Spicy Honey-Glazed Chicken Wings are made with tender chicken wings that are marinated in spices, baked to golden perfection, and finally brushed with a honey-tamarind glaze. These wings are then sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds and garnished with cilantro.
Who can resist a bucket of chicken wings marinated in a balance of spices and baked to perfection with a final brushing of honey-tamarind glaze? The very thought of such a delicate yet simple dish is making my husband’s mouth drool.
July 29th is National Chicken Wing Day. On average, Americans consume almost 90 wings a year and on Super Bowl weekend, almost 1.4 billion wings have been consumed. And why not? Chicken wings, whether it is the drumette, wingette, or tip, are a versatile part of the whole chicken. In fact, I use the leftover tips to make chicken stock for soups, stews, etc. I dislike buying stock from grocery stores as they have additives and preservatives to extend shelf life.
The original Buffalo wing is credited to Teressa Bellissima of the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York. Would it surprise you to know that the oldest known recipe comes from China in 750 AD called the Imperial Consort Chicken Wing, presumably after an imperial consort? Now, of course, there are dozens of chicken wing recipes.
One of my pet peeves is that many restaurants leave the skin on their chicken wings. Now many people say that it adds to the flavor, which it may well be the case, but that is because of the fat. A chicken wing with skin contains 203 calories, and 61% of those calories come from fat. That is about 123 calories; 10 wings are 1200 calories of just wing fat. You get the idea. While fat is certainly one way of adding flavor, I prefer not to take that route. That is precisely why I like making my own chicken wings. I trim the fat, remove the skin, pierce it with a fork multiple times and let the marinade do the rest of adding flavor.
While deep frying or double deep frying is certainly flavorful, just think about what it means to your heart health with all that fat. I prefer to marinate and bake or grill. It is a different flavor profile but it is super yummy and hits the spot. I have over two dozen marinades that my friends and family enjoy, guilt-free.
The great thing about marinating and cooking is that it is not all effort or labor-intensive. Making the marinade can be done days in advance and all you need is an overnight marinade to get the flavor into the wings. Chicken wings that are spiced and glazed with honey keep for two to three days if refrigerated. They are a perfect choice for road trips, as we have found out.
On one such trip to Mount Shasta in California, I carried a bucket of the honey-glazed chicken wings that were marinated in spices and frozen in a cooler. The following day, we refrigerated the wings in our cabin and barbecued them for lunch. The chicken wings tasted so good with its crispy edges and soft center. We enjoyed eating them with our hands against the backdrop of stunning views of the dense pine and oak forests and snow-capped Mount Shasta! My kids still talk about the hot wings on the cool slopes.
Different cooking methods:
- Grilling: Grilling the wings on gas or charcoal barbecue is a healthy option. Be watchful as the chicken wings get cooked or grilled quite fast. Spicy chicken wings that are glazed with honey are crowd-pleasers at Super Bowl parties or just about any potluck. They can be marinated a weak ahead of time, frozen, and then grilled on the day of the party. While I have barbequed them, I find that indoor grill works well for colder settings. I am currently trying out the hibachi grill for the chicken wings.
- Baking: Baking the wings is a hassle-free option for me, especially if I must babysit other dishes at a party.
- Pan-frying: Pan-frying them takes a much longer time compared to the other two methods because I must continuously monitor the pan to prevent excessive carbonization on delicate wings. While you certainly do not want the wings to burn as some people like the char, you must be careful because char can be carcinogenic.
- Pressure cook and pan-fry: Another method is to pressure cook and pan-fry. There have been times when I have boiled or pressure-cooked chicken wings in the marinade and then have done a quick stir-fry. This method is also a healthy alternative to pan-frying.
- Deep-frying: Finally, there is the deep-frying. While this certainly provides a nice flavor, bear in mind that cold fried chicken is not to everyone’s liking because it can taste oily when cool. The marinated chicken wings served cold seem to taste a lot better than cold deep-fried chicken. But I do not resort so much to deep frying. If we need to, I use the air fryer and it tastes just as nice.
Other Caribbean recipes that you might want to try:
How to make the Spicy Honey-Glazed Chicken Wings:
- How to make the marinade:
- Grind all the ingredients in a food processor to a smooth paste.
- Heat a saucepan and add the marinade and cook on medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Add the cornstarch at the end to thicken the marinade and turn off the heat.
2. How to make the Spicy Honey-Glazed Chicken Wings:
- Clean the wings by trimming the fat and removing the skin. Pierce with a fork at several places on the drumettes and flats. Mix in the marinade. Marinate in a flat bowl for 3 hours at room temperature.
- Line a tray with foil and grease or spray the foil. Place the wings at least ½” apart. Cover with another foil and bake at 3750 F for 30 minutes.
- Remove the top foil and bake again at 4000 F for 15-20 minutes or until dark brown in color.
3. How to make the honey glaze:
- Mix the honey and tamarind pulp. Brush the baked chicken wings with the glaze.
- Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top and garnish with fresh cilantro.
1.Trim the fat and skin of the chicken wings so that the marinade will seep through the meat.
2. Allow a few hours for the wings to marinate in the spices. You could marinate the wings preferably overnight.
3. Adjust the salt and chili index to your taste. I have added just enough salt and chili for a moderate level of spiciness.
How to serve the Spicy Honey-Glazed Chicken Wings:
Spicy honey-glazed chicken wings that are garnished with sesame seeds and cilantro taste great on their own. On the Caribbean islands, these wings were served with ketchup or Tabasco sauce or the mint tahini sauce.
How to store:
Cooked chicken wings keep for a week if refrigerated. Marinated pre-cooked wings can be frozen for months. Leftover chicken wings can also be frozen in airtight boxes.
Spicy Honey-Glazed Chicken Wings
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
For the marinade:
- 1½ lb chicken wings
- 2 tbsp tamarind pulp strained
- ⅓ cup water filtered
- 3 Scotch bonnet or Thai chili minced
- 1½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp paprika powder
- 1 tbsp ginger peeled, chopped
- ½ tsp coriander powder
- 2 tsp coconut palm sugar
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp peanut oil
- 1 tsp rice flour
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp corn starch
For the honey glaze:
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp tamarind pulp
- a pinch salt
For the garnish:
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds roasted
- 4 sprigs cilantro choped
Instructions
How to make the marinade:
- Grind all the ingredients in a food processor to a smooth paste.
- Heat a saucepan and add the marinade and cook on medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Add the cornstarch at the end to thicken the marinade and turn off the heat.
How to make the spicy honey-Glazed chicken wings:
- Clean the wings by trimming the fat and removing the skin. Pierce with a fork at several places on the drumettes and flats. Mix in the marinade. Marinate in a flat bowl for 3 hours at room temperature.
- Line a tray with foil and grease or spray the foil. Place the wings at least ½" apart. Cover with another foil and bake at 3750 F for 30 minutes.
- Remove the top foil and bake again at 4000 F for 15-20 minutes or until dark brown in color.
How to make the honey glaze:
- Mix the honey and tamarind pulp. Brush the baked chicken wings with the glaze.
- Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top and garnish with fresh cilantro.
Notes
- Marinating the chicken wings for at least 3 hours adds flavor. marinating them overnight is the best option.
- Toast the sesame seeds for a nutty flavor when sprinkled on the wings.
Nutrition
The taste was amazing. Adding tamarind was a very unique choice 👏
Turned out great when I popped these in the air fryer! Thanks, Kanchan!
These are so yummy! The honey glaze is really unique and tastes delicious!
Thanks, Ava!
Tried this over the New Year’s party. It gave a wonderful spicy ZING on a cold winter’s night. Thank you so much!!
I am so happy to hear that this chicken wings recipe was perfect on a cold winter’s night, thank you very much for your review! Wish you a Happy New Year!