Balsamic Glazed Chicken Wings
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.
Balsamic glazed chicken wings are an incredibly delicious chicken recipe with an ooey-gooey lick-your-fingers sauce. Made with balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, and Italian seasoning, this recipe is simple and delicious. Serve with rice, quinoa, or mashed potatoes and dinner is made.
Balsamic Glazed Chicken Wings Recipe
We love to serve chicken wings in our home and are always looking for new ideas. We love this balsamic glaze recipe because it’s quite easy and full of flavor. Here’s what we love about this recipe:
- Easy Sauce & Glaze – To save you time, the sauce doubles as a marinade and sticky glaze! Only 6 ingredients are needed to make this deliciously sweet and tangy sauce.
- Serve – Serve with a side of veggies and ranch dipping sauce for the perfect game night recipe!
- It’s Cheaper – Making wings at home is budget-friendly and more flavorful by using fresh ingredients.
- Another Idea – If you like marinated chicken, check out our six healthy chicken marinade recipes. I share six versatile marinades you can use to flavor any kind of chicken.
Recipe Ingredients
This is an easy wing recipe to serve with a side of rice, fries or mashed potatoes. Only seven ingredients are needed to make the delicious glaze, most of which are already in your pantry:
- CHICKEN WINGS: The recipe uses 1 lb of chicken wings. You could also double the recipe and use 2 lbs.
- SAUCE: Balsamic vinegar adds tanginess to the sauce. Brown sugar adds the perfect sweetness. As a base, you’ll need cooking oil. Any will do (I used avocado oil). Garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper are mixed in to make it more flavorful.
- CORNSTARCH: This is the easiest way to thicken the sauce.
- VARIATIONS: For added flavor try a bit of lemon zest, fresh ginger, or red pepper flakes. Sprinkle fresh rosemary around the wings before cooking in the oven.
How To Make Balsamic Glazed Chicken Wings
The chicken is first marinated, then baked in the oven. A simple sauce is cooked on the stove and poured over the chicken wings just before serving. The result is a sweet and tangy flavor that will delight any saucy chicken wing lovers. Here’s how to make the recipe with full details in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Marinate Chicken – Stir the marinade sauce ingredients in a large bowl. Add half of the sauce to a container with the raw chicken wings, and marinate for at least 1 hour, but preferably overnight.
- Bake – Add the marinated chicken to a baking sheet. Bake at 375°F for 40-50 minutes.
- Make Sauce – While the chicken is baking, add the last half of the sauce mixture and cornstarch to a pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil and let simmer until the sauce is thickened.
- To Serve – Add the chicken wings to a dish. Pour the thickened sauce overtop to serve.
Pro Tip: When you’re thickening the sauce, use a silicone whisk. Using a metal whisk can scratch the surface of your sauce pan, causing it to wear faster. Use a silicone whisk instead to keep the surface safe and clean.
Tips For The Best Balsamic Glazed Chicken Wings
Why buy store-bought flavored wings when you can make your own for a fraction of the price? Follow these tips to make your chicken wings rich in flavor:
- Stir the sauce often: This sauce uses brown sugar which can sometimes burn while cooking on the stove. Keep an eye on it and stir often.
- Make it gluten-free: Although cornstarch is naturally gluten-free, many cornstarch brands are manufactured in a facility that processes other ingredients with gluten. If you’re avoiding gluten, you can replace it with arrowroot flour. This is an easy substitute for any recipes you make requiring cornstarch.
How To Tell When Chicken Is Cooked
According to the USDA-recommended cooking temperatures, the safest internal temperature for cooking all types of poultry products is 165°F. This is the interior temperature that the chicken will read at once removed from the heat source.
You can use a meat thermometer which will be poked into the thickest part of the chicken to read the temperature. The chicken should no longer be pink inside and juices will run clear.
Common Questions
No you don’t. But the marinade certainly adds more flavor to the wings. If you choose not to use it divide the sauce ingredients in half (because half is used for the marinade). Chicken wings can also be drizzled with cooking oil and season with salt and pepper before baking.
For the best flavor, I highly recommend marinating the chicken wings for at least 1 hour. Personally, I prefer to let them marinate overnight in the fridge to get maximum results.
Yes, you can! A crisp baking tray will create crispier wings if that’s what you prefer. Personally, for this style of wing covered in delicious sticky sauce, I prefer that the wings aren’t as crispy. For this reason, I like to use a regular baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.
To Serve Balsamic Glazed Chicken Wings
Balsamic chicken wings are incredibly easy to serve for dinner along with rice, quinoa, mashed sweet potatoes or pasta. Alternatively, serve the chicken wings with roasted vegetables and a side salad.
These wings have great flavor and can be eaten on their own or dipped in ranch dressing. For an easy appetizer on game night, serve with sliced raw vegetables similar to how you would enjoy wings at a pub.
Storage Instructions
Leftover chicken wings make a great lunch or easy dinner when you don’t feel like cooking. Here’s how to store them:
- Fridge – Leftover wings can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3-4 days.
- To Freeze – Chicken wings can be frozen in airtight containers up to 4 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight in a bowl of water before reheating.
- To Reheat – These can be reheated in the microwave or baked in the oven at 375°F. until they are warmed through.
Balsamic glazed chicken wings are ooey-gooey delicious. You’ll be licking your fingers clean with the sweet and tangy sauce. It’s the perfect flavor to add variety to wing night. Dip them in ranch dressing and serve with a side of rice and salad for a meal the family is sure to love.
More Chicken Wing Recipes
If you love chicken wings as much has we do, then you’re sure to love more of our easy chicken wing recipes. Make it a wing night with these different chicken wing flavors:
Balsamic Glazed Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken wings
- 1 cup balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup cooking oil - olive oil, avocado oil etc.
- ¼ cup brown sugar - or coconut sugar
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
- ¼ tsp salt and pepper - ¼ tsp each
- 1-2 tsp cornstarch - or 3 tsp arrowroot powder
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, cooking oil, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, brown sugar, salt and pepper.
- Add chicken wings to a large resealable plastic bag and pour in 1/2 cup of the sauce mixture. Seal bag tightly and mix around so the chicken gets fully coated. Place bag flat in the fridge for 1-hour minimum, or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Place chicken wings and sauce in bag in a single layer on baking sheet. Bake chicken wings for 40-50 mins or until the chicken is fully cooked.
- While the chicken is baking, add the remaining marinade to a small saucepan. Stir in the cornstarch. Bring to a boil, then let simmer over low heat until it starts to thicken. Stir frequently so it doesn't burn.
- Place cooked chicken wings in a serving bowl and drizzle the balsamic glaze overtop. Sprinkle with chopped green onion and sesame seeds if desired. Serve with rice, quinoa or roasted vegetables and enjoy!
Recipe Notes:
- This sauce uses brown sugar which can sometimes burn while cooking on the stove. I like to stir often while the balsamic glaze is thickening.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. These can be reheated in the microwave or oven.
