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Harissa Chicken Wings with a Sticky Date Glaze

Harissa chicken wings with a wonderful glaze that compliments the North African chilli paste with a sweet date glaze and red wine vinegar.

Like most of my chicken wing recipes, this one includes instructions for cooking in the oven, in an air fryer and on the BBQ or grill!

Spicy, sweet and sour sticky date and harissa chicken wings.

Sticky Sweet, Spicy and Sour Chicken Wings

I love chicken wings, my site is littered with everything from spicy mango and habanero wings to classic fried chicken wings and Korean influenced chicken wings to lemon pepper wings and honey and sriracha glazed chicken wings.

My latest offering is some wonderful Noth African influenced harissa and date chicken wings.

The wings are cooked in a mix of zaatar and dried mint until crispy. Whilst they are cooking a glaze made of rose harissa paste, sweet dates and red wine vinegar is made.

Once the songs are ready to rock and roll, they get coated in the glaze and flashed through a bit more cooking.

Just like most of my wing recipes, how you cook them is up to you. I have given options for the oven, air fryer and even an al fresco option for the barbecue!

Overhead sticky date and harissa chicken wings served with French fries and salad.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the best way to cook these wings?

I always say that the best way to cook something is the way that works for you!

I have three methods listed, BBQ, oven and air fryer. Nine times out of ten I cook them in the oven. This is because I can throw in whatever I am having as a side and it is all done and dusted.

The air fryer delivers marginally better results in less time, but I need to fire up the oven if I want to bake a side.

Hands down the best way to cook these wings for flaovur is on the BBQ. But let’s be honest, outdoor cooking is not a day-to-day task for most.

Do I have to use rose harissa paste?

No, you can use your favourite harissa, I use rose harissa paste in most of my harissa recipes because it is my favourite.

Is there a substitute for red wine vinegar?

If I were to substitute red wine vinegar for something my first choice would be cider vinegar.

Sticky date and harissa chicken wings served with French fries and salad.

Serving Suggestions

I like to serve these sticky sweet and sour harissa chicken wings with a salty potato side.

They are pictured here served with some air fryer cooked French fries, but there are so many options that work just as well!

Some wonderful fried crispy straw potatoes would be wonderful as would my crispy fried potatoes.

You could even throw some sweet potato fries in the oven with the wings, although that really does turn up the sweetness level of the meal.

Other than that grab yourself an ice-cold beer and a serviette and tuck in!

Close-up spicy, sweet and sour sticky date and harissa chicken wings.

Equipment Used

I only name-check brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions you can ask them in the comments section below the recipe.

  • Stovetop.
  • Blender.
  • Oven, BBQ (Grill) or Air Fryer.
  • 18cm or 7″ saucepan.
  • A large bag or Tupperware dish to coat the wings.
  • Stirring spoon.
  • Kitchen tongs.
  • Quick read meat thermometer (optional, but recommended if cooking on a BBQ).
Sticky, sweet and sour harissa and date glazed chicken wings.
Yield: 2 Servings

Harissa and Date Chicken Wings Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Sweet and sour sticky glazed harissa and date chicken wings are the perfect way to change up your wing game, just add some chips and beer and off you go!

Ingredients

  • 750g (10-12) Chicken Wings
  • 1 Tbsp Baking Powder
  • 1 Tbsp Zaatar
  • ½ Tsp Dried Mint
  • ½ Tsp salt
  • 100g (9 or 10 total) Pitted Dates
  • 2 Tbsp Rose Harissa Paste
  • 50ml (3 Tbsp + 1 Tsp) Red Wine Vinegar
  • 100ml (½ Cup less 1 tablespoon) Water
  • ½ Tsp Sumac

Instructions

  1. Separate your chicken wings into winglets and drummettes, then pat them dry with kitchen paper.
  2. Place the wings in a large bag with the baking powder, zaatar, dried mint and salt, then blow the bag up like a balloon and shake well to coat. Then cook as per your chosen method from the options below.
  3. Around 20 minutes before the wings are ready place the pitted dates, harissa paste, red wine vinegar and sumac in a 7" or 18cm saucepan over a low heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes, then blend to a smooth puree.
  4. Return the glaze to the pan and cover it with a lid, cooking it over as low a heat as possible until the wings are ready.

How to Cook in an Air Fryer:

  1. Drop the chicken wings in the basket of an air fryer and cook at 130°C or 250°F for 20 minutes.
  2. Give the wings a shake and turn the temperature up to 200°C or 400°F and cook for a further 10 minutes.
  3. Transfer the wings to a bowl and pour over the glaze then toss them to coat, return them to the air fryer and cook for a final 2-5 minutes.

How to Oven Bake:

  1. Place the chicken wings on a cooling rack placed over a baking tray (lining the tray with foil helps with cleaning later), and bake at 130ºC or 250ºF for 30 minutes.
  2. Remove the wings and flip them over, turn the oven up to 200°C or 400°F and cook for a further 20 minutes.
  3. Transfer the wings to a bowl and pour over the glaze then toss them to coat, return to the baking rack and drop them in the oven for a final 5-10 minutes.

How to Cook on a Grill or BBQ:

  1. Set up your BBQ with direct and indirect heat sections. You want to preheat the BBQ to around 250°C or 485°F.
  2. Place the wings over the indirect heat section, close the lid and cook for 25-30 minutes. You want the internal temperature of the wings to reach 65-70°C or 150-160°F.
  3. Transfer the wings to a bowl and pour over the glaze then toss them to coat, return to the direct heat section of the heat and cook to get a nice glaze. This will take 1-2 minutes on each side. Be sure to check that the chicken has reached 73°C or 165°F before serving.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 720Total Fat: 42gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 23gCholesterol: 132mgSodium: 2172mgCarbohydrates: 59gFiber: 6gSugar: 33gProtein: 29g

Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.

Did you make this recipe?

If you made this recipe, I'd love to see what you did and what I can do better, share a picture with me on Instagram and tag me @krumplibrian and tell me how it went!

Mike

Friday 23rd of March 2018

Loved the chicken wings Brian, the mixture of dates and chilli is a must. Looking forward to cooking this again soon ?

Brian Jones

Saturday 24th of March 2018

So glad you liked them Mike, I can't wait to get these on the grill if and when the bloody snow disappears and the mercury rises!

Patty

Friday 2nd of March 2018

These wings look so good Brian, must absolutely try your date sauce, it sounds scrumptious to the max!

Brian Jones

Friday 2nd of March 2018

Thanks Patty, the glaze is superb and you could scale back the chili too if needed :)

Claire | Sprinkles and Sprouts

Friday 2nd of March 2018

YES!!! I knew there was a reason we were friends ;-) Chicken wings are one of my favourite fingers foods.....one of because you know me I am super indecisive!!! ;-)

Dates in a glaze!!! Genius and it makes such perfect sense! I am definitely making these soon.....I am also thinking this glaze would be great on some baked chicken thighs too!!!! BBQ season is almost over here (well not for me as I grill all year round) but how good would these be on a low BBQ!!

LOVE THEM!! Pinning :D

Brian Jones

Friday 2nd of March 2018

I'm a drummers kinda guy myself but Julie much prefers wings so must keep her on side ;) :D

I was playing around with new glaze ideas for the BBQ with this but I am sure you know that most of Europe is dithering and under a layer of snow right now so the BBQ days seem further away than ever at the moment :(

Dannii

Friday 2nd of March 2018

I love that you have used dates to add sweetness to wings. I am going to have to try that out.

Brian Jones

Friday 2nd of March 2018

It works really well, have fun!

Adriana Lopez Martin

Friday 2nd of March 2018

wow this wings are definitely finger licking! Liek teh idea of teh dates and the chiles spicy and sweet and then sesame seeds great idea!

Brian Jones

Friday 2nd of March 2018

Thanks Adriana :)

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