop on over to our video to see how. It will only add 5 minutes to your prep time, no biggie!
Barbecue Baked Chicken Wings Recipe – Make the Sweet and Spicy Sauce Everyone Will Love
No cooking required. Just stir and slather over your baked chicken wings!
You’ll need ketchup, brown sugar, cumin, soy sauce and something that you will always find in our kitchen, sriracha chili sauce!
See it in the back of the photo? That’s what your looking for, we buy ours at our local grocery store in the international section, but you can find it at Asian or International grocery stores, too. Get a bottle, you’ll love it!
Tip! Make a double batch and save it in the fridge up to one week. Dip fries, veggies or chicken nuggets in it and you’ll be happy.
Sauce and Bake the Chicken Wings
- Toss the chicken with half of the sauce. (Save the rest for later so you can dip!)
- Line ‘em up on a baking sheet. Notice that we inset a baking rack inside our baking sheet — if you have this option, do it. We find that the chicken gets just that little bit crispier. We do this for bacon, too!
- Bake about 30 minutes until cooked through then serve with some of that saved sauce from earlier and enjoy! (Remember, never use the same sauce that you tossed with raw chicken, once the chicken has cooked).
If you have one, cook the chicken on a cooking rack that has been inserted into a baking sheet. The chicken cooks evenly and gets just a little crispier.
Did you like our Brown Sugar Barbecue Baked Chicken Wings Recipe? Might we suggest you take a look at our Asian Sweet Chili Backed Chicken Wings or our Easy Baked Chicken Hot Wings Recipe? Take a browse through our Visual Recipe Index for more inspiration.
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sriracha chili sauce
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 3 pounds chicken wings, wing and drumstick separated (see note)
- Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. (If you have one that fits, lay a cooling rack inside the baking sheet, this helps get the chicken extra crispy – see note below).
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, sriracha, cumin and soy sauce. Taste and adjust the sauce to your liking then set aside 1/2 cup of sauce for tossing raw chicken and save the rest for dipping once the chicken has cooked.
- Toss chicken with reserved 1/2 cup of sauce then add to the prepared baking sheet (you may need two). Then, bake chicken, turning chicken once during cooking, until opaque throughout, about 30 minutes.
- Serve chicken with the sauce you set aside earlier, either on the side or tossed with the chicken.
About the Author
Joanne
I'm Joanne Gallagher and alongside my husband, Adam, I develop, test and share favorite recipes from our kitchen. I'm completely in love with food and you'll most likely find me covered in flour, chocolate or both.
18 Comments
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What temperature do you bake them at?
Hi there, the oven should be at 450 degrees F.
Have you ever marinated the wings in the sauce? I am going to make these tonight and was thinking about doing that. Just curious if you have ever tried doing that.
We haven’t tried marinating the wings in the sauce before baking. If you marinate them you will have to let us know how they turn out.
I’m in the middle of this recipe and I just have to say, this sauce is KILLER! can’t wait for the wings to pop out
What might you server with these wings?
Hi Lynn,
It really is personal preference but we might serve them with something fresh like a small salad. You can take a look at our side dishes page to see if there is anything that catches your eye. Our side dishes.
Just wondering if there is something I could substitute for the apple cider vinegar because my husband is severely sensitive to it and I just can’t cook with it- thanks!
Hi Bev, A light vinegar will work (white wine, champagne or even rice wine vinegar). If it is all vinegars that your husband has a hard time with, you could try leaving it out completely, but it won’t have that “tang”
Does it matter of the wings are defrosted or frozen when you bake them? Sorry.. I’m a rookie at baking wings! Thank you
Hi Rick, For the crispiest wings, you’ll want to defrost them.
To do this quickly, throw the frozen wings into a resealable plastic bag, make sure it seals completely then add to a large bowl. Place the bowl with bag of wings into the sink and run cold water over the bag until thawed. It should take about 20 minutes.
If you’re concerned with wasting water, you can also submerge the bag in cold water, leave for 5 minutes then empty the bowl of now very cold water, and then refill with cold water until the chicken has thawed.
can i do ahead and also I have to take to another house. What is best way to transport?
You can transport in a ziplock bag or container then quickly bake them in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes to “freshen them up” a bit before serving.
Haven’t made yet
Can I do ahead and just put in ziplock bags in freezer for 1 day.
Yes, that should be fine.