Sticky Baked Guinness Chicken Wings with a Smoky Dry Rub

Sticky, caramelised Guinness chicken wings, baked in the oven with a smoky dry rub and a glossy malt glaze. Ready in about an hour, they turn one can of stout into a tray of deeply savoury, sweet-and-hot wings.

Guinness chicken wings take everything good about a sticky wing and back it with the malty depth of stout. The wings are tossed in a smoked paprika and cayenne dry rub, baked on a wire rack until the skin crisps, then basted with a reduced glaze of Guinness, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and dark brown sugar. It is a straightforward oven method with no frying and no mess, and one can of Guinness is enough to glaze a full kilo. They work as party food, a match-day plate, or a proper weekend treat that costs very little to put together.

Ingredients for Guinness Chicken Wings

• Chicken wings – split at the joint with the tips discarded, so every piece cooks evenly and picks up glaze.
• Baking powder – tossed into the dry rub to help the skin dry out and crisp in the oven.
• Smoked paprika – gives the rub a warm, smoky base that sits well against the stout.
• Onion powder – adds a steady savoury note through the rub.
• Garlic powder – rounds out the rub with mild, even garlic flavour.
• Mustard powder – brings a gentle sharpness that lifts the other spices.
• Kosher salt – seasons the wings right through and helps draw moisture from the skin.
• Black pepper – a little background warmth in both the rub and the glaze.
• Dark brown sugar – used in the rub and the glaze; it helps the skin caramelise and echoes the malt.
• Cayenne pepper – a low background heat that builds against the malty Guinness.
• Guinness – the base of the glaze, bringing malty, slightly bitter depth as it reduces.
• Ketchup – thickens the glaze and adds sweet-tangy body.
• Worcestershire sauce – a savoury, umami hit that deepens the glaze.
• Apple cider vinegar – a splash of acidity to cut the sweetness and keep the glaze balanced.
• Spring onions – sliced over the finished wings for a fresh, sharp finish.

How to Make Guinness Chicken Wings

1. Step 1: Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F). Pat the wings thoroughly dry with kitchen paper. In a large bowl, combine the baking powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, mustard powder, salt, black pepper, dark brown sugar and cayenne.

2. Step 2: Line a large baking tray with foil. Add the wings and toss until evenly coated. Arrange the wings in a single layer on the rack, skin side up, spaced apart. Bake for 20 minutes.

3. Step 3: Meanwhile, make the glaze. In a saucepan, combine the Guinness, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, dark brown sugar and a pinch of salt and black pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring, until slightly thickened and glossy, about 10 minutes. Divide the glaze into two portions — one for basting during cooking, one reserved for the finished wings.

4. Step 4: After the first 20 minutes, baste the wings with the cooking portion of glaze and bake for 5 minutes. Flip the wings, baste the other side and bake for another 5 minutes. Flip once more, baste a final time and bake for a last 5 minutes, until sticky, caramelised and cooked through — an instant-read thermometer should register 74°C (165°F) in the thickest part. Toss or brush the baked wings with the reserved glaze and serve.

How to Serve and Store Guinness Chicken Wings

Serve the wings hot, scattered with sliced spring onions and with plenty of napkins to hand. They go well with a blue cheese or soured cream dip, crunchy celery and carrot sticks, or a plate of chips or wedges. For a match-day spread, put them out alongside other finger food and let people help themselves.

To store, let the wings cool fully, then keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a hot oven at 200°C (400°F) for 8–10 minutes so the skin firms up again, rather than using the microwave, which softens them. Cooked wings also freeze well for up to two months; defrost overnight in the fridge before reheating. If you know you want leftovers, hold back a little of the reserved glaze to brush on after reheating.

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What Guinness Chicken Wings Cost to Make

These Guinness chicken wings are cheap to put together, since a kilo of wings and a single can of stout do most of the work.

• In the UK, a kilo of wings runs about £3–£4 at Tesco or Asda, a can of Guinness around £3–£3.50, and the store-cupboard rub and glaze ingredients a little more, bringing the whole dish to roughly £8–£9, or about £2 per serving across four. Pick up the Guinness in any supermarket or off-licence.
• In Ireland, wings are around €4–€5 a kilo in Dunnes or SuperValu, with Guinness at €3–€3.50 a can, so the full tray lands near €10–€11, or about €2.50 per serving. Guinness is, of course, in every off license department.
• In the USA, wings sit around $4–$6 a pound, with Guinness roughly $3–$4 a can at any grocery store or Walmart, putting a batch near $12–$14, close to $3.50 a serving.
• In Australia, wings are about AU$8–$10 a kilo at Coles or Woolworths and Guinness AU$5–$6 a can, so the dish comes to around AU$17–$19, or AU$4.50 per serving.
• In Canada, expect CA$8–$10 a kilo for wings and CA$4–$5 a can for Guinness at any LCBO or grocery store, for a total near CA$16, about CA$4 a serving. AU$4 per serving. In Canada, expect CA$8–$10 a kilo for wings and CA$3–$4 a can for Guinness at any LCBO or grocery store, for a total near CA$15, about CA$3.50 a serving.

Tips and Notes for the Best Guinness Chicken Wings

• Get the wings as dry as you can before anything else. Any surface water fights against a crisp skin, so press each piece with kitchen paper until it stops feeling damp. If you've planned ahead, sit them uncovered on a plate in the fridge for an hour or overnight, which dries the skin even further. Dry skin browns faster and holds the glaze better, so this small step changes the whole result.
• Don't skip the baking powder, and don't confuse it with baking soda. The baking powder shifts the surface chemistry of the skin so it crisps and colours in a normal oven, no fryer needed. Baking soda in its place will taste soapy and metallic, which is not what you want. One tablespoon spread through the rub across a kilo is the right amount.
• Let the glaze reduce until it coats a spoon before you brush it on. Guinness pours thin, and around ten minutes at a simmer cooks off the raw, boozy edge and concentrates the malt into something glossy. Take it off too early and it slides straight off the wings instead of clinging to them. Give it the odd stir so the sugar at the base doesn't scorch.
• Keep two separate bowls of glaze from the start. The portion you baste with has touched raw and part-cooked chicken, so it can't go near the finished wings. The clean, reserved portion is what gives that last shiny coat at the table. It costs you nothing and keeps things safe, so it's worth doing every time.
• Stay close to the oven for the final few minutes. Between the sugar in the rub and the sugar in the glaze, these wings go from beautifully dark to burnt quickly under high heat. Watch them and pull them the second they look deeply glossy and caramelised. Every oven runs a little differently, so lean on what you see rather than the timer.
• Adjust the cayenne to suit who's eating. Half a teaspoon gives a gentle background heat that builds rather than bites, which suits most tables. Drop it entirely for children, or push it up to a full teaspoon if you like a proper kick. The malt and brown sugar keep the heat balanced either way, so you have room to play.
  
  

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Guinness Chicken Wings Recipe

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Guinness chicken wings are baked, not fried, then glazed in a sticky, malty stout sauce over a smoky-sweet dry rub. Crisp-skinned, deeply savoury and just spicy enough, they're ready in about an hour. Ideal for parties, match days or an easy weekend treat.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

For the dry rub:

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• 1kg chicken wings, split at the joint, tips discarded
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

For the Guinness glaze:

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• 240ml (1 cup) Guinness
• 120g (½ cup) ketchup
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 50g (¼ cup) dark brown sugar
• Pinch of salt and black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F). Line a large baking tray with foil and lightly oil it. Pat the wings thoroughly dry with kitchen paper. In a large bowl, combine the baking powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, mustard powder, salt, black pepper, dark brown sugar and cayenne. Add the wings and toss until evenly coated.
2. Arrange the wings in a single layer on the tray, skin side up and spaced apart. Bake for 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, make the glaze. In a saucepan, combine the Guinness, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, dark brown sugar and a pinch of salt and black pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring, until slightly thickened and glossy, about 10 minutes. Divide into two portions — one for basting, one reserved for serving.
4. After the first 20 minutes, baste the wings with the cooking portion of glaze and bake for 5 minutes. Flip the wings, baste the other side and bake for another 5 minutes. Flip once more, baste a final time and bake for a last 5 minutes, until sticky, caramelised and cooked through, with an internal temperature of 74°C (165°F). Watch closely at the end so the sugar doesn't burn. Toss or brush with the reserved glaze, scatter with spring onions and serve.

Notes

For the crispest skin, pat the wings very dry and, if you have time, chill them uncovered for an hour or overnight before rubbing.

Use baking powder, not baking soda, or the wings will taste metallic.

Keep the basting glaze and the serving glaze separate for food safety, as the basting portion touches part-cooked chicken.

Watch the wings in the final few minutes, since the sugar in the rub and glaze can catch quickly.

No Guinness? Any dry stout or porter works, or a non-alcoholic stout for an alcohol-free version.