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Pineapple Glazed Chicken Wings have a spicy-sweet glaze made with pineapple juice, citrus juices, soy sauce, and brown sugar.
I have a feeling these Pineapple Glazed Chicken Wings are one of those recipes you’ll be making on a regular rotation! They are easy to prepare and taste absolutely amazing!
A Double-Duty Recipe
A mixture of pineapple juice, citrus, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger does double-duty as both a marinade and a spicy-sweet glaze. All of the flavors are nicely balanced between savory, spicy and sweet – and you’ll be licking your fingers after every bite!
These wings are a great menu option for an appetizer to serve at a party. OR, served with some coconut rice and lemon ginger broccoli – they would also be a delicious entrée at dinnertime.
Chef’s Tip – Purchase fresh full chicken wings and, with a knife, separate the drumette from the wingette yourself. Or buy already-separated wings, sometimes called party wings in the fresh chicken section of the market.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Chicken wings – Look for plump, fresh chicken wings at the supermarket. (We don’t recommend buying frozen chicken wings if at all possible.)
- Pineapple juice – Canned pineapple juice works just fine in this recipe, and it’s used in both the marinade for the chicken wings, as well as in the glaze.
- Lime juice and zest – Both the juice and zest of the lime give these chicken wings a slightly tart undertone that balances the sweetness of the pineapple. The acid in the lime also helps marinate the wings, so they are very tender.
- Soy sauce – This Asian sauce adds some salty flavor to the wings as well as “umami” or a savoriness that helps prevent these wings from developing too sweet of a flavor.
- Orange juice – A splash of orange juice adds sweetness and complements the other flavors so nicely.
- Dry Sherry – Buy a small bottle of dry sherry from a liquor store – not the salty-tasting, shelf-stable cooking sherry from the supermarket. The sherry adds a deep note to the marinade and glaze.
- Brown sugar – This adds sweetness as well as a nice caramelization to the glaze.
- Garlic, ginger, fresh cilantro and other spices – More delicious flavors to complement the juices and other ingredients.
How do I make Pineapple Glazed Chicken Wings?
- Mix the marinade ingredients in a blender.
- Pour two cups of the marinade over the chicken and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Remove the chicken from the marinade and lay out on a flat rack placed over a foiled-lined baking sheet.
- Make the glaze by simmering the rest of the marinade mixture in a saucepan, along with some additional brown sugar and pineapple juice. Cook until the mixture glaze thickens.
- Bake the chicken wings, covered with foil, in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Brush glaze on the wings, then bake until it caramelizes to a nice golden brown color.
Serve your Pineapple Glazed Chicken Wings with chunks of pineapple on the side, if you’d like!
Frequently asked Questions
Can I make these chicken wings ahead of time? You can make the marinade ahead of time – but you cannot marinate the wings for longer than 30 minutes. (The lime in the marinade will turn the meat opaque and the chicken will be rubbery.) Wait to start marinating until about an hour and half before you plan to eat.
Can I grill these Pineapple Glazed Chicken Wings instead of baking them? Yes – but the sugars in the glaze will cause these wings to brown and char very quickly over the high heat of a grill. Keep a close watch on them as they grill, and move the wings to the upper rack where there is indirect heat if needed.
How do you make chicken wings not soggy? Follow our recipe – cooking the wings on a rack over a sheet pan. The fat will drip from the wings and settle in the pan bottom, allowing heat to circulate around the wings to get them crisp.
What are the two types of wings? The flat part of the chicken wing is the ‘wingette’ and the thicker piece is the ‘drumette.’ Both parts were connected to each other (plus a wing tip) before being separated.
You might like these other Chicken Wing recipes:
- Lemon Butter Air Fryer Chicken Wings
- Barbecue Chicken Wings
- Honey Mustard Soy Glazed Chicken Wings
- Bourbon Spice Barbecue Chicken Wings
- Korean Barbecue Chicken Wings
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Pineapple Glazed Chicken Wings
Ingredients
5 pounds fresh chicken wings (either whole or separated)
1/4 cup dry sherry
3 6–ounce cans pineapple juice, divided
1/2 cup brown sugar, divided
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
Zest of one lime
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup light oil such as sunflower or grapeseed
1 teaspoon your favorite hot sauce (we used Cholula)
2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
2 tablespoons freshly grated garlic
1/2 cup fresh cilantro with stems
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon corn starch
Canned pineapple chunks to serve with the wings (optional)
Instructions
Rinse the wings under cold water then pat dry. If not already separated, use a sharp knife and holding the drumette with the end sticking straight up, push the blade of a sharp knife straight down between the drumette and wingette and separate at the joint. Cut wing tip off and save for soup or stock.
In a blender, add sherry, two of the three cans of pineapple juice, ¼ cup of the brown sugar, orange juice, lime juice, lime zest, soy sauce, oil, hot sauce, ginger, garlic, cilantro, salt, cumin, coriander and black pepper and puree until everything is liquid.
Place chicken in a gallon zip lock bag and pour in two cups of the liquid and marinate for 30 minutes, no longer.
While the chicken is marinating, preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Place the remainder of the liquid into a small sauce pan along with the remaining can of pineapple juice and remaining ¼ cup of brown sugar.
Bring up to a slow boil and cook to reduce down to 1 ½ cups, about 15-20 minutes.
Once the glaze has been reduced, mix corn starch in a small bowl with a few teaspoons of water to make a slurry and add to the hot glaze and heat to thicken. The consistency should be like thick maple syrup. Set aside.
Line a sheet tray with foil and place a rack of the same size into the pan. Spray the rack with kitchen pan spray.
After the chicken marinates for 30 minutes, pour into a colander and dispose of the liquid.
Arrange the chicken pieces on the prepared pan and cover with parchment and foil and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove from oven and raise the temperature to 425 degrees F. (There will be liquid in the pan bottom, use caution not to tilt the pan as you remove it from the oven)
Brush both sides of each piece of chicken with the glaze and arrange skin side up. Save about ¼ cup of glaze for later.
Once the oven has reached 425 degrees F, place the chicken in the oven uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes until sticky and slightly browned.
Remove and brush with the remaining glaze and serve hot with the pineapple chunks on the side.
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