I will never say no to chicken wings. There was this one time I thought about moving towards a pescatarian lifestyle but I just couldn’t part with wings because there are some days when you need a good wing. Not just any wing though! I’m talking about a perfectly seasoned, battered, and fried chicken wing slathered in a sweet-tangy-spicy-zesty sauce. Talk about a good time! So this time of the year is all about appetizers or game day apps and these Hot Honey Fried Chicken Wings deserve a place on your table. They are crunchy, seasoned well in S&P, garlic powder, and smoked paprika then of course generously coated in some hot honey.

What is Hot Honey? Exactly how it sounds; honey and the hot sauce simmered in butter and spiced with cayenne pepper. Now I will say that the small amount of cayenne seasoning that I used (1 tsp) packs some real heat along with the hot sauce. So if spicy food isn’t your thing you don’t have to add as much cayenne or you can use a different hot pepper seasoning.

How to make Hot Honey Fried Chicken Wings

Step 1

Add the frying oil to a frying pan or cast iron skillet and set the heat to medium high. While the oil heating, season the clean chicken wings with seasoning salt, pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and cayenne. Massage the seasonings into the chicken and add more if you feel like you need more. Pour the buttermilk over the chicken and let it sit while the oil heats up. Add your flour to a bowl or bag and set aside. You can also season your flour with salt and pepper as well.

Step 2

When your oil is hot (test it by sprinkling a little flour in the oil and if it begins to fry, it’s ready) add a few pieces of chicken to the flour, coat the chicken very well, then place your chicken in the hot oil to fry. Depending on how big or small your pan is you may need to fry your chicken in batches so that you don’t over crowd your pan. Cover the frying pan and let the chicken fry on both sides until done. You should only have to flip the wings once. When the chicken is done drain on a paper towel. Also be sure to discard the buttermilk.

Step 3

While your chicken is frying, add the butter to a small pot and melt it over medium heat until it begins to boil. Remove it from the heat and add in the honey, hot sauce, and cayenne pepper then stir well until everything is smooth and combined. Keep the sauce warm on low heat. To coat your chicken, dip the wings into the sauce and evenly coat. Enjoy!

If you don’t want to fry the chicken, follow these steps for crispy baked wings.

Preheat the oven to 425°. Line a baking sheet with foil and place a wire baking rack on top of the baking sheet.

Dry the chicken wings with a paper towel to remove any excess water or liquid and place them in a large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of baking powder to the chicken wings and mix well ensuring that each wing is coated. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and cayenne. Line the wings on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes. Flip the wings after 20 minutes so that they cook on both sides.

Coat the wings in the sauce as mentioned in step 3 above.