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Sweet-n-Spicy Garlic Ginger Chicken Wings

Happy Saturday! Today I’m gonna show you how to make crispy sweet and spicy garlic-ginger chicken wings in the oven without any added fat. This crisping technique has been around for years, and is very popular amongst those who hate flabby baked chicken wings. This is a wing recipe that can be adapted ANY way you want. Once you crisp up the wings, the world is yours — you can do so many different and delicious things.

How do we make our chicken wings crispy? We simply coat them with aluminum-free baking powder along with other spices, and let them do their thing. When the fat and liquid escape from the chicken’s surface, it bonds with the carbon dioxide in the baking powder, creating tiiiny pockets of air that crisp up and harden in the oven. A hardened surface, gives us a crispier wing. This is awesome when you want to lower your fat content but still have something for your chicken’s sauce to cling to. Nobody likes flabby wings.

Sweet n Spicy Garlic Ginger Chicken Wings

I have to drum this into your head — PLEASE make sure your wings are completely dried. Pat them THOROUGHLY with paper towels. This method will not work if your wings are soaking wet. The water will cause them to steam and you won’t get that nice crisp texture. Chicken will always have a level of moisture, no matter how good you dry it, but just try to remove as much surface moisture as you possibly can. In the video, you can see that as I’m tossing my wings with the baking powder mixture, there are no signs of wetness inside the bowl. So again, make sure your wings are nice and dry — the skin should feel tacky, and it’ll be just enough tackiness for the baking powder mixture to stick to.
Sweet n Spicy Garlic Ginger Chicken Wings Sweet n Spicy Garlic Ginger Chicken Wings Sweet n Spicy Garlic Ginger Chicken Wings

You won’t taste the baking powder, so don’t worry about that, but it’s important you use aluminum-free baking powder for this method. You can find it anywhere you buy food.

Feel free to use chicken wings that have already been cut into party-wings. However, in this economy, I find it more economical to buy a large pack of whole wings, then butcher them myself. I can skip paying for someone else to do it this way, and I get to keep the tips and freeze them later for stock or making schmaltz (beautiful rendered chicken fat).

Lastly, this isn’t really a recipe — it’s more of a technique. You can adapt this however you prefer, but I will give you some guidelines and tell you what I used for my version.

I used 4 pounds of whole chicken wings, and you want to use about 1 tablespoon of baking powder per pound of chicken. I used almost 4 tablespoons of baking powder for all of my chicken, but just slightly under. Why? Well, once the tips were removed, that 4 pounds came down to just a little over 3, so I used about 3 1/2 tablespoons of baking powder if I had to guess. For the glaze, use equal parts of honey to samba oelek (garlic chili paste) — quantity is entirely upon you. I’d say I used about 1/3 cup of each. Rice wine vinegar was used for my recipe, but you can use water or the juice from your lime if you don’t have it. The rice wine gives it a nice bit of tanginess to cut thru the sweetness and spiciness, and it also loosens up the honey so it’s easier to toss with the chicken. I used about 1 teaspoon of low-sodium soy sauce for color and earthy saltiness, a bit of umami savoriness. You can use as much ginger as you want. If you can’t find fresh ginger, I’m pretty sure it comes minced in a jar — but please find fresh if you can, there’s nothing like it.

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Sweet-n-Spicy Garlic Ginger Chicken Wings


Ingredients

  • 4 pounds chicken wing parts, patted dry!

For the baking powder mixture:

For the glaze:

  • Equal parts honey and garlic chili paste (Sambal Oelek), quantity is up to you.
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated (feel free to add more)
  • 12 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Garnish

  • Lime zest
  • Chives
  • Cilantro (optional)
  • Toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425
  2. In a small bowl, combine all glaze ingredients, taste and adjust, then set aside.
  3. Thoroughly coat chicken with baking powder mixture, and bake in the center of your oven on a baking rack over a foil lined baking sheet for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, flip all pieces over and bake an additional 20 minutes. Lastly, remove from oven and flip once more and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes or until chicken is crisp. Let chicken rest 5 minutes, then toss in 1/2 of your glaze mixture to coat. If it needs more, add more.
  4. Garnish with chives, lime zest, cilantro (if using), and toasted sesame seeds.
  5. Serve.

Notes

Use about 1 tablespoon of aluminum-free baking powder per pound of chicken. If your wings are particularly tiny in size, cooking times will definitely vary. You may want to shave about 10-20 minutes off total cooking time for smaller wings. If you have leftover glaze, it can be refrigerated for up to a week.

  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 55 mins
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Recipe rating

  1. Susan C says:

    These looked so delicious that I had to try them and they were even better than expected! I thought I made too many, but we couldn’t stop eating them! This recipe is a keeper, for sure!

  2. Danak D says:

    I just made these babies and dammit they were a certified slam dunk!! You are my go to chef for recipes and you NEVER disappoint. Much love to you Chef!

  3. Felicia says:

    I can’t wait to make this recipe! The ingredients alone have my mouth watering!

  4. Ateya says:

    Chef Resha we need a book honey, these recipes are bomb! Made yesteday and hubby approves!!!

  5. shawn daly says:

    My new fav, the wings and you!

  6. Mike says:

    I was surfing the web looking for a good chicken recipe and I stumbled upon yours. the picture made me watch the video. The video made me want to make them. So I decided to try your recipe, but I didn’t have the aluminum free baking powder…or so I thought. I went to two stores to get all my ingredients and it was on.
    Turns out I did have the baking powder that you listed on the recipe. I followed the recipe after watching your video exactly the way you presented it and I gotta say my wife thought I fried them wings, but she couldn’t smell fried chicken in the house. I will definitely cook them again and I will definitely try your other recipes.
    Thanks for sharing.

  7. Vanessa says:

    These look exactly like the ones from ob noodle house! I am def trying tmrw!! Your video was so cutee! Ughh ???

  8. Tracy Taft says:
    Your comment is awaiting moderation. This is a preview; your comment will be visible after it has been approved.
    How much honey chili sauce did you use?
  9. Michelle says:

    I made this tonight. It turned out well even without the 5 spice seasoning and sweet paprika. I would make this again. I loved it, and the cilantro and green onions is a most! Thank you for sharing this recipe.

  10. Roger D says:

    This is a great service you do. A lot of time and effort in giving us these recopies, making your web site.
    I very much appreciate it!

  11. Danielle says:

    I made these twice!!!!! They came out amazing both times. I didn’t have rice vinegar, sesame oil, cilantro or chives, however, I still think the recipe came out well. Thanks Resha!

  12. Kundai says:

    I luurvvv this recipe !!! … why do have to use aluminum-free baking powder and what happens if u have baking soda ?

  13. Angel says:

    Could you use this technique if you want to make lemon pepper wings instead?

    • Resha says:

      you can use the baking powder method for ANY recipe. just remember to use about a tbsp per POUND of chicken. some ppl don’t measure/weigh correctly and add too much. you just want an even coating per piece, like a light dredge.

  14. Niesha says:

    Help! I ran into a problem, they tasted great! but they were oddly a little powdery. Any idea why?

  15. Tanya says:

    Just started following you on snapchat a few weeks ago…finally decided to try one of your recipes and DAMN, I picked well! These are AMAZING, I’m gonna make them for everyone I know. Now just gotta make my way through the rest of these recipes…keep it up girl!

  16. Marisa says:

    I have made these like four times already.
    Bomb dot com. I also tried your blueberry cinnamon rolls. Amazing. You are so talented.

  17. Shaloma says:

    Hi Resha,

    My sis and I thoroughly enjoy you and your recipes. They are fool-proof – it kinda is just not fair to any other recipe because we’re like “will it taste like Resha’s?” lol Anyways, I just went out and bought a cooling rack. I see here that you use a baking rack – you’ve been using a rack more often, which is why i went and bought one but I think mine is for cookies and cupcakes. So can you please me clear it up -are cooling and baking interchangeable? And is your kitchen essentials up-to-date? i think i may literally buy everything you suggested that i don’t already have.

    • Resha says:

      LMAO thanks love. Yes you can use the baking rack for cooling, baking, roasting, anything! I have 2 and i use them all the time. I may have to update my essentials list, there are a few things i need to add.

  18. Cheyenne says:

    Ummmmm Resha, wtf!!??!! These were magical. I didn’t even used the glaze. I just ate the chickens straight out the oven. It was so good. You are something amazing!!! I’m pretty sure I love you lol

  19. Nikki says:

    OMG!!!!!! I made these last night and I want to say THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. These are so damn good and I have shared this recipe with four people already. This recipe and the apple pie recipe are the only ones I have tried BUT I am most definitely trying those crab wonton’s. Thank you again, Resha.

  20. Bukky says:

    This looked sooo good on YT and your Snapchat (ALL your food looks good). I’m trying this crispy technique with thighs. I’ve used baking powder with fried chicken (life changing cripyness) but never with oven baked chicken. You’re out here changing lives girl!

  21. Helen says:

    Hi, I would like to make these wings for a fundraising event and I am wondering how to make them in bulk (for about 100 people) ahead of time. What do you recommend?

    Thank you.

    • Resha says:

      if you’re able to at least oven-fry the wings and then reheat them at the event, you could do that. then when they’re hot, toss them in the mixture.

  22. plasterer bristol says:

    great recipe. Top marks for this, thanks for sharing.

    Simon

  23. Karen says:

    This looks extremely delicious. How could this be adapted for chopped, boneless, skinless chicken breasts? Would every step still be the same? Thank you!

    • Resha says:

      i think someone in the youtube comments might have tried boneless/skinless breasts and i think they said it came out ok. i haven’t tried it myself.