Name: Grilled Honey Chicken Wings
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 2 pounds chicken wings (flats and/or drumettes); ½ teaspoon sea salt; ½ teaspoon black pepper; ¼ teaspoon garlic powder; ⅓ cup honey; 1 teaspoon sesame oil; 1 tablespoon coconut aminos (or soy sauce); ½ teaspoon sesame seeds; ½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger (optional); 1 green onion (thinly sliced); 1 teaspoon sesame seeds; 1 teaspoon minced cilantro (or minced flat leaf parsley); 1 lime (cut into wedges)

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Serve up some grilled chicken wings for a light dinner, appetizer or party food! They take 30 minutes to cook on an outdoor grill, or you can use a grill pan on your stove. Your whole family will love these honey wings!

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Grilled honey wings sprinkled with sesame seeds and onions on a white plate.

If you think grilling is just for the summer months, think again! If you don’t have a way to grill outdoors or the weather is too cold, just do your grilling indoors!

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Why This Recipe is a Family Favorite

You won’t believe how easy it is to make grilled chicken wings that are perfectly juicy inside, with crispy skin and a sticky-sweet honey glaze on the outside.

Many people love buffalo wing sauce, but it’s usually too spicy for younger kids. This honey wings recipe features a sweet, Asian-inspired sauce that even non-spicy food lovers will enjoy.

Wings are a great appetizer or party food, but honestly, they are perfect for a light meal, too! The best part? This meal cooks quickly, and can be ready to serve in about 30 minutes.

Happy Kitchen Secrets

Here are my important mom-tested cooking tips for making this recipe! I’ve grilled chicken wings countless times, so I can save you from a failed attempt.

If you grill on a pan indoors, the cook time will be a few minutes longer than if you use a traditional grill.
Use pieces that are similar in size. You can use flats and/or drumettes, but to be sure that everything cooks evenly, try to use similar sized pieces.
After preheating, oil the cooking surface before adding any food. This helps prevent the skin from sticking, which can cause it to burn.
As the chicken cooks, use tongs to turn the pieces over every few minutes.
To be sure they are safe to eat, use a meat thermometer to take the internal temperature of one of the honey wings.

Close up side view of a hand holding one grilled chicken wing coated with sauce.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

A couple of important tips for when you buy the chicken wings:

You can use drumettes and/or flats. Because they are thinner, the flat pieces cook more quickly.
If you want to use frozen chicken wings, that’s fine! However, let them thaw completely in the refrigerator first, then pat them dry with paper toweling before seasoning them.

How much chicken should you buy? 2 pounds of wing pieces (drumettes and flats) averages 16 to 24 pieces. 4 grilled chicken wings per person is a good serving size for an appetizer or light meal. For bigger appetites, plan on 5 pieces per person.

Honey Glaze

There are just 4 ingredients in the glaze for the wings.

Instead of processed sugar, honey is the sweetener.
To create an Asian flavor, you’ll need sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds
To keep the sauce gluten-free, my family uses coconut aminos instead of soy sauce. If consuming gluten isn’t a concern, you can substitute with an equal amount of soy sauce.

You can use avocado oil or olive oil as a substitute for sesame oil. You’ll lose some of the Asian flavor, but the grilled chicken wings will be still be delicious.

For a spicier flavor, feel free to add a teaspoon of hot sauce or sriracha to the glaze.

Pouring honey wings sauce over grilled chicken wings in a large mixing bowl.

How to Make Grilled Chicken Wings

This is just a summary of the steps. See the recipe card for full instructions! ⬇️

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Preheat the grill or grill pan. If you’re cooking on the stove top, set the burner to medium-high heat. For grilling chicken wings on a gas grill, preheat to 350°F.
Season the chicken. Combine the seasonings in a bowl, then toss the wings in it.
Whisk together the honey glaze ingredients in a small bowl, then set it aside.
Lightly brush the grill/pan with oil then arrange the wings on the hot surface. Leave a little space between them, and use tongs to occasionally turn them over as they cook.
Keep the grill or burner heat turned on!
Remove the grilled chicken wings and coat them in the glaze.
Return the honey wings to the hot grill. Cook for about 2-3 more minutes per side or until the skins crisp nicely but don’t burn.

Important: Before serving, always use a meat thermometer to check that the internal temperature of the chicken has reached 165°F (74°C), per USDA.

Cooked honey sriracha wings sprinkled with sesame seeds and garnished with slices of lime on a white plate.

Make it kid friendly: If your little one struggles with textures, feel free to skip the sesame seeds. I think the honey wings are still perfectly delicious without them.

Storing and Reheating Grilled Chicken Wings

Cool any leftovers to room temperature, then store in a covered container in the refrigerator. They should keep for about 5 days.

To meal prep this recipe, grill the chicken wings to an internal temperature of 165°F, but do not coat them in honey glaze! Wait until just before you're ready to serve to coat them.

Reheating: Instead of firing up the grill, you can put the glazed wings under an oven broiler for a few minutes, but watch them carefully so they don't burn. Another option is to reheat chicken wings in an air fryer.