Crispy fried chicken wings are coated in a hot honey buffalo sauce that delivers the perfect amount of sweet and heat. They make a great addition to any game day spread!

A basket of hot honey buffalo wings with a jar of ranch dressing and celery and carrot sticks.

Heat and sweet is one of the best combinations in the world and these hot honey buffalo wings are here to prove it.

They’re my go-to when I want the perfect balance of sweet and heat. The sauce has a nice slow-burn, and you can easily adjust the level of spice to your preference.

To make the wings extra crispy, I always deep-fry them. It truly gives the wings an extra crackle you just can’t get another way. However, if you want to use an air fryer or your oven, I’ll also include instructions for those.

A hand wearing black nitrile gloves holds up a chicken wing coated in hot honey buffalo sauce. A basket of wings is out of focus in the background.

I promise nothing beats having friends over for Sunday night football and serving a big batch of these with some extra cold beer. If you want to serve a variety of flavors, I recommend trying honey lemon pepper and Nashville hot wings.

And if you like them breaded and extra crispy – try my buttermilk chicken wings. You can toss them in any sauce, including the one in this recipe.

Ingredients

A bottle of Crystal hot sauce, Mike's Hot honey, a bag of all-purpose flour, raw chicken wings, corn starch, and a bowl of seasonings.

Chicken wings – I use a mix of flats and drumettes. You can also use whole wings, but the cook time is a bit longer.
Flour & cornstarch (optional coating) – I lightly coat my wings in an equal mixture of flour and cornstarch. You can skip this and fry them completely naked, if you prefer.
Seasoning – I use a mix of salt, garlic powder, paprika, black pepper and cayenne. You can use a general store-bought all-purpose seasoning or whatever you like.
Hot honey – Use your favorite hot honey. I like Mike’s, or Mike’s extra hot if I’m looking for extra heat. You can also substitute regular honey.
Hot sauce – Any cayenne based hot sauce works great. I like Crystal.
Butter – I recommend using unsalted butter so that you can control the level of sodium in the buffalo sauce.
Oil – Any neutral oil works for frying the wings. I prefer peanut oil. Canola oil is more budget-friendly.

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Close up of fried chicken wings coated in an orange colored hot honey buffalo sauce next to a jar of ranch and vegetable sticks. A bottle of hot honey is out of focus in the background.

Tips

Sauce right before serving. Coating wings in sauce makes them lose their crisp fast. Be sure to wait until right before serving to toss them in the hot honey buffalo sauce.
Want it hotter? Choose an extra spicy hot sauce, like Heartbeat Habanero, and less butter.
Reheat in an air fryer or oven. Use 400 to 425°F on a wire rack for 8 to 10 minutes. The microwave will make them soggy.

A hand wearing black nitrile gloves holds up a hot honey buffalo chicken wing that's been dipped in ranch dressing. A basket of wings is out of focus in the background.

If you’re looking for fun ideas on what to serve as sides with these wings, try copycat Raising Canes Bread and cheesy fiesta potatoes (I love that these are made in the air fryer!).

Maybe you’re doing a spread of appetizers? If so, I’d also make smoked queso and pimento cheese potato skins.

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