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These teriyaki wings are saucy, sticky and salty with a touch of sweetness. You’ll love making these delicious chicken wings at home because we’re baking them instead of frying them!
You’ll still get that crispy skin and juicy meat, but without the added fat and calories of deep frying.
This teriyaki chicken wing recipe is always a winner on game day when you’re craving a change from traditional Buffalo wings.
Buffalo Wild Wings makes a bold and savory teriyaki sauce that you can order on any of their wings. Tell you what, the Buffalo Wild Wings teriyaki sauce recipe on their boneless wings is finger lickin’ good!
And although nobody has cracked the code completely for their original recipe, I think this homemade teriyaki sauce recipe comes pretty darn close.
Let’s get into the details!
What’s in this Teriyaki Sauce Recipe
We’re using a lot of basic Asian pantry items to create this sweet and savory wing sauce. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Soy sauce
- Brown sugar
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Honey
- Cornstarch
- Sesame oil
- Rice wine vinegar
How to Make Teriyaki Chicken Wings
Brine the Chicken
First, we’re going to brine the chicken wings in chicken broth. Brining chicken adds incredible moisture and flavor to your wings, resulting in juicy chicken that won’t shrivel up during the cooking process.
Brining the wings is simple: place them in a large bowl or airtight container and pour chicken broth over them. Then, cover the bowl in plastic wrap (or seal the airtight container) and put it in the refrigerator.
If you want to skip the brining step, you certainly can. But even if you only have an hour to brine, it’s worth it. I try to brine my chicken wings overnight, but any amount of time is better than nothing.
Bake the Chicken
To get crispy baked chicken wings, we’re going to set our oven to high heat, which will help to crisp up the skin without the additional fat you’d get from fried wings.
Don’t worry if the wings are still pale in color when you remove them from the oven. We’re going to finish them off in a pan on the stove, which will give them the golden brown color we love.
Make the Teriyaki Sauce
Combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, honey, sesame oil and rice vinegar in a saucepan. Keep whisking it as you bring the mixture to a boil.
Careful with this step, because any time you bring sugars to a boil, they can quickly boil over.
So once your mixture comes to a boil, reduce the temperature back to medium-low heat.
The last step in making the sauce is to add the cornstarch slurry. A slurry is a simple mixture of cornstarch and water. It’s what will help thicken the sauce to that syrupy texture we love about teriyaki sauce.
Once the slurry is incorporated, let the sauce simmer until it thickens. It will continue to thicken as it cools to room temperature.
Combine the Wings and the Sauce
Now, take those baked wings and finish them in a pan with a little bit of melted butter. Keep tossing the wings in the butter, letting the skin get crispier and the color become golden brown.
Finally, add the teriyaki sauce to the pan. Coat the wings in the sauce and enjoy!
Variations on this Teriyaki Wing Sauce Recipe
1. Gluten Free: It’s not easy to find gluten free teriyaki sauce at the grocery store. But a simple swap of gluten free soy sauce for regular soy sauce will give you a completely gluten free teriyaki sauce that you can use on wings or any other kind of chicken you like.
2. Boneless Teriyaki Wings: Skip the bones and use chicken breast tenders instead. It’s a leaner cut of chicken and you still get to enjoy that delicious homemade teriyaki sauce.
3. Veggie Options: Don’t eat meat? You can still enjoy teriyaki wings by using tofu, tempeh, or cauliflower florets as a substitute. Cook them similarly to the chicken wings for a delicious vegetarian or vegan alternative.
Alternative Cooking Methods
Try any of these cooking methods if you’re looking for an alternative to baking the wings in a conventional oven:
1. Deep Frying: This is the most traditional method, and the one that Buffalo Wild Wings uses to make its teriyaki wings. Duplicate the deep frying effect by filling a heavy bottomed pan with 1/2 inch of vegetable oil. Fry the wings in the oil until they’re golden brown and the skin is crispy.
2. Air Fryer: Break out the trusty air fryer and set it to 400 degrees. Air fry the wings for 25-30 minutes, then toss them in the sauce as per the recipe card.
3. Grilling: There’s nothing like the char you get from grilling wings on an open flame! Heat your grill to 400 and get those wings nice and crispy before you toss them in the sauce.
How to Store These Delicious Homemade Teriyaki Chicken Wings
Store any leftover teriyaki chicken wings in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will last up to 3-4 days. For best results, reheat them in the oven, the same way you baked them. An air fryer is also a good reheating method.
When you make this teriyaki chicken wings recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Drop a rating or leave a comment below. Enjoy!
For more game day favorites, try these:
- 3 Cheese Tex Mex Queso Dip Recipe (Restaurant Style)
- Beer Cheese Dip with Cream Cheese
- Quick and Easy Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Easy Fried Pickles
- Baked Chicken Rolled Tacos Recipe (Homemade Taquitos)
For more Asian-inspired recipes, try these:
- Easy Cream Cheese Rangoon Recipe
- Crunchy California Roll Recipe
- Easy Korean Rice Ball Recipe (Jumeokbap)
Teriyaki Chicken Wings Recipe with Homemade Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 lbs. chicken wings
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tsp. fresh ginger minced
- 2 Tbsp. honey
- 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 3 tsp. cornstarch
- 2 tsp. sesame oil
- 1 tsp. rice vinegar
- sesame seeds garnish, optional
Instructions
- Place chicken wings in a large mixing bowl. Cover with chicken broth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Allow wings to brine for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Arrange chicken wings in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake 55 minutes.
- Whisk soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, honey, sesame oil and rice vinegar in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly.
- Lower the heat. Combine cornstarch and 3 Tbsp. of water in a small bowl. This is a slurry. Pour the slurry into the sauce and whisk to combine. Simmer the sauce until thickened.
- Melt the butter over medium heat in a large nonstick pan. Put the wings into the pan. Toss in the butter until golden brown, 3-4 minutes. Add the sauce and toss the wings in the sauce.
- Remove from heat. Transfer wings to a serving plate. Garnish with sesame seeds.
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