These Sticky Chicken Wings are breaded and crispy and then drizzled in maple syrup and BBQ sauce. These sweet and savory wings are perfect for dinners, Game Days, or any spread.
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What Type of Chicken to Use
I like to buy wings that have already been separated into drums and flats. You can buy full wings if you wish. You can also break down full wings. You can do this by slicing each in half to separate the drummette and the flat with the tip.
How to Get the Maple Flavor
I love to use a thick maple syrup. Grab your favorite brand or click the link to check out what I use.
What Type of BBQ Sauce to Use
You can use my Homemade BBQ Sauce recipe or use any of your favorite BBQ sauce.
How to Season the Chicken
I love to use my Homemade BBQ Seasoning and Rub to give the chicken a lot of flavor.
How to Make Sticky Chicken Wings
Detailed measurements and full instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Season the chicken wings with a rub, salt, and pepper to taste.
- Sprinkle the baking powder throughout.
- Bake or air fry.
- Mix the maple syrup and bbq sauce together in a bowl or mixing cup.
- Remove the chicken and place it in a large bowl. Drizzle the maple bbq sauce throughout.
- Place the chicken back in the air fryer or oven.
Why Baking Powder is Used
Baking powder is a great substitute for all-purpose flour and will help get the chicken nice and crispy. I serve these wings breaded and then dipped in maple syrup and BBQ sauce and then crisped again. Amazing texture.
How to Reheat
I reheated these chicken wings over the next couple of days in the air fryer for 4 minutes on 400 degrees. Test to see that the chicken is warm in order to determine the optimal time that will work for you.
Freezer Tips
You can freeze leftover chicken tightly sealed for a few months. Defrost overnight or reheat the chicken frozen. You can follow the recipe in my Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Wings for instructions.
Pair These Wings With These Recipes
Green Goddess Cobb Salad
Air Fryer Broccoli
Creamy Cucumber Salad
Make Ahead Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
Roasted Ranch Potatoes
More Chicken Wing Recipes
Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Air Fryer Buffalo Wings
Thai Chili Chicken Wings
Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings
How to Grill Chicken Wings
Crispy Ranch Chicken Wings
Sticky Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken wings I use drummettes/party wings.
- 2-3 teaspoons Chicken Seasoning or BBQ Seasoning or rub See notes for what I use.
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup BBQ sauce I use sugar-free.
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- cooking oil I use olive oil and this is for the air fryer method.
Instructions
Baked Wings
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Season the chicken wings with the rub, salt, and pepper to taste.
- Sprinkle the baking powder throughout and ensure the chicken is fully coated.
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and add the wings to the pan.
- Bake for 20 minutes and then flip the wings.
- Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes.
- Mix the maple syrup and bbq sauce together in a bowl or mixing cup.
- Remove the chicken and place it in a large bowl. Drizzle the maple bbq sauce throughout.
- Place the coated chicken back onto the sheet pan and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Ensure the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Use a meat thermometer.
Air Fryer Wings
- Season the chicken wings with the rub, salt, and pepper to taste.
- Sprinkle the baking powder throughout and ensure the chicken is fully coated.
- Spray the air fryer basket with cooking oil. I like to use olive oil.
- Add the chicken to the basket. Spray both sides with cooking oil. The white exterior on the chicken should go away when you spray it with oil.
- Cook for 10 minutes on 320 degrees. Do not overcrowd the air fryer basket. Cook in batches if needed.
- Open the air fryer and flip the chicken. Cook for an additional 5 minutes on 400 degrees.
- Mix the maple syrup and bbq sauce together in a bowl or mixing cup.
- Remove the chicken and place it in a large bowl. Drizzle the maple bbq sauce throughout.
- Place the chicken back in the air fryer. Cook for an additional 5 minutes on 400 degrees. Every air fryer brand is different and cook time will vary. Use your judgment. Cook until the maple bbq sauce has dried and crisped. Ensure the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Use a meat thermometer.
Notes
- I love to use my Homemade BBQ Seasoning to season these.
- Use more or less BBQ sauce and Maple Syrup as deemed necessary.
- You cannot substitute baking soda for baking powder. The chemical structure is not the same. You can omit the baking powder if you wish. The wings just won’t be breaded.
- You can use frozen wings. Refer to the blog post.
Darrell
Saturday 29th of April 2023
Are you baking of air frying 5 minutes at 400 please be more precise
staysnatched
Saturday 29th of April 2023
The recipe is precise. You didn't scroll down to the recipe card and read the entire post.
Jill
Tuesday 21st of June 2022
“Damn that was good” a quote from the fiancé about this chicken. Made in Airfryer with drumsticks.
staysnatched
Wednesday 22nd of June 2022
haha! I love that!
Mallory K
Sunday 16th of January 2022
You can’t go wrong with any of Brandi’s wing recipes. I especially love that this recipe has you coat the wings then fry them again. That crispy saucy coating is delish.
staysnatched
Wednesday 19th of January 2022
I'm so glad you enjoyed them.
Sharan A
Tuesday 4th of January 2022
Forgot to rate with my review! Definitely a 5 star recipe!
staysnatched
Tuesday 4th of January 2022
Thank you!
Sharan A
Tuesday 4th of January 2022
The baking powder! That makes these wings so crispy even though they're covered in sauce! This is one of the best low carb, savoury+sweet recipes I've tried.
staysnatched
Tuesday 4th of January 2022
I'm so glad to hear that!