Everybody loves a good sticky wing! These baked Honey Soy wings are a copycat of the popular pre-marinated chicken wings sold at the shops. All you need is honey, soy, vinegar and garlic. Serve with fried rice or Vermicelli Noodle Salad for a great easy midweek meal.
For Honey Soy drumsticks and bone in thighs, use this recipe. For boneless thigh and breast, use this recipe.
Honey Soy Wings
I’m generally a fan of any food you can eat with your hands and wings are pretty high up on my list. Add the word “sticky” and I’m all in!
The key to making these really sticky in the oven without fussing with sauce reduction on the stove or cornflour slurries is to drain off the watery chicken juices partway through baking before adding the honey soy sauce. It’s the excess juices that prevents the sauce from reducing down into a syrup to glaze the wings.
Worried about throwing away free flavour? You needn’t. Wings are fatty and juicy. There’s plenty still inside!
What you need for Honey Soy Wings
Here’s what you need for the Honey Soy Marinade:
Honey – I know, it’s a surprise ingredient in Honey Soy Wings… 😂 Honey plays 3 roles here: it is the sweetness, it thickens the sauce so it coats the wings better and it makes the sauce syrupy when it reduces in the oven so it can be used to glaze the wings.
Light soy and dark soy sauce – Dark soy sauce adds flavour as well as making the wings a glorious bronze colour. Light soy adds saltiness without staining the wings. I like to use a combination of both to achieve my desired colour and flavour.
Substitute – Dark soy sauce can be substituted with light soy sauce but the wings will be a paler colour and slightly less flavour. Light soy sauce can be substituted with all purpose soy sauce. You could also substitute the light soy sauce with more dark soy sauce but the wings do come out a very dark almost charcoal colour so it’s best to use less. See the recipe notes for adjustment quantity.
Apple cider vinegar – To balance out the flavours. Doesn’t make the wings tangy. Substitute with rice wine vinegar, white wine or red wine vinegar, sherry vinegar or even plain white vinegar.
Garlic – Can’t go wrong with a touch of tasty garlicky goodness here!
Oil – Just 1/2 a tablespoon to help the wings brown more evenly.
The chicken wings (& other cuts)
As for the wings, I like to use wingettes and drumettes (sometimes sold as chicken “nibbles”). I buy them pre-cut, like pictured below. You can also cut whole wings up yourself (see here) or just make this recipe using whole wings.
Other chicken cuts: For drumsticks and bone in thighs, use this recipe (larger pieces = no need to drain juices like for wings). For boneless skinless thigh and breast, use this recipe (no skin = sauce best for saucy finish).
How to make Honey Soy Wings
I feel like there’s far more step photos than justified for such a simple recipe! I promise it’s not a hard recipe. 😇
Marinade – Mix the ingredients in a bowl then pour it over the wings in a ziplock bag. A ziplock bag is best because it keeps the sauce snug up around the wings. If you prefer to use a bowl, toss the wings regularly.
Marinade the wings for 30 minutes. You can do overnight but I found it didn’t really add much extra flavour into the flesh.
Handy freezer option
Once you pour the marinade over the wings, pop the bag straight into the freezer. Thaw then cook per recipe. The wings will marinade as the wings freeze, then thaw. How handy it that!!
Bake (no sauce) – Place the wings on a foil + paper lined tray (you’ll thank me later). Bake for 30 minutes at 200°C/400°F (180°C).
Reserve the marinade – we will pour it over later. If you add it at the beginning, it gets all watery from the chicken juices and never thickens into a glaze.
Remove wings from the oven.
Drain the juices and discard. Don’t worry, we’re adding flavour back in the next step – and remember how juicy chicken wings are, there’s still plenty of juiciness inside the wings!
Pour the reserved marinade over the wings. Squidge the wings around to coat in the sauce (it won’t stick because it’s runny).
Bake for another 30 minutes at a slightly lower temperature, 180°C/350°F (160°C fan), so the sweet sauce doesn’t burn.
Baste every 10 minutes (ie at the 10 minute and 20 minute mark, then when you pull it out at 30 minutes).
Rearrange wings as needed if they are cooking unevenly (most ovens have hot spots!). You can even turn them upside down if the skin side is brown enough partway through cooking.
Garnish with sesame seeds and green onion, if desired, and prepare yourself for very sticky fingers! 🙌🏻
This is what the wings look like, straight out of the oven:
And an up-close-and-personal look at the juicy insides (and very sticky fingers!).
You’ll get sauce smeared around your mouth and you’ll need plenty of napkins for your hands. But one thing you won’t be able to wipe off is the grin on your face.
Enjoy! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Honey Soy Wings
Ingredients
- 1.25 kg / 2.5 lb chicken wings (wingettes/drumettes), or cut up whole wings (Note 1 for whole wings)
- 1 tsp white sesame seeds
- 1 green onion stem , finely sliced
Honey soy marinade:
- 4 tbsp honey
- 5 tbsp light soy sauce (Note 2)
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce (Note 2)
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar (or other clear vinegar)
- 1 large garlic clove , crushed using garlic press (or finely minced or grated)
- 1/2 tbsp canola oil
Instructions
- Mix marinade in a bowl until honey is dissolved. Pour over the wings in a ziplock bag. (Note 3)
- Marinade for 30 minutes. You can do overnight but it doesn't noticeably improve flavour in the flesh.
- Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F (180°C fan). Line a large tray with foil then paper.
- Bake – Spread wings out on the tray, skin side up. Reserve marinade. Bake 30 minutes.
- Drain off juices on the tray and discard. (Key step to ensure sauce thickens).
- Sauce – Pour reserved marinade over wings. Toss to coat then spread the wings out, skin side up.
- Bake & baste – Turn oven down to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan). Bake wings for 30 minutes, basting with tray juices every 10 minutes (3 times). Rearrange wings as needed if cooking unevenly, you can even turn them upside down if they brown too quickly. Sauce should be syrupy by the end so you can glaze well. (Note 4 if sauce still watery).
- Serve – Transfer wings into a serving bowl. Pour over syrup on tray, sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onion. Serve!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
If you look up the definition of “wishful thinking”, this is what you will see:
Could I cook the wings on a rack instead of directly on the foil? I would rather not fiddle with draining the fluid off the foil….. but am wondering if they would get cooked too much?
I had a friend tell me the best way to pre cook the wings to reduce the amount of fat was to steam the wings after pricking each of them with a fork. Once the wings were cooked then continue with the oven on foil.
Comments?
These look amazing, and wings are just about the cheapest chicken pieces i can buy. Every recipe I’ve ever tried from you has come out perfectly so I can’t wait to try this! Thank you so much, Nagi (and I’m hanging on madly here for Dinner to be available in the UK!).
Hello. I love your recipes! I can’t wait to try these wings. Where can I find light and dark soy sauces?
Hi Joy! Regular grocery stores here in Australia carry light and dark soy sauce in asian section. But if you can’t find them, just use regular soy sauce for both in the recipe. 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi,
I see a lot of your recipes call for light and dark soy sauce. Here in the US supermarkets we have lite as lower sodium and regular soy sauce. I haven’t tried the asian market but is light soy sauce lighter in color?
Hi Vivian! In the bottle, light and dark soy sauce look the same. It’s only when you pour it out on, say, a white plate that you can see the difference in intensity of colour. If you can’t find light soy sauce just use regular! N x
Thanks for the info, Nagi. I’ll try the Asian market and see if they have it.
Preordered your book, can’t wait to get it. I’m in the US.
So you use the Aussie 20ml Tbl, or the ‘rest of the world’ 15ml Tbl?
I’ve only recently discovered your site and am loving your recipes! Your chicken tikka masala is outstanding! Thanks for the great recipes you give us 😀
Hi Jane! I use 15 ml BUT I always write my recipes bearing in mind that some Aussies will be using 20 ml tbsp. So if there’s a risk it will affect the outcome I am VERY clear about it or I change the way I write a recipe ie I switch to teaspoons and I will say 3 teaspoons instead of a 1 tbsp to remove the risk. For this one, it absolutely does not matter! PS Interestingly, most stores these days sell mostly 15 ml tbsp 🙂 It’s slowly changing!
Thanks! It’s for baking that it really does matter!
So for baking – when you say 1 Tbl you mean 15ml?
Hi Nagi, I got so starstruck at your Melbourne BigW book signing that I forgot to ask you- what is your go-to brand of knives please?
P/S- this recipe looks amazing!
No need to be star-struck around me!! I am so normal – if you could only see me now, sitting here in my daggy bonds singlet 😂 Here is my post on my favourite knives! -> https://promotown.info/my-favourite-kitchen-knives/%3C/a%3E N x
I knew what we were having for dinner the moment this recipe hit my inbox today. OMG absolutely AMAZING as always! Thanks Nagi x
I LOVE HEARING THAT!! N xx
I would love, as I’m sure many other people would, your recipes (which I love) to have a time/temperature variation to cook in an air fryer. These are so popular now and is the only oven I have access to as living in a caravan.
Thank you.
I have found this conversion chart useful. https://www.airfryeryum.com/air-fryer-conversion-chart/
Thank you, that is perfect. I’ll print it today.
Essentially your air fryer oven is a fan-forced convection overn so your general guideline is temperatures would be 20° lower, so instead of 180°C you would use 160°C.
Hi Dorothy! Thanks so much for sharing that. Would you just put the wings in the basket?? N x
Hi Nagi. Personally I would use a pyrex dish for anything with sauce.; I often do this when making fruit cobblers.
Hi Neil! I’m going to put a call out to our Air Fryer queen and see if she can figure it out! N x
I made chicken in creamy mustard sauce.
OMG it was so great. I put some mushrooms in the sauce to add extra texture to the dish and it was lovely.
Thank you Nagi
We tried the chicken in creamy mustard sauce a few days ago and everyone loved it, even though I used a non-stick frypan… I still got a lovely golden colour!
Just wanted to say, I want more cream + flavours sauces, pretty please!!
Oooh! I love the idea of adding mushrooms, great tip Pam! N x
Looks good. In Qld it is too hot to have baked food for Christmas. Can these be served cold?
I really feel these are at their best warm, sorry Geoff! Though they can be eaten at room temp 🙂 N x
I’ve made a similar wing decades ago… we scrapped the small part of the wing with a knife and pulled it over the lower part.. it made a handle and a big fat juicy part to eat.
ALSO I need to do these in advance .. can I prep and put it all in a plastic bag and freeze them?
YES! There’s directions in the recipe notes 🙂 N x
We love you Nagi 😍 I make soo many of your winder recipes
Saw this recipe earlier and had ALL the ingredients except the wings. Made a quick stop to our local Woolies to purchase the wings. Have just finished with all the propping, and the wings are now marinating. My dilemma now is, do I cook it this evening, or keep it for dinner tomorrow.
Thank you for all your delicious recipes.
Great either way!! Let me know what you think 🙂 YUM! N x
Love your recipes. How can I add a little hot to these wings?
I would add a good squirt of Sriracha or a big pinch of chilli flakes or substituted the oil in the marinade with CHILLI OIL!! N x
Hi Nagy! I’m looking forward to receiving your cookbook – in 8 weeks or so! And this recipe looks scrumptious.. I have a question about the dark soy sauce…. Is it The black, sweet soy sauce, or regular Chinese soy sauce? Thank you!
Regular Chinese dark soy please Pam! 8 weeks and counting….. 🙂 N xx
Thank you for some very good tips for a dish I have ,made for over 60 years !!! More often with drumsticks to lessen the fat . . . easy, tasty, yummy !!!
Bet you do a MEAN sticky drumstick Eha!! N xx
Hmmm, judging by the photo of Dozer and that festive cake, my guess is someone is prepping for the SATC Christmas party …
Surprisingly NOT!!!! 🙂 Though if someone from the SATG committee sees the photo they may well change the menu…..
All my family and friends think I’m a amazing cook when I cook your recipes, though I feel like I can’t take any credit for it as it’s all you!
Super curious, what was the first ever recipe you uploaded on your site back in 2014?
Don’t tell them I’m your source! It’s our secret 😂 As for the first recipe, it was Chinese Ribs! -> https://promotown.info/sticky-chinese-pork-spare-ribs/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Love all your recipes
Thank you Johanna! That’s so lovely to hear 🙂 N x
Love this recipe. Can one use legs and thighs?
Absolutely! Use this recipe for baked legs and bone in thighs -> https://promotown.info/sticky-honey-soy-baked-chicken/%3C/a%3E And this recipe for BBQ boneless thighs -> https://promotown.info/honey-soy-chicken-marinade-sauce-grilled/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> N x
Hi Nagi,
Thank you for all your recipes that you share with such generosity. I look forward to these every week. I would like to make this recipe with chicken drumsticks, would you just extend the cook time?
Thanks
Rochelle xx
Hi Rochelle! Great question – it’s better to use this recipe: https://promotown.info/sticky-honey-soy-baked-chicken/%3C/a%3E It is made for drumsticks and bone in thighs. I will update the recipe now with this tip! N x