Serve these Sweet and Spicy Cranberry Chicken Wings during the entire holiday season from Thanksgiving, past Christmas and straight into New Year's!
In addition to being perfect for the holidays, these sticky wings can be a delicious party appetizer, football snack or dinner entrée.
The easy sauce that coats these mouth-watering wings perfectly balances sweet and heat and a little tart too.
Pair these sweet heat cranberry chicken wings with my Holiday Sangria recipe.
I think you could also try these wings with grape jelly instead of cranberry sauce. Sort of a nod to the flavors in those classic party Grape Jelly Meatballs we all grew up on. Man, I used to love those!
If you want to skip the cranberry wings, check out the recipe I have for truly crispy oven-baked chicken wings. They have a mild seasoning and are perfect to coat with your favorite sauce or to eat straight from the oven.
Ingredients
- Chicken Wing Parts (wingettes)
- Spices - salt, garlic powder, black pepper, cayenne red pepper
- Chili Sauce
- Brown Sugar
- Cranberry Sauce
Instructions
First, start off by seasoning the wings with garlic powder, salt and a few turns of a peppercorn grinder and pop them in the oven.
While the chicken wings are cooking in the oven, prepare the glaze.
The "spicy" part of the sweet and spicy glaze comes from the cayenne pepper. You can totally control the heat level.
I would recommend starting off with a quarter off a teaspoon, taste the glaze and then add more if you want more heat.
I typically use about half teaspoon.
Don't be too scared, it's not overly spicy, more of a pop of flavor. Trust. It' good.
Next, take the chicken wings out of the oven and brush glaze all over them before returning them to the oven to finish cooking.
After the wings spend a few more minutes in the oven, they are ready to be served.
These are quite literally "finger lickin' good" chicken wings.
Wondering how to tell when chicken wings are cooked enough or what the best way to tell when chicken is done is?
The surest way to know when chicken wings are cooked through, is using a quick-read thermometer. The USDA deems 165 F to be the safe temperature for poultry.
Printable Recipe Card
Sweet and Spicy Cranberry Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken wingettes (separated chicken wing parts)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground peppercorn medley or black pepper
- cooking spray
Glaze
- 7 ounce whole berry cranberry sauce
- ½ cup chili sauce
- ½ teaspoon Ground Cayenne Red Pepper
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Prepare a baking dish with cooking spray.
- Season chicken with garlic powder, salt and pepper and place in prepared baking dish. Bake in oven 35 minutes.
- While chicken is baking, prepare glaze.
- Remove chicken from oven. Increase the oven temperature to 425 F.
- Brush glaze all over chicken.
- Return chicken back to oven. Continue to cook for an additional 7-10 minutes or until internal temperature reads 165 F with an instant read thermometer.
- Serve and enjoy!
Glaze
- Add all ingredients to a small to medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until warm and all ingredients are combined. Taste and adjust heat level by adding more cayenne if needed. Set aside.
Deborah Brooks says
my boys love chicken wings! The spicier the better over here
Stacy Roman says
These look great, I need to try them
Lisa says
This sauce is amazing!!!!! I want to put it on everything...THANK YOU and stay safe