24 Spicy, Sweet, and Sticky Sauces for Chicken Wings

Try a variety of marinades, glazes, and dipping sauces for your game day wings.

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Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings
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Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

Whether you love chicken wings with classic buttery Buffalo flavors, a sticky fruit glaze, or a sweet-and-sour sauce that makes your mouth tingle, chicken wing sauces make for the perfect finger-licking food on game day. Chicken wings (and drumettes) are ideal for the grill, oven, or deep fryer because the meat stays juicy as the skin crisps in the high heat, ready to take on whatever flavors strike your fancy. Read on for more of our best chicken wing sauces, from pepperoni to huli huli, before your next snack attack or football watch party.

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01 of 24

Adobo Sauce with Filipino Pico

Adobo Chicken Wings

Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Kay E. Clarke

Soy sauce and vinegar lead the umami-rich flavors of a blend that gets used as marinade and finishing sauce for these oven-baked adobo chicken wings. The bold, slightly acidic flavor is perfect alongside Filipino pico, which packs its own savory punch from fish sauce, tomatoes, and herbs. Serve with steamed rice for a more substantial dish.

02 of 24

Hot Honey Glaze

Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings

Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

These crispy drumettes and flats are seasoned with lemon pepper, air-fried, and coated in a buttery hot honey glaze, which doubles as a dip. The whole thing is easy and utterly satisfying.

03 of 24

Spicy Guava Glaze

Spicy Guava-Glazed Wings

Cedric Angeles

2017 F&W Best New Chef Nina Compton roasts these delectable wings in the oven, then tosses them in a spicy, fruity, and sticky glaze made with guava paste, crushed red pepper, and smoked paprika.

04 of 24

Sticky Ginger-Orange Glaze

Ginger-Orange Chicken Wings

Linda Xiao / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

Chinese-style wings come together in a large wok or deep skillet. Rice wine, ginger, and citrus peel are star players in the layers of flavors, and the combination of soy sauce, molasses, and brown sugar really takes this sticky-sweet recipe to the next level.

05 of 24

Fish Sauce

Crispy Garlic Glazed Chicken Wings
Justin Walker

These wings from Vietnamese American chef Peter Cuong Franklin are marinated in a mix of fish sauce and lime juice then wok-fried in a similar sauce, achieving a dense flavor profile and sticky texture. Fried garlic, fresh scallions, and dried shrimp add a final burst of flavor and crunch.

06 of 24

Pepperoni Sauce

Limoncello Marinated Chicken Wings with Pepperoni Sauce Recipe
Victor Protasio

Not just for pizza and pasta, pepperoni sauce works slathered on tender oven-baked wings that have been marinated in tart-sweet limoncello. Flavorful and multipurpose, this tomato-based sauce belongs in the rotation for dips and sandwich spreads too.

07 of 24

Honey Mustard Sauce

Honey Mustard Chicken Wings with celery sticks, on a white platter.

Food & Wine / Photo by Brie Goldman / Food Styling by Holly Dreesman / Prop Styling by Alexandria Juhl

Combine sweet honey and tangy mustard with butter, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, and seasonings to create a bold coating for these deep-fried chicken wings. Toss the wings in the sauce, then serve any extra on the side as a dip.

08 of 24

Huli Huli Sauce

Huli Huli Chicken Wings
Greg DuPree

Hawaiian chef Sheldon Simeon's smoky grilled wings — paired with pineapple slices — are slathered in a teriyaki-spiked homemade sauce (huli huli means "turn turn" in Hawaiian, reflecting this dish's rotisserie origins), which is enhanced by fresh ginger and tangy pineapple juice.

09 of 24

Spicy Gochujang Glaze

Sticky Baked Chicken Wings

Marcus Nilsson

Opting for the oven instead of the deep fryer, chef Matt Jennings tosses these baked wings in a spicy glaze made with savory, sweet, spicy Korean gochujang. Thinly sliced scallions, toasted sesame seeds, and chopped cilantro crown the dish as a garnish alongside lime wedges.

10 of 24

Pineapple-Teriyaki Glaze

Pineapple-Teriyaki Glazed Chicken Wings

Todd Porter & Diane Cu

Toss fried or roasted wings in a sweet and savory glaze of garlic, ginger, soy sauce, pineapple juice, sugar, and vinegar. Extra glaze pulls double-duty as a dipping sauce.

11 of 24

Sticky Miso Glaze

Sticky Miso Chicken Wings

Line Klein

Miso, lime juice, ginger, and fish sauce make for a spectacularly funky, sweet-sour glaze for crispy baked chicken wings. Brush the glaze over the wings during the last 10 minutes of roasting for maximum flavor.

12 of 24

Sweet-and-Spicy Pantry Sauce

Lampe's Chicken Wings with Sweet-and-Spicy Pantry Sauce

Reed Davis

National barbecue champion and restaurateur Ray Lampe, aka Dr. BBQ, bumps up the flavors in these sweet and sticky wings by slashing the inside of the joints so they cook through and basting the meat with the reserved marinade as it grills.

13 of 24

Penang-Style Sticky Sauce

One-Pot Sticky Chicken Wings

Stephanie Meyer

Chef and TV personality Andrew Zimmern calls this homage to his favorite wings from Penang food stalls "a schmaltz version of beurre monté," as the chicken fat emulsifies into the soy sauce, sake, oyster sauce, mirin, star anise, and dried chile glaze as the wings cook on the stovetop.

14 of 24

Maple-Bacon Glaze

Maple-Bacon Chicken Wings

Todd Porter & Diane Cu

Punchy ingredients like bacon, maple syrup, ketchup, applesauce, soy, and more come together in this sticky, sumptuous, finger-licking glaze.

15 of 24

Cherry Barbecue Glaze

Smokin' Sweet Chicken Wings with Cherry Barbecue Glaze

Lucy Schaeffer

Sweet, sour, and fiery, this glaze of sour cherry preserves, lime juice, and habanero is perfect for grilled wings. Be sure to coat just before serving to prevent the sugars from burning.

16 of 24

Soy Sauce

Soy Sauce Chicken Wings

Todd Porter & Diane Cu

Soy sauce, oyster sauce, ketchup, and brown sugar combine in a salty-sweet wing sauce. Toss whole deep-fried chicken wings in the sauce and garnish with green onions to make these wings sing.

17 of 24

Yogurt Sauce

Tandoori Chicken Wings with Yogurt Sauce

Peden + Munk

A yogurt marinade tenderizes these Indian-spiced tandoori chicken wings, while a minty yogurt sauce bolstered by cream cheese is served alongside for dipping, making them virtually irresistible on game day.

18 of 24

Spicy Apricot Sauce

Spicy Apricot Wings

Marcus Nilsson

Pitmaster Chris Lilly of Alabama's Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q combines spicy with sweet in the apricot sauce he uses to both glaze and serve alongside his wings.

19 of 24

Ike's Vietnamese Fish Sauce

Ike's Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings

Wendell T. Webber

For some seriously savory and sophisticated wings, marinate the chicken in fish sauce, sugar, and garlic before frying them. Then heat and reduce the marinade to a syrup to toss with the crispy cooked wings.

20 of 24

Spicy Sriracha

Spicy Sriracha Chicken Wings

Maura McEvoy

Chef Michael Symon's crispy chicken wings get their heat from a generous amount of his favorite hot sauce, sriracha. For a fun variation on classic Buffalo wings, blend sriracha with butter, lime zest, and cilantro, then toss with fried or roasted wings.

21 of 24

Angry Sauce

Chicken Wings with Angry Sauce

Con Poulos

Keep a handful of napkins nearby for this recipe! Lisa Shin, former co-owner of now-shuttered Wing Wings in San Francisco, uses this versatile sauce — based on ginger-kissed Korean gochujang (hot pepper paste) and gochugaru (chile powder) — as a marinade for crispy wings. The concoction works equally well for pork dishes and as a dip for cucumber spears.

22 of 24

Fragrant Herb Sauce

Chicken Wings with Fragrant Herb Sauce

Con Poulos

Make a spectacular sauce with tons of herbs and scallions along with jalapeño and habanero peppers — plus a little honey to counter the heat. Toss it with baked wings for a vibrant snack, appetizer, or party platter.

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Green Jalapeño Sauce

Green Jalapeño Hot Wings

Rick Poon

Skip the deep fryer and roast these Buffalo-style chicken wings, then smother them in a spicy green jalapeño sauce that combines fresh and pickled jalapeños for an extra hit of puckery pleasure.

24 of 24

Texas Ranch Dressing

Hill Country Smoked Chicken Wings with Texas Ranch Dressing

Peden + Munk

Chef Ben Ford brings sweet, tangy heat to his buttermilk ranch with the addition of sugar, pickled jalapeños, and apple cider vinegar. It's an ideal dip for Hill Country Smoked Chicken Wings, but you'll find plenty of ways to savor this sassy dressing.

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