Grilled BBQ Wings
These Grilled BBQ Wings are slow cooked on the grill and brushed with barbecue sauce. They are the perfect summer party food!
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Firing up the grill and grilling chicken brushed with barbecue sauce is perhaps one of the most classic summer meals. Ok, there’s hamburgers and hotdogs…those are more classic. But barbecue chicken is right behind! Today’s recipe puts a little spin on the classic grilled chicken breasts. We’re grilling up chicken wings instead.
Cooking chicken wings on the grill used to be a challenge. The first time I made ’em, the wings shriveled up so much that they looked like mini wings. And we made those wings for company, too. We made the best of it, but I was super embarrassed that the wings were less than ideal. I resolved then and there to figure out how to grill chicken wings. Challenge accepted!
There are several key steps to making delicious chicken wings on a grill. Nothing here is hard, but you can’t just take the wings from the bag and drop ’em straight onto a hot grill. You’ll end up with burnt little mini wings. I speak from experience.
Why You Should Brine Chicken Wings
The first step to making amazing grilled chicken wings is to brine the chicken. Brining wings sounds fancy and complicated. It’s not at all. Brining wings will lead to more tender, juicier wings. A brine is simply salt and water mixed together. Oftentimes a bit of sugar is added as the sugar helps the wings develop a crispy texture. The salt helps tenderize the meat, and it also leads to juicier wings.
Those chicken wings soak in the brine for about 30-60 minutes. Just place ’em in a large bowl and add the water, salt and sugar. Make sure to add enough water to cover the tops of the wings.
How to Use Indirect Grilling for Chicken Wings
This leads to our 2nd key point for amazing grilled chicken wings: indirect grilling. Isn’t all grilling the same? You light the grill, wait for it to get hot and then add the food? Well, yes and no. Direct grilling is the most common method – it involves grilling the meat over direct flames. This is how you typically grill hotdogs, hamburgers, etc.
Indirect grilling still involves grills and fires…but the food is not cooked over a direct flame. Instead, it is cooked indirectly. This style uses a lower, more consistent temperature which prevents flame-ups and burnt food. Indirect grilling takes a bit longer (~45 min in the case of chicken wings), but those brined wings will come off the grill juicy and perfectly grilled.
If you have a smoker or ceramic grill, you likely have a platesetter, or a ceramic insert that blocks direct contact between the fire and the food. You will use this insert for grilling chicken wings. But can you still make grilled chicken wings without a smoker? Absolutely!
If you have a charcoal grill, just pile the charcoal into 2 piles on either side of the grill. The middle portion of the grill is left without any charcoal. Once the charcoal is hot, the wings will be cooked over that middle portion of the grill. (You may want to rotate the wings 1-2x while grilling as the wings closer to the charcoal will cook faster than the wings in the middle.)
And if you have a gas grill? Easy peasy! Just light the outer burners to medium heat. Leave the middle (interior) burners turned off and grill the wings over that middle portion. You’ll be looking to get the grill to ~375°F, so that might take a little playing around with the temperature setting on those outer burners.
Grilled BBQ Wings
The steps described above are the same for any type of grilled wings. We’ve made chicken wings on the grill probably a dozen times now, and it starts the exact same way every time. Brine the wings in water and salt. Drain wings and pat off any excess moisture. Toss wings in a mixture of oil and seasonings. (The oil also helps prevent the wings from sticking to the grill grates.) Grill the wings using indirect heat for ~45 minutes. That’s it.
To make these Grilled BBQ Wings, just take the hot wings off of the grill and toss ’em in your favorite barbecue sauce. (We love using a mixture of Sweet Baby Ray’s and Texas Pete’s Carolina Mustard Sauce.) You could put the wings back onto the grill to let the sauce “bake in” a bit, but that’s entirely optional. We just opted to get messy and dig straight into those saucy wings! The grilled taste is absolutely fantastic.
How to Store Leftovers
Leftover bbq chicken wings should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat, place in a 350°F oven or toaster oven for 10-15 minutes, or until heated through. If desired, brush the leftover wings with more barbecue sauce before serving.
If you’re looking for a classic summer grilling recipe with a twist, then make a batch of these Grilled BBQ Wings. Chicken wings are the perfect party food, and the flavor of this BBQ version is mighty tasty. Happy Grilling!
Did you make this Grilled BBQ Wings recipe at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me (@Spicedblog) on Instagram – I’d love to see your version!
Grilled BBQ Wings
Ingredients
For the Brine
- 8 cups water
- ⅓ cup kosher salt
- 1½ Tbsp granulated sugar
- 3 pounds chicken wings separated into drumsticks and flats (most bags of frozen chicken wings are already separated when you purchase them)
For Grilling
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 Tbsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 cup barbecue sauce
- chopped fresh parsley for garnishing
Instructions
For the Brine
- Using a large bowl, add water, salt and sugar; stir until salt and sugar have dissolved into water.
- Place chicken wings in bowl. (If needed, add more water until wings are covered.)
- Cover bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
For Grilling
- Set up grill for indirect cooking and preheat to 375°F for indirect cooking (see note).
- Remove wings from brine; discard brine.
- Pat wings completely dry with paper towels and then return them to the empty bowl.
- Using a small bowl, whisk together the oil, salt, paprika, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Pour mixture into bowl with wings and toss until well coated. (Tip: Wipe the grill grates with a folded paper towel soaked with vegetable oil before placing wings on grill – this helps prevent the wings from sticking to the grates.)
- Cook wings for ~45 minutes, flipping about halfway through.
- Remove wings from grill and place in a large bowl; add BBQ sauce and toss until wings are well coated.
- Before serving, garnish with chopped parsley.
Notes
Looking for more grilled chicken wing recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
Thanks for making me hungry BTW can’t wait to make your recipes soon for me
Why are wings so darn good!!