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Home » Wild Game » Ducks and Geese » Honey Mustard Duck Wings

Honey Mustard Duck Wings

By Hank Shaw on November 24, 2014, Updated March 3, 2022 - 5 Comments

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5 from 4 votes
honey mustard wings
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One of my great crusades in wild game cookery is to convince people to keep more of the animals they bring home. In the case of bird hunting, this often means the wings. Duck wings are among the finest of all wild bird wings.

So here’s an easy recipe for honey mustard duck wings you can use for wild or farmed ducks.

A platter of honey mustard duck wings.
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

Wings are a staple at sports bars (and really any casual restaurant), but they are always from chickens — and usually crappy, factory-farmed chickens. But try to make duck wings the same way and you end up chewing on leather. Duck wings are not like chicken wings, even from lazy, farmed birds. The wings are much tougher. 

There’s a work-around, however. Braise the duck wings first, then coat them with sauce and roast them.

This method works great with all kinds of wings, from giant turkey wings down to grouse wings. But it’s best with duck wings and pheasant wings.

You should know that braising the wings of wild birds is something of a roulette: Really old birds can often take a full hour longer to get tender, compared to young-of-the-year. I generally overcook the young bird wings to ensure that the old ones are edible.

My original recipe for this was the classic Buffalo duck wings, but now you see all sorts of different flavors on a wing. Honey mustard wings are my favorite of these alternates, although I love a spicy-sticky Asian style wing, too.

I adapted a recipe for honey mustard wings from my friends over at White on Rice Couple, who are equally wing-obsessed. Mustardy and reasonably sweet — I prefer my mustard to have honey in it, not my honey to have mustard in it — Holly and I annihilated the plate in about 3 minutes.

Wanna make this recipe? If you are a hunter, save up the drumettes from all your birds, and the second digit, the “flat,” of larger birds like pheasants and big ducks like mallards, pintails, canvasbacks, redheads and gadwall. As you collect them, vac-seal your duck wings in packages or just wrap in plastic wrap until you get at least 20 wing pieces.

Close up of a platter of honey mustard duck wings.
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

If you are not a hunter, your best bet to buy duck wings is to look in an Asian supermarket. A Google search will turn up a number of options, but I’ve never bought from any of them so I can’t vouch for the quality. 

Or you can just use this recipe with regular chicken wings, and skip the braising step. If you do braise chicken wings, it should only take an hour. If you skip that step, the roasting will take closer to 30 minutes, but keep an eye on them.

Then make your duck wings for Football Day or whenever. You won’t be sorry.

Close up of a platter of honey mustard duck wings.
Print Recipe
5 from 4 votes

Honey Mustard Duck Wings

I made this recipe with wild duck wings, but chicken or pheasant wings would work just as well. If you wanted to, you could also make it with duck legs, too. If you want to make it with store-bought meat, obviously your main option is chicken wings. They do not need to be pre-cooked.
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time2 hrs
Total Time2 hrs 15 mins
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 125kcal
Author: Hank Shaw

Ingredients

  • 3 to 4 pounds duck wings
  • 1 quart duck stock or chicken broth
  • Salt
  • 1/2 cup yellow mustard
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
  • Splash of Worcestershire sauce
  • Cayenne and black pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Put the wings and the broth in a heavy, lidded pot. If they are not totally covered by the broth, add water until the wings are covered. If you need to add water, sprinkle a little salt in there, too. Bring to a simmer and cook gently, with the lid on, until all the wings are tender. You want the meat to be thinking about falling off the bone. Normally this takes 2 hours, but 3 hours isn't unreasonable.
  • Meanwhile, make the sauce by mixing all the other ingredients to a small pot and bringing it to a simmer. Turn off the heat and tinker with the flavors by adding more salt, honey, cayenne or black pepper.
  • When the wings are ready, put them in a bowl and add the sauce. Toss to coat. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Set the wings on a baking sheet (save the excess sauce) so they don't touch each other and bake until they begin to brown on top, about 15 minutes or so. Turn and repeat. Toss with the remaining sauce and eat.

Notes

If you want extra flavor, you can braise, then marinate the wings in the sauce overnight, then roast them. This is what I do for Super Bowl.

Nutrition

Calories: 125kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 301mg | Potassium: 202mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 50IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1mg
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Filed Under: American Recipes, Appetizers and Snacks, Ducks and Geese, Featured, Recipe, Wild Game

Avatar for Hank Shaw

Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet's largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

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Comments

  1. Avatar for Laura WLaura W says

    February 11, 2021 at 6:40 pm

    We make this every year for Superbowl. Fantastic everytime! Save all of your waterfowl legs and wings… I repeat… save them all and make these!!!

    Reply
  2. Avatar for JUDY WEISINGERJUDY WEISINGER says

    August 30, 2020 at 12:33 am

    Can I make the wings in a crock pot/ slow cooker?

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      August 31, 2020 at 8:30 am

      Judy: Not chicken wings. But yes, you can do the braising step for other wings in one.

      Reply
  3. Avatar for DanDan says

    November 28, 2014 at 2:28 pm

    These sound awesome, can’t wait to try them. Does the skin get rubbery with the braising? Does it work with skinless wings?

    I got a new plucker for this season and it’s amazing (no scalding, no wax, no mess) but the wings are still mostly hand work. Wondering if I can just skin out the wings and save the first two joints for these…

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      November 29, 2014 at 7:32 am

      Dan: Its get rubbery during braising, but crisps up again in the oven afterwards. Not sure about skinless, as the skin is the attachment for a lot of the muscles there.

      Reply

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Hi, my name is Hank Shaw; I’m a James Beard Award-winning author and chef. I started this site back in 2007 to help you get the most out of all things wild: fish, game, edible wild plants and mushrooms. I also write cookbooks, have a website dedicated to the intersection of food and nature, and do a podcast, too. If it’s wild, you’ll find it here. Hope you enjoy the site!

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