The Best Baked BBQ Hennessy Wings Recipe

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Switch up your traditional BBQ wings with this easy BBQ Hennessy Wings recipe. These wings are crispy, sweet, smokey, and filled with Hennessy flavor. Though many recipes require deep frying, I share a way to get crispy chicken wings in the oven or your air fryer without flour or breading. Enjoy these with our collard greens with ham hocks, Patti Labelle’s Mac and Cheese Recipe, and Southern Sweet Tea to make a meal.

Why Make Hennessy Wings

Fried chicken without deep frying: you can make crispy chicken without deep-frying the wings in oil. These wings don’t have any breading and are the perfect baked chicken option when you’re really craving crunchy chicken.
Sweet & smokey BBQ sauce with Hennessy flavor: Hennessy goes so well with BBQ because of it’s rich flavor. It brings out all the sweet and smokiness of BBQ sauce, making this combo a delicious winner.

Ingredients Needed

Hennessy BBQ Sauce

Hennessy: I’m using Hennessy, a type of cognac.
Brown Sugar: I’m using a brown sugar substitute, but you can use any brown sugar that you prefer.
BBQ Sauce: This recipes works best with a hickory, Kansas City-style bbq sauce. You can pick that up from the store or use my homemade keto bbq sauce recipe. You can also use our homemade bbq sauce recipe.

Oven Fried Chicken Wings

Chicken Wings: I get these sectioned into flats and drums, but you can use drumettes or whole chicken wings, if you prefer.
Baking Powder: The key to getting crispy chicken wings without flour or deep frying is baking powder.
Natural Ancient Sea Salt
Black Pepper
Smoked Paprika
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder

chicken wings, bbq sauce, hennessy, sugar and other condiments on separate containers

How to Make Hennessy Wings

Mix the sea salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and baking powder in a small dish or ramekin. Sprinkle the seasoning mixture on the wings and toss the wings to coat.
Place wings on a parchment-paper lined baking sheet or a baking sheet with a cooling rack. Cook the wings in the oven for 20-25 minutes per side.
Add all ingredients for the Hennessy Sauce to a medium saucepan. Whisk to incorporate. Heat on medium low for about 10 minutes or until the sauce looks more like a light syrup. This steps helps to burn off the alcohol while keeping the Hennessy flavor.
Pour the sauce on the wings and toss to coat.

Top Cooking Tips & FAQs

Use all of the baking powder spice mix: The baking powder spice mix includes a lot of flavor. Be sure to use all of it.
Air fry or make the wings in the oven: You can air fry these chicken wings using my popular air fryer wings recipe (this takes half the time compared to baking). You can also bake fried chicken wings.

Can you get drunk off of Hennessy wings?

No. Cooking with Hennessy is similar to cooking with wine. The time spent heating the sauce burns off most of the alcohol, but it keeps the Hennessy flavor.

What is Hennessy sauce made of?

Brown sugar (or brown sugar replacement), Hennessy (cognac), and BBQ sauce.

Can you deep fry chicken in Hennessy?

No.

Recipes to Enjoy This With

More Saucy Chicken Wings Recipes

deliciously-looking Hennessy Wings with spoon on the side

Print Pin

4.77 from 13 votes

Hennessy Wings

Take your BBQ wings to the next level using this easy Hennessy Wings Recipe. Includes oven fried baked chicken and a three ingredient sauce.

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1

Servings

Ingredients

Hennessy BBQ Sauce

1/4 cup Hennessy
1/2 cup brown sugar I'm using a keto brown sugar replacement, but any brown sugar will work
1/2 cup BBQ Sauce Any hickory or Kansas City-style bbq sauce will work, including my keto bbq sauce

Chicken Wings

1.5 lbs Chicken Wings sectioned into flats and drums
1/4 tsp Natural Ancient Sea Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1.5 tbsp Baking Powder

Instructions

For the wings

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Remove the chicken wing parts from the refrigerator and pat dry (removing as much moisture as possible helps to have a crispy wing skin)
Mix the sea salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and baking powder in a small dish or ramekin.
Sprinkle the seasoning mixture on the wings and toss the wings to coat.
Place wings on a parchment-paper lined baking sheet or a baking sheet with a cooling rack.
Cook the wings in the oven for 25 minutes per side.

For the sauce

Add all ingredients to a medium saucepan. Whisk to incorporate.
Heat on medium low for about 10 minutes or until the sauce looks more like a light syrup.

Finish the dish

Add the wings to a bowl.
Pour some of the sauce on top – about ½ cup of sauce should be enough.
Toss to coat.
Drizzle or add more sauce as needed.

Maxine Paige

Wednesday 26th of July 2023

This is an excellent recipe. The Hennessy chicken was excellent everything came out perfect. I will be doing this again on pork. Thanks for sharing the recipe

Tanya

Thursday 27th of July 2023

Thanks so much, Maxine! So glad you liked the wing recipe :)

vanessa ayers

Friday 9th of June 2023

can you BBQ the wings instead

Davinah Cenou Montezuma

Wednesday 28th of June 2023

Hi Vanessa,

Thanks for asking this question. I didn't test this recipe on the grill and the spice mix contains baking powder (which might not be needed on a grill). To adjust this for the grill, I recommend: using your favorite dry rub on the wings overnight (some options are this bbq chicken rub or this magic dust); grilling the wings as you normally would; and using this sauce instead of your regular sauce.

Thanks, Davinah

Deborah

Wednesday 22nd of June 2022

I finally made these and they were delicious. Followed recipe to a T. Fantastic, thank you so much!

Imma

Monday 27th of June 2022

Thanks Deborah! So happy to hear it worked well for you.

Thursday 21st of April 2022

Wow, these look delicious and can't wait to try. Always like to try new wing recipes!

Saturday 30th of April 2022

Thanks so much, Deborah! I love sharing new wing recipes. Enjoy them!