Sticky honey & tamari chicken wings with blue cheese dip
Crisp oven-baked wings tossed in a sticky honey–tamari glaze, served with a cooling blue cheese dip and celery sticks—perfect for game day.
These wings are the kind of game-day show-off: crisp skin, a shiny sticky glaze and tangy blue cheese to cut through the sweetness. Oven-baked first for hands-off crispness, then a quick grill char for theatre.
Make them for a match, a party or whenever you need finger-licking crowd-pleasers. They look naughty and taste even better than they look — the glaze is bold but not cloying, and the dip calms everything down.
Ingredients
- 1.2 kg chicken wings
- 10 ml baking powder
- 10 ml fine sea salt
- 5 ml smoked paprika
- 5 ml black pepper — freshly ground
- 15 ml olive oil
- 60 ml tamari — use gluten-free tamari to keep the recipe gluten-free
- 75 ml clear honey
- 25 ml rice vinegar
- 3 garlic cloves — crushed
- 25 g root ginger — peeled and finely grated
- 5 ml chilli flakes
- 150 g blue cheese
- 150 g soured cream
- 30 g mayonnaise
- 1/2 lemon — juice only
- 2 celery sticks — cut into batons
- 2 spring onions — thinly sliced
- 15 ml sesame seeds — toasted
Equipment
- baking tray
- wire rack
- small saucepan
- tongs
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 220°C fan/240°C conventional and place a wire rack over a baking tray.
Pat the chicken wings dry all over with kitchen paper. Removing surface moisture helps them crisp.
In a large bowl mix baking powder, fine sea salt, smoked paprika and black pepper. Add the wings and olive oil and toss until evenly coated.
Arrange the wings on the wire rack in a single layer with space between each piece. Bake on the middle shelf for 40 minutes, turning once at 20 minutes, until deep golden and crisp.
While the wings bake, make the glaze: combine tamari, clear honey, rice vinegar, garlic cloves, root ginger and chilli flakes in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer and reduce for 6–8 minutes until glossy and slightly thickened.
Transfer the hot wings to a large bowl, pour over most of the glaze (reserve a little for serving) and toss with tongs until every wing is glossy.
Return the glazed wings to the wire rack and place under the grill for 3–4 minutes until edges begin to char and the glaze is sticky. Watch them closely.
Make the blue cheese dip: crumble the blue cheese into a bowl, add the soured cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice and a little black pepper. Mix until smooth, cover and chill for 20 minutes to let the flavours marry.
Scatter the wings with toasted sesame seeds and sliced spring onions. Serve straight away with celery sticks and the chilled blue cheese dip, and the reserved glaze on the side for extra stickiness.
Tips
- Dry the wings thoroughly before coating — that single step makes the biggest difference to crispiness.
- Use a wire rack over a baking tray so hot air circulates; wings on a flat tray will steam on the underside.
- Reserve a little glaze before tossing so you can reapply after grilling; it refreshes the shine and stick.
- Make the blue cheese dip a few hours ahead for a mellower flavour and easier prep on the day.
- Reheat leftovers in a hot oven (200°C fan/220°C conventional) for 8–10 minutes to restore crispness rather than microwaving.
Substitutions
tamari → regular soy sauce, same quantity
Noticeably differentclear honey → maple syrup, same quantity
Stays closeblue cheese → crème fraîche (150 g) for a milder dip
Noticeably differentchicken wings → chicken thigh pieces, 1200 g (cook time may vary)
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 975
- Calories
- 62 g
- Protein
- 22 g
- Carbs
- 71 g
- Fat
- 3 g
- Fibre
- 19 g
- Sugar
- 950 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make the wings ahead of time?
You can bake them ahead and finish under the grill just before serving to refresh the glaze. Store baked (but unglazed) wings in the fridge up to 24 hours.
How do I keep them gluten-free?
Use gluten-free tamari and check your baking powder is gluten-free. Avoid regular soy sauce, which often contains wheat.
How do I reheat leftovers so they stay crispy?
Reheat in a hot oven at 200°C fan/220°C conventional for 8–10 minutes on a wire rack; this restores crispness without drying the meat.
Can I make the glaze spicier?
Yes — add an extra 0.5–1 tsp chilli flakes or a little sriracha to the glaze while it reduces, to taste.
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