The idea for these orange chicken wings came to me quite easily. I had made a big, huge batch of orange chicken on my Char-Broil Big Easy and had a good amount of orange chicken sauce leftover. Any time I have leftover sauce I think wings. The sauce has the perfect citrus flavor, with just a bit of heat and just a bit of sweetness. The perfect balance of flavors, making every wing a great taste experience. I loved it and could actually just drink the sauce.
This recipe doesn’t care how you cook your wings, really. Air fry some up. Or deep-fry them. Grill them. Even just bake them in the oven. Whatever you prefer. While they’re cooking, make a batch of the sauce. Make extra, because it keeps well and is perfect not only on wings but grilled chicken breast and smoked ribs. You can also use it as a dipping sauce for chicken nuggets!
Orange Wings. Yes, Orange.
I recommend only using fresh oranges for these orange chicken wings. After zesting one orange, juice it and then juice a few others until you get 3 cups. In a pinch, or when oranges aren’t in season, use a good quality orange juice. You want get that extra punch you get from the zest, but you’ll still end up with fantastic wings. Don’t use orange juice with all that pulp in it. If you can’t find anything else it’ll work, but strain it well first. The pulp isn’t going to make for a happy sauce.
I store my leftover homemade sauces in squeeze bottles. If refrigerated, I set them out an hour before using so they come to room temperature. You don’t want to put cold sauce on hot wings!
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Check out my always-growing list of over 100 homemade wing recipes, including sauces and seasonings!
Orange Wings
Ingredients
For the wings
- 3-4 pounds chicken wings flats and drumettes separated flats and drumettes separated, tips saved to make stock
For the sauce (makes enough sauce for 2-3 batches of wings)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 cups orange juice
- 1 small orange zested
- ¾ cup honey
- ⅓ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried red pepper flake or more, to taste
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
For the wings
- Toss wings with sauce before serving. Click here for our guide on how to sauce your wings.
For the sauce
- Saute the garlic in the oil in a medium saucepan for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the remaining ingredients except for the cornstarch and water.
- Stir and bring to a simmer and let simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir together the cornstarch and water.
- Slowly whisk into the sauce. Bring to a slow boil while still stirring, then remove from heat.
- Sauce should be nice and thick but not gloppy. Add a bit of water if it's too thick.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate and will not include any store-bought wing sauce or seasoning nutritional values.
- MIld Sauces
- Made for wings and more