These Grilled Chicken Wings are the peak wing experience. They’re easy to make, charred outside and juicy within, and smoky flavor make them extra mouthwatering. Bonus: this is the BEST recipe when you want to make wings for a crowd!
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Party-perfect smoky chicken wings.
Grilled chicken wings may not be new to you, but my go-to is always Air Fryer Chicken Wings or Baked Chicken Wings so I never really thought of wings as a grilling food. The game has been changed!
- Even with the same basic ingredients, the different method of cooking gives the wings a new flavor profile.
- Grilled chicken wings are perfect for feeding a crowd, especially if you have a large grill. No need to fry batch after batch of wings in an air fryer or oil!
- Like Smoked Chicken Wings, these grilled chicken wings are super easy to make with a handful of everyday ingredients (bet you have most in your kitchen already!) and a simple grilling technique. Literally, just throw them on the grill. (Okay, not literally literally. Place them gently.)
Consider this recipe your blueprint for deliciousness. Try a different marinade, another sauce, make it spicy, or switch up both to put your own spin on these grilled wings.
5 Star Review
“These were INCREDIBLE and I felt like a rockstar for grilling these on my own! My husband really liked this dish. He ate half the wings before I could put the sauce on them.”
— Brittany —
My Tips and Tricks for Cooking Wings on the Grill
- Don’t Over-Marinate. Nope, a longer time marinating doesn’t mean juicier chicken! At a certain point, the marinade will start breaking down the proteins in the chicken, turning it mushy.
- Let the Wings Come to Room Temperature Before Grilling. This helps the wings cook more evenly so they’re not undercooked in some parts and overcooked in others.
- Use an Instant-Read Thermometer. It’s absolutely worth it, whether you’re making Grilled Chicken Breast or grilled chicken wings! This is the only fail-proof way for knowing that your chicken is safe to eat and keep it from over-cooking.
- Flip Often. To keep the wings from scorching, flip them every 4 to 5 minutes. Set a timer on your phone if you need to!
- Let Them Rest. Allow the grilled Buffalo chicken wings to rest before tossing them in the sauce. This lets the juices redistribute, ensuring juicy, flavorful wings.
How to Make Grilled Chicken Wings
Marinate the Wings. Whisk together the marinade ingredients in a small bowl and pour them over the wings; toss to coat and refrigerate.
Make the Sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan with the hot sauce, then whisk in the soy sauce and vinegar.
Grill the Wings. Place the wings on the grates of a 425 degree F grill; grill for 12 to 18 minutes, or until they reach an internal temperature 170 to 180 degrees F.
Finish. Let the grilled chicken wings rest on a serving plate for a few minutes, then toss them in the sauce (or serve the sauce on the side) and ENJOY!
More Sauce Ideas
- BBQ Sauce. My Homemade BBQ Sauce is sweet and tangy and goes great with wings.
- Teriyaki Sauce. For an Asian-inspired twist, use store-bought or make your own. (I love the teriyaki sauce from my Baked Teriyaki Salmon.)
- Jerk Sauce. Give your cripsy grilled chicken wings Caribbean vibes by basting them with the sauce from my Jamaican Jerk Chicken.
- Hot Honey. Hot honey and melted butter makes for a delicious wing sauce too!
Grilled Chicken Wings
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Ingredients
For the Grilled Wings
- 3 pounds chicken wings flats and drumettes
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
For the Wing Sauce
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
- ⅓ cup hot sauce such as Frank’s RedHot
- ½ tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon white vinegar
Instructions
- If necessary, split the wings into flats and drumettes: Trim off the wing tips and discard. Split the drumette side of each wing from the flat side at the joint: wiggle your knife near the joint to find the “soft spot.” Slice down through the skin and separate. It should split fairly easily, but if not, put the blade in place, then carefully but firmly hit the top of your knife to apply extra pressure. Pat the wings very dry and transfer to a large bowl or ziptop bag.
- In a small bowl, combine the oil, soy sauce, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Pour over the wings and toss to coat (or seal the bag, removing as much excess air as possible, and turn to coat). Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
- When ready to grill, preheat your grill to 425°F. Let the wings come to room temperature.
- Make the wing sauce: in a saucepan over medium heat, melt together the butter and hot sauce. Whisk in the soy sauce and vinegar. Adjust to taste.
- Grill the wings for 12 to 18 minutes, until they reach 170 to 180°F and are cooked through and tender. Flip every 4 to 5 minutes to prevent scorching in places. Transfer to a serving plate or bowl and let rest a few minutes.
- Toss the wings in the wing sauce, or serve with sauce on the side for dipping.
Notes
- TO STORE: Place grilled chicken wings in an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- TO REHEAT: You can reheat the wings on a grill, in a 350ºF oven or air fryer. To reheat on the grill, place them over indirect heat for about 5 minutes, flipping occasionally.
- TO FREEZE: Place the wings in a freezer-safe container or bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Nutrition
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What to Serve with Grilled Chicken Wings
- Game Day Appetizers. These crispy grilled chicken wings are the perfect addition to any game day spread. Serve them with other appetizers like Mexican Corn Dip.
- Veggies. You could do the standard celery sticks and carrots, but since you’ve got the grill fired up anyway, why not make Grilled Corn?
- Dipping Sauces. Green Goddess Dressing and Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip would both be fantastic, as would a blue cheese dressing.
Loved the marinade. I put the whole wings in a gallon bag and marinade overnight. My husband grilled them all. So juicy and flavorful! Added a hash brown casserole and seasoned green beans to make it a meal. Next time I may add more hot sauce because we like it a bit hotter.
Makes me so happy to hear, thank you Nicolette!
I made these today and I can’t get enough of the flavor. It was simple and had great flavor. I suggest that you marinate your chicken wings for 24 hours for a better result if you have time. The sauce was amazingly good too. Thank you for this recipe.
Yay! Thank you Alexandra!
These were INCREDIBLE and I felt like a rockstar for grilling these on my own! My husband really liked this dish. He ate half the wings before I could put the sauce on them. Thanks for the inspiration, Erin!
Yay! Love to hear that, Brittany!
Tried this for dinner and it came out great. I love that the recipe doesn’t overcomplicate things. I marinated the wings for about 6 hours, and they really soaked in the flavor. I didn’t toss mine in the sauce but served it on the side so people could dip, which worked out well. Everyone had seconds.
So glad to hear, Andrea! Thank you!
These were really good, especially considering how simple the ingredients are. The soy sauce in both the marinade and sauce gives a little umami punch that I really liked. I did feel like the sauce could use a tiny bit of sweetness to balance the vinegar, but that’s just personal preference. Anyway, I enjoyed this so much. Thank you for sharing!
So glad to hear you enjoyed the wings, Wilma! Thank you!
I liked how simple and straightforward this recipe was. The seasoning is not overpowering, just enough to bring out the natural flavor of the wings. I didn’t have Frank’s so I used a different hot sauce. I also appreciate that it’s not deep-fried, so it felt a little lighter. I’d do it again, maybe with a bit of lime juice for a twist.
So glad you enjoyed the wings, Debbie!