Get in the festive mood with these finger licking cranberry chicken wings! These baked wings are a wonderful mix of sweet and salty and they make a great addition to your holiday menus!
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If you are looking for a crowd pleasing appetizer to serve up this Christmas, you cannot go wrong with these delicious cranberry chicken wings.
Super easy to make and the flavors are out of this world! I promise you, these will be a hit!
For more holiday appetizers, be sure to check out my Easy Antipasto Skewers and Easy Bacon Wrapped Shrimp.
Why you’ll love Cranberry Chicken Wings:
- Easy: The wings are baked on a sheet pan so clean up is a breeze and this recipe requires very little prep.
- Perfect for a crowd: This recipe makes 24 wings and the recipe is easily halved or doubled.
- Great for any occasion: These wings aren’t just for Christmas! They are a great appetizer all year round and are a great choice for the Super Bowl!
How to make cranberry wings
You can jump to the recipe card for full ingredients & instructions!
- Whisk together the ingredients for the sauce.
- Marinate the chicken wings in half the sauce and set the rest aside.
- Place the marinated wings on a baking sheet and bake in a pre heated oven.
- Heat the remaining sauce and bring to a simmer to thicken it.
- Base the wings with the sauce and bake.
- Serve the wings with the reduced cranberry sauce.
Can you make them ahead of time?
Wings are best served as soon as they are made, but you can make the sauce and marinade the wings for up to 4 hours before you plan to serve them.
If you do have leftovers, you can keep them in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat them at 350f for 10 to 20 minutes until heated through.
Why bake wings rather than frying them?
When making wings at home, I always prefer to bake them rather than fry. It takes longer, but it’s so much easier and pretty hands off. It’s obviously also healthier and they turn out just as good!
What do you serve them with?
Because of the cranberry sauce on the chicken wings, I would skip the ranch dip on this occasion. The beauty of these wings is that they are best served with the reduced cranberry sauce to really enhance the flavor, so no need to worry about making extra dips!
Tips!
- Line your baking sheets with foil to make clean up a breeze.
- Leave space between the chicken pieces on the baking sheet so that they get crispy all over.
- Pat the wings fry before adding the to the marinade to help crisp them up.
More Chicken Wings
If you think these cranberry chicken wings look awesome, be sure to check out some of our other favorites!
If you make this recipe be sure to upload a photo in the comment section below or leave a rating. Enjoy! You can also jump to recipe.
Cranberry Chicken Wings
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
Ingredients
- 5 pounds chicken wings
For the Sauce
- 14 ounces canned jellied cranberry sauce
- 2 tablespoons Ginger Paste or grated fresh ginger
- ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Zest and juice from 1 large orange
- Juice from 1 medium lime divided
Instructions
- Place wings in a zipper-style plastic bag.
For the Marinade/Sauce:
- In a large bowl, whisk together all ingredients, reserving half of the lime juice for later. Pour half of the marinade/sauce over the chicken wings. Squeeze extra air from the bag, seal and refrigerate the wings at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours. Flip the bag of wings over every ½ hour, if possible.
- Place the remaining marinade/sauce in a medium saucepan, cover and set aside.
- After the wings have marinated, preheat the oven to 400°F and adjust oven racks to middle-lower and middle-upper positions. Line two large, rimmed baking sheets with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
- Use tongs to transfer half the wings to each baking sheet. Be sure to leave at least 1-inch between each wing. (Discard the leftover marinade in the plastic bag.)
- Bake the wings at 400°F for 20 minutes then rotate and move the baking sheets from top to bottom and bottom to top. Bake an additional 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring the reserved marinade/sauce to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often. Reduce the temperature to low and simmer until the sauce thickens. When it is the desired thickness, remove from the heat.
- When chicken is cooked through, turn off the oven and remove the wings from the oven. Brush (baste) the wings with extra sauce. Be sure to keep the basting sauce separate from the serving sauce. Return the basted wings to the oven for 5-10 minutes.
- Serve the wings drizzled with remaining half of the lime juice with a side of the reduced Cranberry Sauce.
- Enjoy!
Becky’s Tips
- Line your baking sheets with foil to make clean up a breeze.
- Leave space between the chicken pieces on the baking sheet so that they get crispy all over.
- Pat the wings fry before adding the to the marinade to help crisp them up.
- Makes 24 wings.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment!
Not crazy about wings. Could this be done with boneless chicken chunks?
Hi Jerri, it sure can, but you’ll want to bake them for a shorter period of time.
Can i freeze the marinade or how long can i leave the marinade in the fridge???
the marinade should last for 3-4 days in the refrigerator!