There are few things better than a crispy, spicy-sweet chicken wing, am I right? Â These ones are so delicious and so simple with only 4 ingredients in the sticky sauce: gochujang, soy sauce, honey, and garlic.
It’s a magical foursome that comes together in a totally addictive, multiple-napkins-required way.
Gochujang is a Korean red pepper paste. If you’ve read many food magazines in the past year you’ve likely heard of it. It’s a delicious blend of sun-dried red chilis with fermented rice and soybeans.
Think miso meets hot sauce. And it’s slightly sweetened.
So to recap, you have spicy, sweet, umami, and a mild fermented funk in one delicious, thick paste. Korean cooks know what’s up. Which is undoubtedly why the condiment is gaining rapid popularity among non-Korean cooks.
Hand-picked: Best Gochujang Substitute
I love chicken wings, and have a hard time not eating a hundred million in one sitting. Which is why I especially love my own version of chicken wings, which I make in the oven without actually even adding any oil. (See: Crispy Baked Buffalo Wings with Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing)
So they’re delicious without the immediate regretful stomach ache.
I have a special, very important trick to achieving a perfectly crispy wing without frying. I use an oiled wire cooling rack placed on top of the baking sheets to ensure good air circulation all around, and employ the convection setting on my oven (not crucial, but it sure helps).
The recipe makes a big batch because we live for leftovers these days, but feel free to halve it. It is pretty spicy – I made a milder version of the sauce for the kiddos (honey, soy sauce, garlic and just a touch of the spice paste). They both love eating wings – I think it makes them feel like giants.
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Sticky-Spicy Korean Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- Canola corn or sunflower oil, for racks
- 4 lbs chicken wings
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ cup Sempio Red Pepper Paste Gochujang
- 4 tbsp honey
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- toasted sesame seeds optional
- thinly sliced green onion optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF, on convection setting, if you have it. Line two large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and top with wire cooling racks. Oil the racks and arrange chicken wings in a single layer on top. Sprinkle evenly with salt. Bake wings for about 40 minutes, until skin is crispy.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the hot pepper paste, honey, soy sauce, and garlic. Brush over the chicken wings and bake about 8 minutes more, until glaze is charring a bit in spots, watching closely toward the end. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onion, if desired.
