Honey Barbecue Wings (Jack Daniels Wings) are crispy chicken wings baked in the oven then tossed in a sweet honey barbecue sauce made with Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey whiskey. They will leave you licking your fingers for more!
A few weeks before posting this recipe, one of my coworkers took a trip to Tennessee and brought me back a little sample bottle of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey whiskey from her tour of the distillery.
Immediately my mind went to my high school days when my friends and I were old enough to drive and ate at TGIFriday’s quite often.
One of their specialties is the Jack Daniel’s BBQ sauce. Not only did it taste good, we thought we were so cool having alcohol in our food.
That was my inspiration for these Honey Barbecue Wings (Jack Daniels Wings).
I promise the skin is so crispy, you won’t even miss the fryer. As long as you follow my tips, you’ll have crispy oven baked wings every time.
This small batch recipe makes 6 wings, enough to serve as dinner for two with a hearty side salad.
Or serve your own batch of wings for watching The Big Game during football season.
How do I make BBQ chicken wings crispy in the oven?
Nothing is worse than biting into flabby chicken skin. No thanks.
The key to crispy chicken wings is a technique I learned from Bon Appetit.
You place a roasting rack inside a baking pan, allowing heat to circulate underneath the chicken. This crisps up the skin on all sides, not only the top.
Plus if you’ve ever cooked wings directly on a cookie sheet, you probably know they tend to stick and is a pain to clean.
Don’t skip tossing the wings in oil either. Not only does the oil help the chicken crisp up, it ensures the wings don’t stick to the rack.
Also don’t cover the pan with foil. This traps moisture, steaming your wings instead. Steamed wings = not crispy wings.
Bake them in the oven at 400F degrees for 50-60 minutes then toss in sauce to serve.
If you sauce them before you bake, the sauce will bake into the skin. I did that once with buffalo sauce. The wings still had a spicy kick but were not saucy.
Which I guess could be a good thing if you wanted the flavor without the mess (can’t promise the same result with these – I love my wings saucy).
How do you make whisky BBQ sauce?
If I’m going to eat chicken wings, there better be lots of finger-licking sauce. No sauce on the side for me.
As you can guess by the name, this honey BBQ sauce is sweet with a bit of a kick from the cayenne. It’s optional if you don’t like heat, but it’s also the best way to balance all of that sweetness.
The sauce is easy to make and can be cooked while the wings are baking.
You can also make the sauce ahead of time.
What can you substitute for whiskey?
The whiskey does reduce and evaporate in the sauce, so you won’t get drunk from the sauce. However, the alcohol doesn’t completely disappear, so there may be cases you don’t want to use alcohol at all.
To substitute for the Jack Daniel’s honey whiskey, use 1 tablespoon olive oil.
After the sauce is finished, taste it. If you think it needs more honey, add a few teaspoons at a time until satisfied with the balance.
More Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
Looking for more easy wing recipes? Check out these oven baked wing recipes:
Jack Daniel's Honey Barbecue Baked Chicken Wings
Small Batch Jack Daniel’s Honey Barbecue Baked Chicken Wings are crispy chicken wings baked in the oven then tossed in a sweet honey barbecue sauce made with Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey whiskey.
Ingredients
- 6 chicken wing pieces, thawed and patted dry
- 1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
- Salt, to taste
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey whiskey*
- 1/4 cup minced onion
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet with foil and set a flat wire rack on top. Lightly grease with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, toss together the wings, oil, and a few big pinches of salt.
- Spread into a single layer on the rack. Bake 50-60 minutes or until crispy and internal temperature reaches 165F on a digital thermometer.
- While the wings are cooking, make the sauce: In a medium saucepan, heat the Jack Daniel's. Once hot, add the onion and a big pinch of salt. Cook until the onion starts to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook 1 minute or until fragrant.
- Whisk in the ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, molasses, tomato paste, honey, and salt. Bring to a boil.
- Cook until reduced and thickened, about 5-10 minutes, stirring often.
- Once the wings are done, toss the wings in the sauce and serve immediately.
Notes
*To make the sauce without whiskey, substitute 1 tablespoon olive oil. When you finish the sauce, taste and add more honey if necessary.
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Shannon @VillageGirlBlog says
Sounds like a perfect sauce! Love the tangy sweet sauces on wings. Mmmmm
Megan @ I Run For Wine says
Wow, these wings look amazing. I love that they are baked too. I will be making these for sure.
Wendy (The Weekend Gourmet) says
Yum…can’t wait to make these for an upcoming football Sunday menu!!!!
Jennifer @ Peanut Butter and Peppers says
This is a BBQ Sauce that I need in my life! It looks so thick and delicious!! Fabulous recipe!!!
Tammi @ Momma's Meals says
My mouth was watering before I even finished reading your post! I don’t eat chicken on a bone either! I’m still going to make these for my husband and maybe enjoy with some boneless chicken!! Thanks for sharing.
Jen @JuanitasCocina says
I’m getting my napkins ready!
Stacy says
Wings are my favorite part of the chicken. And I am in total agreement, the saucier the better, Carla. Your wings look fabulous! Except the cayenne can’t be optional because I love them spicy.
Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen says
Those wings are making my mouth water. They look so good!! Give me a few of these and a nice cold beet and I would be a happy girl!!
Bobbi ~ Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen
DB-The Foodie Stuntman @ Crazy Foodie Stunts says
I must try your method to bake wings to keep them crisp. Your sauce looks great and thank you for participating this week!
Jennie @themessybakerblog says
Carla, I would definitely be licking my fingers for more. These wings look perfect!
kathia Rodriguez says
What i like the most is the darkest in the sauce looks irresistible in the winds, thats the way I like a good BBq sauce, dark, sweet and tangy.
Nicole @ Daily Dish Recipes says
Oh girl, that sauce. That sticky, deep red, beautiful, whisky BBQ sauce. Yes, please. That looks amazing!
Liz says
What a terrific, flavorful BBQ sauce! I love the JD addition…this would go great on any meat!
Family Foodie says
This BBQ sauce sounds delicious! I love how thick and flavorful it is. I could only imagine having a big plate of chicken wings in this sauce… yum!
Angie | Big Bear's Wife says
We would LOVE these! I’m with you, I love baked wings and I love extra extra bbq sauce on mine. Jack Daniel’s barbecue sauce is so, so good!
[email protected] & Trinkets says
I’m licking my fingers just looking at those wings. Oh my glob, they look fantasmic.
Susan says
Now these are my type of wings! Buffalo wings are good, but I always preferred spicy bbq wings instead.
Tara says
I have a Jack Daniel’s BBQ sauce on my site too, your looks amazing as well. I have to try it. I love a sweet and savory BBQ sauce especially on wings!!!
Nancy @ gottagetbaked says
I love my wings saucy and I love all things boozy. Damn I love chicken wings and your version looks to die for, Carla. If you ever saw me eating wings, you may or may not be appalled – I’m talking cave man styles, sauce everywhere. It’s the only way to eat ’em!
Julie @ Texan New Yorker says
My sister introduced me to honey whiskey a few years ago, it’s awesome. These wings look AMAZING! I have pinned, and hopefully I can make them for my sis sometime. Thanks!
Bea says
One word – Perfection – the sauce sounds simply amazing!
Jen @ Jen's Favorite Cookies says
These wings look fantastic! I like the idea of cooking them on a rack over a pan. I’ll have to remember that trick.
Sarah Reid, RHNC (@jo_jo_ba) says
Wow!! My family loves wings and this would be a hit
Michele says
I’ve made these 4 times now. It’s my official go to wing recipe & whoever has eaten them, loves them! Thanks!
Katie says
Whiskey in any sort of bbq sauce is delicious, but I love your combination of flavors. Can’t wait to try that on some wings!!
Carla says
Let me know what you think if you make the recipe!
Karen @ Seasonal Cravings says
OH my super bowl Sunday here we come. We get tired of straight up buffalo wings all the time so this is a great way to mix things up. It makes such a dark sticky sauce! Looks delicious!
Carla says
Yes, it’s a nice break for traditional buffalo wings! Let me know if you try it.