Grilled Chicken Wings

This has definitely been a year of grilling for me, and these grilled chicken wings are PEAK grill food. So simple to prepare - just pat cut wing portions dry, cover them in a simple dry rub made with common pantry ingredients, and toss them on the grill until they're crispy on the outside and cooked through inside. Voila! The best grilled chicken wings you'll ever have.

When I make wings on the grill, it is KEY that they have that nice, crispy skin and just the right amount of char. So how do I get that?

The secret to crispy grilled chicken wings is in the dry rub

Specifically, just a bit of brown sugar in the dry rub. That sugar will toast up on the grill to give you an amazing crunch, but be careful, because it can go from crisp to char in a heartbeat! You'll see it happen though. So just keep an eye on things and pull the wings off or lower the heat if you're worried about too much char.

How to grill chicken wings:

• Pat raw wings dry
• Cover in my favorite chicken wing dry rub (recipe below)
• They don't need to be room temperature, but it's good to take the chill off to help them cook more evenly
• Using a gas grill or a charcoal grill, cook directly over medium heat (about 350 F ) for about 10 minutes. Flip the wings and grill for another 10 minutes

Grilled Chicken Wing Dry Rub Recipe:

Simply combine the following and rub onto raw wings that have been patted dry, pressing the rub into the skin so that it sticks.

• 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoon paprika
• 2 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Serving suggestions:

• A sauce is fun, but not strictly necessary! I like to have Alabama White Sauce, bbq sauce, or ranch dressing available when there's a crowd, but if it's just me I don't bother.
• A fresh corn and tomato salad is a great compliment to any grilled meat, and these wings are no exception
• If you want to keep everything on the grill, grilled zucchini and squash is easy and delicious and can be cooked over the indirect heat while the wings take up the direct heat

You might also like these recipes:

• Homemade Buttermilk Blue Cheese Dressing
• Air Fryer Chicken Wings (Air Fryer Buffalo Wings)

Grilled Chicken Wings

Crispy grilled chicken wings with a flavorful dry rub - no marinating nor olive oil necessary!

Recipe from basilandbubbly.com

4.86 from 14 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 people

Author: Marianne

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoon paprika
• 2 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 12 chicken wing portions 6 whole chicken wings, tips removed, cut into flats and drums
• high heat tolerant oild like grapeseed oil

Instructions

• Set grill to medium heat ( 350°F .)
• Combine all of the ingredients other than the wings in a small bowl and stir until they are thoroughly mixed together.
• Pat the wings dry and toss them with the rub, pressing it into the wings so that it sticks.
• Oil the grill grate with a high heat tolerant oil. Place the wings on the grill in a single layer. Cook for 10 minutes, then flip. Cook for another 10 minutes, until the internal temperature of the wings is 165° F. (An instant-read thermometer is an easy way to check the temp for perfection)

Notes

It can help give you a more even cook to let the wings sit in a covered tray or bowl on the kitchen counter (NOT in the direct sun next to your grill) for about 20 minutes to take the chill off before cooking.

If one or two of the wings start to burn, move them slightly off of the direct heat to continue cooking. If all of the wings start to get too much char, lower the heat to 300. Every grill is different and you may need to play around with the heat for your specific grill to get the char you desire.

Using a charcoal grill instead of a gas grill will give you a wonderful smoky flavor and in my opinion, makes for the best wings.

This method works for cooking bbq chicken wings on the grill as well. Simply sub out the rub for your favorite barbecue sauce, and then brush with more sauce in the last two minutes of cooking. 

 

 

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