Gochujang‑glazed chicken wings
Sticky, spicy Korean‑style chicken wings with a glossy gochujang glaze — perfect for sharing or a showstopping supper.
These sticky, spicy gochujang‑glazed wings hit that perfect sweet‑umami‑spicy note everyone fights over at a party. They’re crisped in the oven and finished under the grill so you get charred edges without deep frying.
Make them for game night, a casual supper or whenever you need something finger‑friendly and a bit showy. The glaze keeps well — make extra for dunking.
Ingredients
- 1.2 kg chicken wings
- 20 g cornflour
- 5 ml baking powder
- 5 ml sea salt
- 5 ml ground black pepper
- 15 ml vegetable oil
- 80 g gochujang
- 30 ml honey
- 30 ml light soy sauce
- 15 ml rice vinegar
- 10 ml sesame oil
- 4 garlic — cloves, finely minced
- 20 g fresh ginger — finely grated
- 15 g soft brown sugar
- 60 ml water
- 2 spring onions — thinly sliced, for garnish
- 15 ml sesame seeds — toasted, for garnish
Equipment
- wire rack
- basting brush
- small saucepan
- baking tray
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C conventional. Line a baking tray with foil and place a wire rack on top (the rack allows air to circulate and crisps the skin).
Pat the chicken wings dry with kitchen paper. Dry skin is essential for crisping, so squeeze out as much surface moisture as you can.
In a large bowl toss the wings with the cornflour, baking powder, sea salt, ground black pepper and the vegetable oil until evenly coated. Spread the wings out on the wire rack (not touching) and chill in the fridge to dry the coating for 45 minutes.
Roast the wings on the rack in the preheated oven for 32 minutes, turning once at the halfway point, until the skin is golden and crisp.
While the wings roast, make the glaze. Put the gochujang, honey, light soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, fresh ginger, soft brown sugar and the water into a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, then reduce and simmer for about 6 minutes until glossy and slightly thickened. Taste and adjust balance: more honey if you want sweeter, more vinegar if you want brighter.
Remove the wings from the oven and increase the oven to grill (high). Toss the wings in most of the glaze (reserve a little for serving) so they are well coated, return them to the wire rack and grill for 2–3 minutes to caramelise the glaze and singe the edges. Watch them closely — the sugars burn quickly.
Remove the wings and leave to rest on the tray for 10 minutes — this lets the glaze set and makes them easier to handle.
Transfer the wings to a serving plate, drizzle any reserved glaze over them and scatter with sliced spring onions and toasted sesame seeds. Serve hot.
Tips
- Dry the wings thoroughly and give the cornflour/baking powder coating time in the fridge — that step is the single best trick for crispy skin.
- If you want extra heat, add 1 tsp Korean chilli flakes (gochugaru) to the glaze while it simmers.
- Make the glaze up to 24 hours ahead and reheat gently; store leftover wings in the fridge for up to 48 hours and reheat in a 180°C fan oven for 10–12 minutes to revive crispness.
- Use a wire rack over the baking tray to let fat drip away — baking directly on foil leads to soggy undersides.
- If you need these gluten‑free, swap light soy sauce for tamari (see substitutions).
Substitutions
light soy sauce → tamari, same quantity
Stays closehoney → maple syrup, same quantity
Noticeably differentcornflour → rice flour, same quantity
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 520
- Calories
- 28 g
- Protein
- 18 g
- Carbs
- 36 g
- Fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 12 g
- Sugar
- 700 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make these ahead?
You can make the glaze a day ahead and store chilled. Cooked wings keep 48 hours in the fridge; reheat in a hot oven (180°C fan) to crisp the skin again and brush with reserved glaze just before serving.
My wings weren’t crispy — what went wrong?
Most likely they were too wet or overcrowded. Make sure you pat them very dry, coat with cornflour/baking powder and leave space between pieces on a wire rack so air circulates.
Can I cook these under the grill only?
You could, but roasting first ensures the wings cook through and the skin renders. Grill‑only risks charring the outside before the centre is cooked.
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