With lots of wonderful sports right around the corner, you better believe I’m brining you some great game day recipes over the next few weeks. Chicken wings are always on my must-make list for sports parties and these addictive Sticky Korean Chicken Wings are some of my favorite wings! Make these and you’ll be happy even if your team loses.
The thing that makes these wings special is a special sauce using Gochujang Korean chili sauce! Luckily, you can find it in most grocery stores these days, which is great because it has a really unique spicy/sweet flavor. You need it for these wings!
“These look SO good! I’ve been wanting to try gochujang and this seems like the perfect way to try it!” – Sam E.
These wings are best if you bake them actually (which is great because you don’t need a fryer). Baking the wings gives the sauce a chance to thicken on the wings and turn into a sticky sauce. YUM.
Make these wings. Watch some sports!
- Want a different game day appetizer? Try this Buffalo Bread or these mushroom and scallion flatbreads!
Ingredients for the sticky sauce
This is a simple, but magical sauce. It has all the flavor profiles in one sauce: sweet, salty, sour, and spicy. To make it you’re going to need:
- Gojuchang Korean chili paste – available at most grocery stores these days
- Garlic and ginger
- Brown sugar
- Soy sauce
- Rice wine vinegar
- Sesame oil
Just mix those ingredients together and your sauce is done! You could add more items to the sauce to make it slightly more complex like a dash of fish sauce or some sriracha sauce to kick up the heat more.
Baking over frying chicken wings
Traditionally, chicken wings are fried. I love a good fried wing but honestly when I’m making them at home I rarely bust out my deep fryer and instead just bake the wings.
I particularly like baking these sticky Korean chicken wings because baking them gives the glaze or sauce a chance to thicken on the wings. This would be hard to replicate if you are frying the wings and you would just have to toss the wings in the sauce, which doesn’t have quite the same effect.
Easier clean-up and delicious glaze? Sign me up for baked chicken wings!
How to make Korean Chicken Wings
This Korean chicken wing recipe is really simple to make. Most importantly, no need to bust out the fryer for fried chicken wings. They are best baked so the sauce can caramelize on the wings.
To start the wings, you want to actually cook them without the sauce on them. Toss your wingettes and drumettes with some neutral oil, salt, and pepper. Spread them out on a baking sheet lined with foil for easier clean-up.
Bake the wings at 375 degrees F. for about 50 minutes on a baking sheet.
While the wings are baking, you can mix togethe your sauce ingredients – soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger, brown sugar, gochujang, garlic, and sesame oil in a large bowl.
This sauce is magical stuff. It hits all the key flavor notes!
When your wings are done baking, they should have lots of crispy bits on them. This is a good thing.
The Double Toss Method
This is how to make these Sticky Korean Hot Wings really special. When they are done baking, toss them with half of the sweet Korean sauce. Boom.
Then crank the oven up to 400 degrees F. and spread them out on the baking sheet. Bake them a second time for 10-15 minutes. This will really caramelize the sauce on the wings!
When the chicken wings come out of the oven from the second bake, then toss them a second time with the last half of the sauce.
It’s the perfect chicken wing method for a sticky sauce like this! So delicious.
- Don’t like spicy wings? Try out these Garlic Butter Chicken Wings!
You could serve these sweet Korean chicken wings with blue cheese or ranch, but honestly I don’t think they need any sauce. They are great just like this, with maybe some fresh scallions or sesame seeds on them.
Be the tailgating hero with these bad boys!
Substitutions
There are some easy substitutions you could make for these chicken wings.
- This same sticky sauce is actually delicious on steamed vegetables. Try it on broccoli or drizzled over a cucumber salad!
- If you are worried about the heat level, reduce the gochujang by half and add a tablespoon of honey.
- Give the wings a smokey note by adding a teaspoon of smoked paprika to the sauce.
- Scale up the recipe for dinner time by using chicken thighs or drumsticks instead of chicken wings.
Leftovers and reheating
I rarely have leftover wings, but if you do find yourself with a few, these wings will keep just fine in the fridge for 5-7 days. You can reheat them in the microwave until hot or you can use an air fryer to reheat them at 375˚F for a few minutes.
To reheat a larger batch of wings, use your traditional oven at 350˚F for a few minutes. Be careful not to let the sauce burn since it has already been cooked and reduced down.
Sweet Korean Chicken Wings
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken wings
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup gochujang sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- Scallions, garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Toss chicken wings with oil, salt, and pepper and spread out evenly on a baking sheet. Bake chicken wings for 50 minutes until they are golden brown.
- Meanwhile stir together sauce ingredients.
- When chicken wings are done, toss wings with half of the sweet Korean chili sauce. Return to sheet pan and spread out. Turn oven up to 400 degrees F. and bake for another 10-15 minutes until they are caramelized.
- Remove wings and toss with the rest of the sauce. Serve wings with minced scallions and any sauces you might like, although they are good without any dipping sauce.
Kristen Chidsey
Pittsburg–really?!! Just kidding. I am sad little Browns fan, so I had to give you some beef :)
And these wings–I am so in love with the sweet and spicy combo! Fabulous!
Joni Gomes
This looks seriously mouthwatering, can’t wait to make it! Love the photography as well!
Sam Ellis
These look SO good! I’ve been wanting to try gochujang and this seems like the perfect way to try it!
Linda @ 2 Cookin’ Mamas
You had me at Korean! I love baking wings and these sound like they would hit the spot on game day. I am really going to have to hunt for that gochujang sauce – sounds like just what I’ve been looking for.
Allie
Thanks for all your great postings! I’m finding not only great recipes here, but in addition, some helpful hints. I’m 72 and still learning:) Keep laughing and cooking to your little heart’s desire :)…
Karly
Football season? More like wing season, amiright!? These look so darn good for gametime. Cannot wait to try them out!
Matt
Pittsburgh.. could be worse ;) I love the double toss!
Miodrag @Miosuperhealth
Chicken + Sweet = Love. A little bit late for me to try this tasty chicken wings during the football season, but hey… do you really need a occasion to eat delicious chicken wings?
Nicole
Wow! I bet these winds would be great on a smoker too. I will have to try it!
Scotty
These were amazing wings just out of the oven alone. I cant wait to try grilling them.
Maire
Is it wrong that I could just stare at these photos for ages without even cooking anything ;)
Nick
I won’t tell! ;)
tori
This looks so beautiful and I love the flavors going on. Thanks for sharing!