An easy snack that is perfect for your summer grilling party or weekend movie night!
Experimenting is a great thing. But sometimes sticking to tradition is even better.
Chicken wings are one of our favorite items for summer grilling. I’ve been testing out different ways to cook honey soy chicken wings since summer began, trying to find a faster way to get the wings ready without marinating them.
I tried different formulas to create a thick enough glaze to brush onto the wings during grilling. My idea was that I could simply season the wings with salt and pepper, cook them until almost done, then brush on the sauce to finish them up. The result was good, but I found that it required a lot of work. The sauce would fall through the cooking grate and I had to brush multiple layers to impart enough flavor.
After many attempts, I went back to the good ol’ fashioned way – marinating the wings before cooking. The cooking process was reliably simple and the results were great. No matter whether you plan to fire up the grill or bake them in the oven, this recipe works.
You do need to be fairly organized during prep. It requires at least 2 hours of marinating. If possible, try to marinate the wings for a few hours or preferably overnight. The marinade will penetrate the wings thoroughly and the meat will be seasoned evenly, not just on the surface.
I saved the honey till the end. Adding honey into the marinade will cause the wing surface to burn quickly, so you should apply the honey glaze at the end of the cooking. If you’re cooking this dish in the oven, you can apply the honey glaze halfway through the baking. The wings will have a sticky, shiny, and beautifully charred surface in the end.
These wings are the perfect party snack, but we enjoy serving them on movie night, too. We usually throw some asparagus and eggplant onto the grill after cooking the wings, and serve everything with beer while watching TV shows. It is so much fun, and healthy too!
Craving more chicken wing recipes? Check out lemon chicken wings, oven fried wings with Korean BBQ sauce, easy baked wings, and Coca-cola chicken wings.
If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), take a picture, and tag it #omnivorescookbook on Instagram! I’d love to see what you come up with. Cheers, friends!
Honey Soy Chicken Wings (蜂蜜烤翅)
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken wings
Marinade
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup Shaoxing wine (or Japanese sake)
- 1 tablespoon ginger , minced
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 1/4 teaspoon five-spice powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Glaze
- 1/4 cup honey
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a small bowl.
- Add chicken wings into a large ziplock bag. Pour in the marinade. Massage the bag to evenly disperse the marinade. Let marinate for at least 2 hours, or in the fridge overnight.
To cook on the grill
- Light one chimney full of charcoal. When the charcoal at the top of the chimney is lit, put on heat resistant gloves, and pour the charcoal over one half of the coal grate to create a moderate two-zone fire. Set the cooking grate in place, cover the grill, and preheat for 5 minutes. Clean the cooking grate.
- Arrange wings over direct fire. You’ll probably need to cook in two batches. Cook until both sides turn golden. Flip twice and rearrange the wings if necessary. Move wings to indirect heat. Cook until cooked through.
- Brush a thin layer of honey over both sides of each wing. Return wings to direct heat. Cook briefly so that chicken skin caramelizes. Transfer to a serving tray immediately. Continue to cook the remaining batch.
To bake in the oven
- Preheat oven to 220 degrees C (430 F). Line a large baking tray with aluminum foil. Spray a thin layer of oil onto the foil.
- Arrange chicken wings on the tray, skin side down, one finger’s width apart. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Brush chicken wings with honey. Flip and brush the other side, as well.
- Return the tray to the oven and bake for another 8 to 10 minutes, until the wings are cooked through and the color turns golden brown.
- Serve warm as appetizer or snack.
love this recipe! honey soy chicken takes me back to my childhood. it’s such a classic flavour combination. lovely recipe and photos! Xx
These look so finger licking good! I love Asian flavored wings and the honey sauce at the end is brilliant!
These look so delicious! I love grilling wings in the summertime, so always looking for new ways to cook them 🙂
Those are great grill shots! I’m interested to hear your take on marinating, I am guilty of skipping that step all too often, but when I think about it, it makes the whole project so much easier because you can split up the work — I’ll definitely be trying these wings this summer, thanks!
I have actually never grilled chicken wings before but clearly I need to try, these look fabulous!
I just love the way these wings look, Maggie, and like your tips on marinating. I haven’t grilled wings before but I will use your recipe this weekend. Thanks! Sharing 🙂
These wings look amazing! I love the char and your great detailed instructions. They’d be so perfect for a summer cookout!
Hello Maggie
This recipe is a lifesaver for my BBQ party this weekend! Can I ask if I marinate the wings at around 9pm on Friday night and I will only be grilling it at around 6pm on Saturday evening, will the wings be overly salty due to the long hours of marinating?
Thanks!
Hi Pamela, no worries! The wings will not be too salty and will only get even better if you marinate them for a longer time.
Happy cooking and hope your party is a blast!
Thanks so much for this recipe! These wings were a hit at our bbq! I marinated the wings overnight. I was missing ginger at home so replaced a tablespoon of fresh ginger with 1 teaspoon ginger powder. I reduced the amount of honey but wish that I added more or at least brushed two layers of honey on each side. Still tasted great nonetheless! Will try making these again in the oven.