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Why You’ll Love My Recipe

Ready for some sticky, messy hot wings? Loaded with honey, butter, and spice, these Detroit Honey Hot Wings can be made in the oven or on a grill in about half an hour.

If you’d like some sticky, honey-drenched chicken wings without the heat, try some Baked Sticky Honey Sesame Chicken Wings or Honey BBQ Wings instead. Serve your delicious wings alongside some Fried Pickles or Fried Corn and some dipping sauces. Don’t forget to keep some wet wipes handy!

Reader Review

These are simply the best hot wings I have ever made. The sweet honey sauce, holy Dinah! cray cray good!

– BernJ

Karlynn’s Recipe Notes

Skill Level: This is an easy recipe, especially if you make use of your BBQ.
Total Time: Making these hot wings will take you approximately 40 minutes from start to finish.
Variations: Change up the amount of hot sauce you use in this recipe, or pick an extra hot sauce if that’s what you like. Modify the seasonings to your own personal tastes. Try adding some ginger powder, some garlic powder, or even a bit of garlic/ginger paste. Add a splash of soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce. Serve these wings with some homemade ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing,and some vegetables.
Tools Needed: For this recipe, you’ll need some paper towels, a large baking sheet, some tinfoil, a large bowl, tongs, and a basting brush.

A plate of hot wings glazed with a shiny, caramelized sauce, arranged on a white dish. The golden-brown wings look juicy, flavorful, and irresistibly spicy.

What You’ll Need For Ingredients

Chicken: As the name implies, this recipe calls for chicken wings. The same sauce ingredients would work beautifully on thighs or breasts, but you’d need to adjust your cooking time accordingly.

Hot Sauce: Here’s the fun part! Use any hot sauce you want. You get to choose whether these wings are mild enough for your kids to eat or hot enough to melt your face off.

Honey: Any honey will do, so don’t feel like you have to go shopping for some special variety. However, if you already have hot honey on hand, why not use it?

How To Make Detroit Honey Hot Wings

This is a brief overview of the recipe. The full list of ingredients and step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.

Preheat oven or BBQ to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with foil and set aside.
Pat chicken wings dry. Toss in a large bowl with salt and pepper, then oil.
Cook chicken on grill or in oven for 20-30 minutes, until juices run clear.
Melt butter, pour it into a large bowl. Mix in the honey and hot sauce. Add cooked wings and toss to coat thoroughly.
Return to the oven for 5 more minutes to cook the sauce a bit or eat immediately.

A close-up of hot wings piled on a white plate, showing a shiny, caramelized sauce coating and slightly charred edges.

Karlynn’s Tips and Tricks for Making Detroit Honey Hot Wings

Air Fryer: Nowadays, more and more people are discovering the versatility of air fryers. This recipe is designed for use in an oven or on a grill, but you could absolutely test it in your air fryer. The messiest part comes AFTER the wings are cooked, so you don’t even need to worry about making a sticky mess inside your air fryer basket. Try my basic Air Fryer Chicken Wings recipe, and leave off the seasoning, then use the hot honey sauce.

Don’t Skip the Last Step: While you can absolutely eat these wings as soon as they’re cooked and coated in sauce, they’ll be even better if you stick them back in the oven for a few more minutes. The honey and butter in the sauce will caramelize, creating a delicious, sticky crust on the wings. Try it and see!

Storage Instructions

If you end up with leftovers, store them in a sealed container in the fridge for 2-3 days. You can also try freezing them, though it would be wise to spread them out on a parchment paper-lined plate or pan to freeze separately. Once they’re frozen solid so they won’t stick to each other, transfer them to a freezer-safe container or bag to take out and reheat later.

More Delicious Spicy Recipes

Looking for more tasty recipes to satisfy your spice cravings?

Try these Classic Buffalo Wings, a batch of Buffalo Cauliflower, or some Buffalo Chicken Dip.

If you prefer a different range of spices, check out these Spicy Cumin & Ginger Chicken Drumsticks or Spicy Bean & Lentil Soup.

There you go, everyone. A recipe for sticky, sweet, and spicy chicken wings. Try it out and let me know what you think in the comments below!

Happy Cooking!

Karlynn