Korean-inspired chicken wings that are spicy, sweet, and tangy. These are baked in the oven but still achieve the crispiness of fried wings!
I love chicken wings because they’re easy to try new sauce combinations! This Korean-inspired sauce is definitely hot depending on what gochujang (Korean red chili paste) you use. If you want it spicier, feel free to add some sriracha. If you want it less spicy, you can omit the gochugaru (Korean red chili pepper flakes) and purchase a mild gochujang paste. This is the way I make wings at home without frying since I don’t like using added oil if I don’t need to.
Directions
First, preheat your oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and then parchment paper on top. Make sure your parchment paper is oven safe to this temperature!
Then, dry your chicken wings off with paper towels and give them a good squeeze to get as much moisture off. The drier your wings are, the more they’ll crisp up in the oven.
After they’re dry, toss them in a large bowl with 1 1/2 tbsp of baking powder until everything is evenly coated. Baking powder must be used! Please do not substitute baking soda as the results will not be the same! Lay them on your lined sheet with the skin side up, leaving a little space between each wing. Don’t crowd the pan too much otherwise that will prevent crisping!
The wings will bake in the oven for 70 minutes. After the first 20 minutes, flip the wings over so the skin side is down.
After another 20 minutes, flip them again so the skin side is up for the remaining 30 minutes. Be careful with this last flip! The skin may stick to the parchment paper so peel them off carefully and slowly.
After the full 70 minutes, take the tray out of the oven and let the wings rest undisturbed for 5 minutes.
I usually make the sauce right after I take the wings out of the oven. This way, since the sauce is still hot when you toss the wings, the consistency is thinner and will be easier to get everything evenly coated. Combine the gochujang, gochugaru, garlic, ginger, sugar, brown sugar, honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sesame seeds in a sauce pan over low-medium heat until simmering. Then remove from heat and set aside.
After 5 minutes, place the wings into a large bowl and pour the sauce over them. Toss until evenly combined. The sauce is thick and sticky so it might take a minute or two to get all the wings covered.
Top with additional sesame seeds and green onions. Serve with ranch dressing!
Korean Gochujang Crispy Hot Wings
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 3 lb chicken wings
- 1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
- 6 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp ginger, grated or finely minced
- 3 tbsp gochujang (Korean red chili paste)
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tsp gochugaru (Korean red chili powder flakes)
- 2 tsp sesame seeds, plus extra for garnish
- green onions, for garnish
- ranch, for dipping (optional)
Instructions
Directions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and then parchment paper on top.
- Dry the chicken wings thoroughly using paper towels. Try to get as much moisture off. Toss the dried chicken wings in a large bowl with the baking powder, making sure to cover all the chicken wings evenly. Place the wings on the lined baking sheet with the skin sides up leaving space between each wing.
- Bake the wings in the oven for 70 minutes. After the first 20 minutes, flip the chicken wings so the skin side is down and place back into the oven. After another 20 minutes, flip the chicken wings so the skin side is back up and place back into the oven. Slowly flip the wings this last time as the skin may stick to the parchment paper, so try not to rip them! Bake in the oven for the remaining 30 minutes.
- After the 70 minutes, take the tray out and let the wings rest for 5 minutes.
- While the wings are resting, make the sauce by combining the garlic, ginger, gochujang, sugar, brown sugar, honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, gochugaru, and sesame seeds in a sauce pan. Stir over low-medium heat until the sauce is simmering. Make sure to stir while heating so the sauce doesn't burn at the bottom. Once the sauce has simmered for ~1 minute, turn off heat and set aside.
- Toss the wings and sauce together until evenly coated (~1-2 minutes). Top with more sesame seeds, green onions, and serve with ranch dressing!