Crispy Baked BBQ Chicken Wings

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These crispy Baked BBQ Chicken Wings are baked until crisp, tossed in a guava and chili based BBQ sauce then baked until gooey and caramelized. The perfect game day appetizer!

Perfectly sweet, tangy and savory with a touch of heat from the crushed red peppers, I want to eat ALL these baked BBQ chicken wings.

They're so good, I almost immediately made them again a few days later. But I needed to make time to make these Crispy Cajun Wings, Pok Pok Wings and these Korean Cauliflower Wings.

You could even try your hand at these sous vide chicken wings with peri peri sauce - they come out PERFECT!

I feel conflicted because this guava BBQ sauce is just so incredible, I feel like I'm cheating on this Homemade Barbecue Sauce. But this sauce is just SO GOOD I can't help myself.

And the wings are nice and crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. They are absolute perfection!

Jump to:

• The Ingredients
• Step By Step Instructions
• Expert Tips
• Recipe
• 💬 Comments

The Ingredients

The wingettes or drumettes work best for this recipe. However, in a pinch you can use whole wings.

Often said to be a combination of pear and strawberry, guava paste is much sweeter than the actual guava fruit. The paste has added sugar and pectin to give it a gelatinous texture, similar to a jelly. These Cuban Guava Pastries are one of my favorite recipes using guava paste. 

Rice flour is made from rice. It is gluten free and tends to be much finer than all purpose flour. I like to use rice flour on these wings because it helps to give them a light and airy crispness when baking them in the oven. I use rice flour to make this Indian Fried Chicken too.

The baking soda help the wings to crisp up perfectly in the oven.

The remaining ingredients and quantities can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. 

Step By Step Instructions

I learned this wonderful method from Nagi over at RecipeTin Eats - see her full post here. I've adapted the recipe a touch, but the method is the same. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place a baking rack on top.

In short, we coat the wings in a mixture of baking soda (not powder!), salt and rice flour. I use a ziplock bag to do this as it is easy to shake and get them covered.

Bake them at low heat (250 degrees) for 25 minutes. Then increase the heat to 400 degrees and cook another 30 minutes, until golden brown and crispy.

Remove the wings from the oven and place them in a large bowl. Toss them with the guava BBQ sauce.

Place them back on the baking sheet in the oven for another 10 minutes, until they are caramelized. Be sure to check them periodically to ensure the BBQ sauce doesn't burn. 

How to Make Guava BBQ Sauce

Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and simmer until the guava paste has dissolved and a sauce is formed. Stir periodically to keep the sauce from burning.

You may need to smash the guava paste against the edge of the saucepan to move the dissolving along faster.  **NOTE: Cut the guava paste into small pieces before adding it to the sauce - this will help it to dissolve quicker**

Expert Tips

1. You may need to smash the guava paste against the edge of the saucepan to move the dissolving along faster. Cut the guava paste into small pieces before adding it to the sauce to dissolve quicker.
2. Substitute brown sugar for the coconut sugar if necessary.
3. If the wings don't get caramelized enough, pop them under the broiler for a couple minutes. Be sure to watch them as the BBQ sauce will burn quickly.
4. Add additional crushed red pepper to make them spicier.
5. If you can't get rice flour, you can substitute all purpose flour.

Did you make this recipe? Rate the recipe and leave a comment below to let me know how it turned out!

This recipe was originally published in September 2018. It has been updated for content and photos. 

Recipe