Baked Boneless Honey BBQ Chicken Wings with Spicy Ranch.
Kicking off football season with these Baked Boneless Honey BBQ Chicken Wings with Spicy Ranch. Breaded in corn flakes, oven-baked, tossed in an addictively sweet and spicy honey BBQ sauce, and served with a creamy, tangy yogurt-based ranch dressing. These boneless wings are the game-day meal you’ll be making all season long. And yes, just a smidge healthier, and so much tastier than the fried version. Serve with sweet potato fries and your favorite crunchy veggies…easy and delicious!
Boneless wings…did any of you grow up eating the boneless wings from Buffalo Wild Wings? Back when my family lived in Cleveland, we’d order out from BW3’s every so often on Sunday nights. My mom and I would get the boneless wings and the potato wedges. To be honest, I don’t really remember how I felt about the wings. I mean, I know I enjoyed them, but other than that I couldn’t really tell you anything else about them.
The fries however? I do remember those being extra salty and beyond good, but then when are potatoes not good?
But this is not a recipe for fries. Nope, it’s boneless wings today. Because one, football is starting back up. Two, my oldest brother has been begging me to make wings for forever now. And three, when I presented the idea of homemade boneless wings to my mom she was sold in a matter of seconds.
So, I made some boneless wings. And while I wasn’t sure I’d share the recipe, they ended up turning out delicious. Extra saucy, sweet, spicy, and just a little bit addicting.
It’s all because of the sauce, or sauces I should say, because two sauces are always better than one. Doubling dipping and quite happy about it.
You may have noticed, but recently I’ve really been enjoying BBQ sauce and ranch together. I don’t know if it’s just the time of year or what, I but I’m loving the combination. It’s not classy food by any means, but it’s good food for sure.
These boneless wings are possibly my favorite football recipe I’ve created yet. Though I do really love these instant pot tacos too…
These wings are GOOD. And when I say wings, that’s really a lie, these are really just chicken breasts cut into pieces, breaded, baked, and covered in sauce. They look like wings, but they’re not. In my opinion, they’re better. I’ve always felt that chicken wing bones were annoying anyway. Anyone else feel the same?
So I decided to recreate the boneless wing at home…with my own sauce and creamy, spicy ranch too. The verdict? Homemade is better.
Making these wings is really simple.
All you need are chicken breasts, buttermilk, and finely crushed cornflakes. The finely crushed cornflakes are key. They add just the right amount of breading and are ideal for soaking up all the honey BBQ sauce. If you are gluten-free, be sure to use these cornflakes.
The chicken is coated in crumbs and then oven-baked. While the chicken is baking, make the sauce. I used my favorite BBQ sauce, a touch of honey, a little mustard, and a pinch of cayenne. And you guys? This sauce could not be more addicting. It’s sweet, spicy, and just a little tangy. Delish.
For the BBQ sauce…I recommend using either homemade or a store-bought sauce that’s very low in sugar. The honey in this recipe adds a lot of sweetness on its own, so you want to use a BBQ sauce that’s either unsweetened or low in sugar. This is my favorite store-bought sauce.
As soon as the chicken is done, toss the “wings” in the BBQ sauce. Then return them to the oven to allow the sauce to really soak into the chicken.
While that’s happening, mix up the ranch. I always use a yogurt base with buttermilk, herbs, and a jalapeño for some heat. Super simple to make, but so good, especially with these wings. The ranch is the perfect creamy cooling dip that balances out the sweet and spicy BBQ sauce.
With the arrival of fall just a couple of weeks away, and football starting back up this week, I couldn’t think of a better recipe to make. The wings are great as an appetizer but work just as well for dinner too. If you do serve these wings for dinner, I recommend adding some greens. You could even cut the chicken up into strips and substitute it into this salad. Or simply serve the salad alongside.
Oh, and cook up these sweet potato fries to really complete the meal. And if you’re really feeling daring…throw the fries into the salad!
Best game day food, easy to make and food that everyone can really love!
If you make these baked boneless honey BBQ chicken wings with spicy ranch be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Boneless Honey BBQ Chicken Wings with Spicy Ranch
Key Ingredient: chicken
Breaded in corn flakes, oven-baked, tossed in an addictive sweet and spicy honey BBQ sauce, and served with a creamy, tangy yogurt-based ranch dressing. These boneless wings are the game-day meal you'll be making all season long!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless chicken tenders or breasts, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 cups finely crushed corn flakes (use gluten-free, if needed)
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- kosher salt and black pepper
- extra virgin olive oil, for brushing
- 3/4 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
Spicy Ranch
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 2 teaspoons dried dill
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 jalapeño, seeded, if desired, and chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Instructions
-
1. Add the chicken to a bowl. Pour the buttermilk over the chicken. Toss well to coat.
2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
3. Add the cornflake crumbs, paprika, and a pinch each of salt and pepper to a medium-sized bowl. Stir to combine.
4. Remove each piece of chicken from the buttermilk, allowing the excess to drip off, then dredge through the crumbs, pressing gently to adhere. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all the chicken has been used. Make sure not to crowd your pan, if necessary use two baking sheets. Lightly drizzle or mist the chicken with olive oil. Transfer to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
5. Meanwhile, make the honey BBQ sauce. Combine the BBQ sauce, honey, mustard, and cayenne in a glass jar and shake or whisk until smooth and creamy. Drizzle each piece of chicken with BBQ sauce, then return to the oven for 5 minutes, until warmed.
6. To make the ranch. Combine all ingredients in a glass jar and shake or stir until creamy.
7. Serve the chicken with fresh chives and spicy ranch for dipping.
Our Favorite Recipes
Skillet Moroccan Chicken with Tomatoes, Peaches, and Feta.
These look so good, yuuuum
Thank you Ruth! xTieghan
Gosh, this looks so good! Love how crunchy they look and that glaze on top looks irresistible. Thanks for sharing this recipe, I will make it asap!
Thank you Maja! I hope you try this one! xTieghan
I love your recipes you are so young and talented, do you buy chicken with skin on?Diana from Toronto Canada
Hi Diana! I like to buy chicken skin off. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Making this super soon!!! Can I use homemade buttermilk (milk +vinegar/lemon) for the dip?
Hi Sheenam! Yes, that will be so great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
These look amazing! My husband would love these!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
Thank you Paige! xTieghan
Now these look absolutely delicious – living in Germany I am somewhat short on this kind of food. I will try these on the weekend and if they taste half as good as they look, it will be awesome 🙂
One question though: I would like to make the Sweet Potato Fries with the Chicken. Can you do that at the same time in the oven or how should I do that?
Hi There! Yes you can easily bake the fries during the same time. Just bake the fries at the same temp as I directed for the chicken. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
this food looks very delicious ??
Thank you so much! xTieghan
this looks like yummy ??
We usually LOVE your recipes, this one is hard pass for us though. The breading fell right off the chicken, the flavor was pretty gross. It was just soggy, sloppy, saucy chicken. There was nothing at all to like about this recipe. We will not be making this one again.
Hi Seth! I am really sorry to hear that! Are there any questions I could help you with? Otherwise, I hope you love all of the other recipes you try! xTieghan
The flavor was good but as soon as I dipped the chicken in the sauce, all of the crispy breading came off and they were really soggy 🙁
Oh no! I am really sorry to hear that Mary. Are there any questions I could help you with? xTieghan
These were so good!! For me, the addition of honey to the BBQ sauce is the key and just adds an element of interest. The only bummer for me was the chicken was not crispy at all. The cornflakes just sort of turned to mush. They tasted great but didn’t stay on the way I would hope. I also just used store bought ranch to save time. Will absolutely be making this again!
Oh no! I am sorry to hear that Alissa. Are there any questions I could help you with, so it may turn out better next time? Please let me know! xTieghan
I love this recipe! I think the flavour is so good and I’m OBSESSED with the spicy ranch, I could eat it by the spoonful. I did have to increase my bake time quite a bit because the coating was pretty soggy. It helped a bit but once I added the bbq sauce that crunch was gone forever lol I’m okay with that though, it’s pretty expected if you ask me! I would definitely make this recipe again!
Thank you so much Becs! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Made these tonight and was a little worried they would come out mushy due to previous comments, but nope! Super crunchy even after being tossed in some bbq sauce and stored in the fridge. I used olive oil spray to mist them prior to cooking like the recipe suggests which is key. I did change the recipe up slightly (used chicken tenderloins, mixed buttermilk with some spices and a dash of pickle juice, and tossed in Rufus Teague bbq sauce) but they came out AMAZING – as most of my HBH recipes do. Can’t wait to make again!
Hi Camille! I am really glad these turned out so well for you! Thank you so much! xTieghan
These are fantastic and my boyfriend loved them! I’m not going to buy store made wings or chicken strips again! I don’t know why they took me so long to try.
I am glad you finally did! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! xTieghan
Having to get creative during this time and had been thinking of a ‘bar food’ night, albeit a touch more dignified, haha. These were delicious and the ranch was awesome- don’t skip the diced jalapeño- added a perfect kick!! I made buttery giant soft pretzels and, coupled with these wings, had a great casual dinner scene for quarantine time. So simple to put together and those little left-over spots of breading on the baking sheet didnt go to waste either once I flirted with them during clean up. Thank you Tieghan! ❤️❤️
Hi Gia! I am so glad these wings turned out so well for you! Also, how fun to do a bar food night!! Love it! Thank you! xTieghan
The chicken was delicious! I spaced out and made the ranch and then forgot to serve it. Do you recommend another recipe that goes well with the ranch that I could make tomorrow?! Oops!
Hi Rose,
So glad you enjoyed the recipe! I would use the leftover ranch for veggies, or save for another batch of wings! Or even dips some fries into! xTieghan
These were good for a quick dinner and easy dinner. The cornflakes did get soggy but I didn’t mind too much. The ranch was excellent!
Thank you Holly! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This was delish. Of course my finished product didn’t look likes yours, your photos are sooooooo good.
Thank you so much Johanna!! xTieghan
Hi,
Half Baked,
How to make a Spicy Ranch….
It look like a very deliceus
Hey Hassan,
The recipe for the spicy ranch is listed above! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions. Happy Holidays! xTieghan