These Brown Sugar BBQ Baked Wings are such an easy, crowd pleasing game day snack! The wings are incredibly crispy, and they’re baked in the oven using a special trick! The BBQ sauce is made in no time on the stove, and it’s the perfect amount of sweet. This wing method will be your new go-to!
(This post is sponsored by Sprouts! Thank you so so much for reading and supporting the brands that I love!)
Ever since I found out about this method for making the crispiest baked wings, I haven’t made them any other way since! Wings aren’t something I make too often at home, because frying can be a pain, and they’re kind of treat that I’d rather order out. But! These are a whole other story. They couldn’t be simpler to make, and you wouldn’t believe how crispy of a wing this method yields! It’s amazing. And don’t even get me started on the BBQ sauce!
The BBQ sauce is literally made in 10 minutes on the stove, and it makes extra so you can use it on anything you want! A drizzle on pizza, sauce for pulled pork, or pulled chicken!
Or, a double batch of these wings 🙂
The trick to making these wings super crispy, is dusting them with baking powder, yes, baking powder! It has some reaction with the fat on the wings, that makes them super crispy in the oven when you bake them at a high temp. I don’t know all of the science behind it, but it WORKS. When I made these for guests, they could not believe that they were baked!
In addition to using that method, I believe that the quality really matters when it comes to chicken. Chicken is one of those meats that (at least in my opinion), you can tell when it’s good quality and when it’s not, especially in terms of taste.
What I love about Sprouts wings, and really their overall approach is that their chicken is:
Always Fresh, Never Frozen
All natural
Cage-free
Hatched, raised and harvested in the U.S.
No added hormones
No added steroids
Minimally processed
No artificial ingredients
As someone who aims to live a healthy lifestyle, without many processed/artifical ingredients if I can avoid them, I really appreciate this and Sprouts overall mission!
And as a bonus, their chicken is really freaking delicious.
Once you coat the wings in salt and baking powder, you want to let them sit in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight. The longer you let them sit, the crispier they turn out!
Most of the prep for these is completely hands-off, so you can have more time to enjoy the game and hang out with family and friends. Which is always a huge plus for me when I’m having people over! I hate having to be tied to the kitchen all day, and you definitely don’t have to! This is one of those recipes that you can virtually prep completely ahead of time, and the rest of the process, and actually cooking them, is super hands-off!
The brown sugar BBQ sauce uses pretty much all pantry and fridge staples. It might seem like a somewhat long ingredient list, but trust me, it’s not! You probably have most, if not everything already! All you need is ketchup, brown sugar, molasses, honey, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, dijon, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, dry mustard, salt, and pepper.
I don’t like my BBQ sauce super sweet, so this one is less sweet, and still perfectly balanced. The brown sugar adds a caramelly depth of flavor, and the apple cider vinegar adds that tang that I love in a BBQ sauce. It’s so good!
The other thing that makes these suuuper crispy, is that you bake them at a really high temperature – 450℉.
A funny little story about that – for whatever reason, my smoke detector likes to go off whenever my oven is cooking at 450℉, whether there’s smoke or not. The day I photographed these wings, after being up since 5am and shooting alllll day, I kid you not – the smoke alarm was going off for 30 minutes straight. To say I slightly lost my mind would be an understatement.
But at least I had these wings as a treat after all of the chaos!
Another tip to making these the crispiest they can be – make sure you don’t overcrowd the pan. Spread them out so they aren’t touching, and that’ll ensure you end up with the crispiest wings!
Another thing I love about shopping at Sprouts: everyone is SO incredibly helpful, and they have such a wide variety of options. They always have handcrafted sausages, freshly ground meats, as well as and marinated, ready-to-cook meats. Also, every time I’ve gone in with a question, their butchers are super knowledgeable, happy to share tips, and they also make custom cuts for you if you need them! They’re pretty fantastic.
Also – don’t be shy about seasoning these with salt. It’s a crucial step to infusing the chicken with flavor while they sit in the fridge. Sometimes I like to add a little garlic powder too! Any kind of seasoning you use will taste amazing with this BBQ sauce. It’s such a classic, balanced sauce that lends itself to pair really well with any flavor!
I’ve also used this wing method to make buffalo wings and those were phenomenal too!
Such a perfect game day treat!
Brown Sugar BBQ Baked Wings
These Brown Sugar BBQ Baked Wings are such an easy, crowd pleasing game day snack! The wings are incredibly crispy, and they’re baked in the oven using a special trick! The BBQ sauce is made in no time on the stove, and it’s the perfect amount of sweet. This wing method will be your new go-to!
Ingredients
For the wings
- 2 pounds Sprouts chicken wings
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- nonstick cooking spray
For the brown sugar BBQ sauce:
- 1 1/2 cups Sprouts ketchup
- 1/2 cup Sprouts light brown sugar, loosely packed
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Sprouts dry mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
Pat wings dry with paper towels. Place wings in a large, non-reactive glass or plastic bowl. Add the salt and toss to coat. Sprinkle the baking powder over the wings and toss again to coat. Place in the fridge for at least 4 hours or up to overnight. (This step helps the wings get super crispy when they’re baked!)
Preheat oven to 450℉. Spray a large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Set aside. Place wings in an even layer on the baking sheet, and bake for 20 minutes, then flip them, and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until golden and crispy.
While wings are baking, in a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients for the BBQ sauce. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper if desired.
When wings are finished baking, add to a large bowl along with ½-¾ cup (or desired amount!) of BBQ sauce and toss to coat! The amount is totally up to you and how saucy you want them! (You will have extra sauce leftover for another use!) Serve immediately with extra BBQ sauce and enjoy!
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