Citrus and spicy, with a hint of honey, these Cajun Honey Lime Chicken Wings may change the way you flavor your wings forever. The wings are oven baked and basted with an amazing sauce that will make these wings a crowd favorite.
Chicken wings are a real hands down favorite at our house. There are men living here so whether it is for tailgating, holidays or just a casual get-together, chicken wings are my go-to appetizer. And my guys always want the wings with a little heat, like the traditional Buffalo Wings or the kind that can make you break out into a sweat like my Fiery Asian Chicken Wings!
For a new variation on my classic wings, I decided to use Cajun Seasoning and Lime. The Cajun Honey Lime Chicken Wings are rubbed with a Cajun spice mix and lime juice is added to the basting sauce. A final sprinkle of lime zest before serving adds more tart lime flavor and a delicious citrus aroma to the wings. This was the first time I have made wings this way and oh my, they were so good. Lime is my new superhero!
**Note – to make life easier, you might want to invest in a good zester. My zester is from Microplane. I have had it for years and use it all the time to zest fruit, and to shave chocolate and parmesan. It’s really a handy little tool to have:)
INGREDIENTS TO MAKE CAJUN LIME CHICKEN WINGS
- 3 pounds chicken wings
- 1/3 cup Cajun seasoning (**see note below)
- 1 cup BBQ sauce
- 2 TBSP Honey
- 1 TBSP Sriracha sauce
- 1 fresh lime
**Note – according to the comments and emails I have received, there are a lot of differences in the Cajun Seasonings on the market. Many contain a large amount of salt, resulting in very salty chicken wings. I recommend using Tones Brand Cajun Seasoning for this recipe. Salt is not listed as the top ingredient. I have also included my Homemade Cajun Seasoning recipe below that has reduced salt, or you could just omit the salt completely and salt the wings after cooking to taste.
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE CAJUN SEASONING
Mix all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
- 6 TBSP Paprika
- 3 TBSP garlic powder
- 2 TBSP onion powder
- 1 TBSP salt (Kosher if you have it)
- 1 TBSP ground black pepper
- 1 TBSP dried thyme
- 1 TBSP cayenne
To get started preheat your oven to 350°F. Spray two half-sheet size baking sheets with cooking spray ( if you have a larger sheet pan you may be able to get away with one). Place chicken wings on baking sheet in a single layer, without crowding. Sprinkle each wing liberally (and I really mean liberally) with Cajun seasoning. Place in the oven and bake on middle rack of the oven for 30 minutes.
While the chicken is baking (are you starting to smell the deliciousness yet?) begin preparing the basting sauce. To make the sauce – add the BBQ Sauce, Honey, Sriracha and the juice from 1/2 of the lime to a small bowl. Stir until blended. Set aside. I know…it was too easy!
IMPORTANT TIP – Zest the lime before cutting it. Zest the entire lime. You should have enough for the recipe and to garnish. THEN cut the lime in half and juice half of the lime. Set aside the other half for later.
After 30 minutes, remove the chicken from the oven and baste with 1/2 of the prepared sauce using a basting brush. Return the chicken to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes. Then remove the chicken from the oven and baste again with the remaining 1/2 of the basting sauce. Return to the oven for a final, agonizing 10 minutes to complete cooking and to caramelize the basting sauce on the wings.
Transfer the chicken to a serving tray. Squeeze the juice from remaining 1/2 of lime over the wings and sprinkle the wings with the lime zest. Serve hot!
To make this into an easy meal, I threw a baking sheet full of Garlic Matchstick Fries into the oven to cook alongside the wings. The potatoes were done but not browned after 50 minutes in the 350°F oven. To crisp them up, I browned the fries under the broiler once the wings were done. They turned out really crispy…and who doesn’t like fries?
Cajun Honey Lime Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken wings about 32 wing sections
- 1/3 cup Cajun seasoning
- 1 cup barbecue sauce
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp sriracha
- 1 medium lime zest and juiced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray.
- Place chicken wings on baking sheet in a single layer, without crowding. Sprinkle each wing liberally with Cajun seasoning.
- Bake on middle rack of oven for 30 minutes.
- Zest and juice the lime. Set aside.
- While the chicken is baking prepare the basting sauce. In a small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon lime zest, 1 tablespoon lime juice, barbecue sauce, honey and sriracha. Stir until blended. Set aside.
- .After 30 minutes, remove chicken from the oven and baste with 1/2 of the prepared sauce. Return the chicken to the oven and continue cooking 10 minutes. Remove and baste again with the remaining 1/2 of the sauce. Return chicken to the oven for a final 10 minutes to complete cooking and caramelize sauce.
- Remove the chicken from baking pan onto a serving tray. Squeeze the remaining lime juice over the wings and sprinkle with remaining zest. Serve hot!
Chef Tips
Equipment Used
Nutrition Facts
© Copyright Christine Mello for Must Love Home. We would love for you to share a link to this recipe but please do not copy/paste the recipe instructions to websites or social media. We are happy for you to share a photo with a link back to this website instead.
My husband and I love making this recipe but we grill the wings and oh man are the good! We’ve made them for our adult kids and they love them too! Thank you for the recipe!
HI Ashok – thanks you! These are a real favorite…Cajun spice and lime is just too good a combination to pass up ?!
Thanks Guys, Your Recipe Was Too Fantastic. Me and My Family Loved it. I Will Share your Rrecipe with my friends. Hope they will love it too.
Hi Gloria…thank you! I’m happy you love it? We’re totally addicted to these wings- I’ll take any reason to spritz on the lime juice – thank goodness football is back so I have an excuse to make these every weekend!
This recipe was a BIG hit for our frill outs this summer. I’m making it again tonight. I especially love your homemade cajun seasoning. Thanks!
Hi Rachel, thank you so much for the comment and rating! This was one of the first “test” recipes for Must Love Home and it is still one of our favorites! I’m glad you like it! Thanks again ?.
I make these almost every two weeks, and this is the only way I cook my chicken wings now!! So tender and SO yummy!!
Hi Matty, thanks for the rating and comment! Now that it’s football season, I make these more than I want to admit and the lime is my favorite part!?.
I made these Friday night. Loved them so much I made another batch the next night!! My husband and I ate every single one! Amazingly simple and wings come out perfect each time! Thank you so much for our new go to wings recipe.
Hi Aeriana,
Though I haven’t made this recipe with chicken breasts (great idea!) I would make it exactly the same way, just adjust the baking time to 20 minutes at 350, baste and bake for another 5-7 minutes to caramelize the sauce, then repeat again. Be sure to check with a meat thermometer that the chicken has reached 165 degrees internal temperature. The cooking time and process should be exactly the same for chicken drums as it is for the wings. Size and thickness of the breasts and drums, as well as the specs of your oven will determine exactly how long they need to bake. Thanks for the comment and question! Have a great evening.
Hi Christine! Im Aeriana! In Love with this recipe and dying to try it ! I was wondering if you have ever tried the recipe with chicken breast or strips ? If so , do you have advice on how to adjust the baking time ? Also are drums okay to use for the wings ? Thanks for Sharing!!
Hi Susan, I am so sorry to hear that. I just got a new gas stove and am finding that I have to cook everything longer than I did in my old electric oven. The manufacturer says everything is as it should be so it is a mystery to me. So, was it the recipe you hated…or that the wings had to be cooked longer? I appreciate your feedback.
Hi Eileen, thank you so much! I am so glad that you liked them and the recipe for the homemade Cajun spice! Thank you for letting me know and for visiting the blog! Hugs – Christine
These were amazing!!! I used your Cajun Soice recipe and I had no complaints about saltiness. Only complaint was that I should have made more! Good spice, good sweeetness… overall, the only thing that would have made these better is grilling them. But they were delicious!
I hate to be a Hater ….but this recipe was awful….skin was slimy had to cook longer than recipe called for…ended up putting them on the grill
Hi Roshundra, I use sriracha sauce. I buy the kind sold in the squeeze bottle. Great question, thanks for asking! Have a great one and thanks for stopping by! Christine
For the recipe do you use sriracha seasoning or sauce?
Jim, I am sincerely sorry to hear that. Due to your comment, I have made some additional notes in the recipe regarding the salt and the amount of salt in Cajun Seasonings on the market. My Homemade Cajun Seasoning recipe is included in the recipe, with a note that salt may be omitted entirely, and may be helpful as an alternative. Thank you for letting me know your concerns.
So incredibly salty. The seasoning recipe must be in the wrong measurements. Had to throw away half our wings.
Hi Tabitha, thanks for the comment. It may be the seasoning you used, or even the BBQ sauce? I use only Cajun seasoning from Penzey’s or I make my own and use only Kosher salt so that may be the difference. I did go back and make a few notes for anyone who is salt-sensitive to use salt-free Cajun seasoning, and if they make my cajun seasoning recipe, just omit the salt and season to taste before serving. Thanks for letting me know – Hugs, Christine
I made these tonight and they were SO SALTY. I mean… my husband took them to the sink and washed them off to make them edible. And we are NOT sensitive to salt. Perhaps it was my choice to use Zatarain’s creole seasoning for the cajun seasoning blend? Or maybe the BBQ sauce I used? The combination of the two? I would just recommend using a salt-free cajun seasoning or cutting back on the amount tremendously. I also had to turn up the heat on my oven to make the sauce stick. I kept basting and basting but the sauce kept running off until I turned up the oven to 450 and then rushed the last coating by using the broiler.
Sounds like such a great flavor combination! Thank you for sharing at Merry Monday!
can’t never get enough of chicken wings..this one is good 🙂
My husband would love these! I will have to make them. Thanks for sharing at Merry Monday!
These look so delicious! Sharing all over! Thanks for partying with us at Snickerdoodle Sunday, Christine!