Grilled Boneless Buffalo Wings
Fire up the grill! Tossed in a homemade buffalo sauce, these Grilled Boneless Buffalo Wings are a fun recipe for summer!
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News flash: Boneless wings are not actually chicken wings at all. I know, I know. It’s strange to me, too. Chicken wings are indeed made from the chicken wing itself, and they will contain bones. It’s a fact. Boneless wings, though? They’re actually just chicken nuggets in disguise. Boneless wings are typically chunks of chicken breast that are cut into wing-sized pieces (i.e. chicken nuggets).
And to make matters even more confusing, in 2024 the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that boneless chicken wings can indeed have bones in them. Instead, the term “boneless wings” refers to a cooking style. Ok, so that’s confusing.
At the end of the day, when I hear “chicken wing” (bone-in or boneless), I’m expecting buffalo sauce to be involved in some way. Sure, there are other popular wing sauces like BBQ or garlic parmesan, but you get the point. Chicken wings means chicken tossed in some sort of traditional wing sauce.
Grilled Boneless Buffalo Wings
While buffalo chicken wings are typically fried, there are certainly other ways to cook up this favorite bar food. tossing chicken wings (or in this case chunks of chicken breast) in cornstarch is often used as a way to bake chicken wings in the oven. Well, we’re taking that concept today…and adding grill flavor!
We’ve been having a lot of fun this summer essentially using our grill as an oven. If you can bake it indoors, then you can bake it outdoors, too! The key element here is not cooking the food directly over the flames of the grill. Instead, you light the outer burners (if using a gas grill) and leave the middle burners turned off. The food gets placed over the middle burners and essentially bakes instead of grills…but you still end up with the yummy grilled flavor!
Tossing chicken in corn starch improves the crispiness and texture of the chicken once it’s cooked. I’m not gonna lie – these Grilled Boneless Buffalo Wings absolutely remind me of traditional wings. Now they’re not as good as fried chicken wings. They’re just not. But then again, frying anything takes a lot more time and effort. These grilled wings are an easy and delicious recipe for summer grilling season.
Ingredients in Homemade Buffalo Sauce
Aside from the seasoned cornstarch trick, the most important part of this recipe is the homemade buffalo sauce. I know it’s easy to pick up a bottle of buffalo sauce at the store, but you might be surprised at how easy it is to make homemade buffalo sauce.
- Hot Pepper Sauce. The main ingredient in buffalo sauce is hot pepper sauce (i.e. Frank’s Red Hot). No surprise there. (Note: Hot pepper sauce is different than hot sauce.)
- Apple Cider Vinegar. Vinegar adds the tangy flavor that we associate with buffalo sauce. It helps cut through the richness of the butter and the heat of the hot pepper sauce, too.
- Unsalted Butter. The addition of dairy offsets the spiciness of the sauce. Butter also creates a richer, smoother sauce.
- Black Pepper, Garlic Powder, Worcestershire Sauce. These seasonings add more flavor to buffalo sauce. While there’s only ¼ teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce in the recipe, don’t skip it. The umami taste adds a subtle depth of flavor that takes homemade buffalo sauce from good to great.
How to Store Leftovers
Once cooked, leftover grilled buffalo wings should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat the leftover chicken in a 350°F oven for 8-10 minutes, or in a pinch just microwave them until hot. (The oven will lead to a better texture, though.) Leftover wings can also be frozen. Just store them in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Let thaw and then reheat in the oven.
If you’re looking for a fun recipe for summer grilling, then put these Grilled Boneless Buffalo Wings on the menu! They’re hot, but not too hot. And it’s a lot of fun to bring out a large plate of these boneless wings. Just invite some friends over, pull out some cold beers and dig in! Oh, and this recipe scales up really well if you’re feeding a larger crowd. Happy Grilling!
Did you make this Grilled Boneless Buffalo Wings recipe at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog) – I’d love to see your version!
Grilled Boneless Buffalo Wings
Ingredients
For the Buffalo Sauce
- ⅔ cup hot pepper sauce I used Frank’s Red Hot
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp Worcestershire sauce
For the Grilled Wings
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp Cajun seasoning
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1- pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
- chopped green onions for garnishing
- celery sticks, carrots, ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing for serving
Instructions
For the Buffalo Sauce
- Using a medium saucepan, add all ingredients and place over medium heat.
- Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat. (Note: If necessary, keep saucepan over low heat so the sauce stays warm until needed.)
For the Grilled Wings
- Set up grill for indirect cooking and preheat to 375°F for indirect cooking (see note).
- Using a large bowl, add the cornstarch, Cajun seasoning, salt and pepper; stir until well combined.
- Using paper towels, pat the chicken breast pieces to remove any excess moisture. Place chicken into bowl with cornstarch mixture; toss until well coated.
- Brush grill grates with vegetable oil (or spray with nonstick grilling spray).
- Remove chicken from bowl and grill over indirect heat for 20-25 minutes, flipping every 5 minutes. Once chicken is fully cooked (internal temperature of 165°F), remove from grill and toss in buffalo sauce.
- Before serving, garnish with chopped green onions.
- Serve with chopped celery sticks, carrots and blue cheese dressing or ranch dressing.
Notes
Looking for more buffalo chicken recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
Thanks for making me hungry BTW can’t wait to make your recipes soon for me