Get the low-down on how to grill wings. It’s super-easy and they are so totally delicious.
Grilled chicken wings are vastly different from their deep-fried brothers. When you grill wings they don’t get that crisp skin. Not at all. But you don’t want the alternative, limp soggy skin.
Here I’m going to show you how to grill wings so that they have the best possible skin you can get from a grill. The key is getting a good char on them, and using a great sauce at the end.
Scroll down to read more about how it all comes together or click here to jump straight down to the recipe.
Video: How To Grill Wings
Should I Marinate My Wings?
Note that some people marinate their wings first. I’m not opposed to this but I don’t find it necessary. Why not? Two reasons. First, wing meat is very tender and juicy as it is so you don’t need the marinade for extra moisture. Second, if you have a flavorful sauce smothering the wings at the end, it overpowers the marinade anyhow. I say, skip that extra time and effort and get the wings on the grill ASAP.
How To Grill Chicken Wings
Here’s how to grill chicken wings, step-by-step:
Step #1 Prepare the Grill
Oil your grill racks and then prepare your grill for direct grilling over medium heat, about 350ºF. I like to keep one burner off or on low in case some of my wings are cooked before others.
Step #2 Grill Wings
You’re going to cook the wings for about 18-25 minutes total. The way I do it is to start by leaving them on there, lid closed, for a few minutes. Then I use big tongs to have a look underneath them all. Some tend to get darker faster due to hot spots on the grill. If some are starting to char too much, I flip those over. Keep monitoring and flipping as they all darken. If a few pieces seem to be dark before others, shift them to a cooler part of the grill. They’ll keep cooking but not browning.
After about 15 minutes of moving them around as needed, use an instant read thermometer in the center of a few wings to make sure that they’ve all reached 165ºF. If some aren’t quite there, give them another 5 minutes. What you want are wings that are nicely charred on all sides and cooked through. Note that the large range of times is because all grills are different in terms of heat, distance from grill to heat, etc., and also, chicken wings can vary in size.
Step #3 Transfer to Bowl
Use tongs to transfer fully-cooked wings to a bowl.
Step #4 Add BBQ Sauce
Add sauce. You can go with a straight-up store-bought BBQ sauce or make something yourself.
Step #5 Coat Wings
Stir them up, adding more sauce if needed to coat them well.
Step #6 Enjoy!
More Chicken Wing Recipes
There’s so many delicious ways to prepare chicken wings, even when you don’t feel like grilling.
Podcast Episode About Grilling Chicken Wings
Listen to me explain briefly about how to make this recipe, with some great tips along the way, by clicking the play button below:
Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.
Print How to Grill Chicken Wings Recipe
Get the low-down on how to grill wings. It’s super-easy and they are so totally delicious.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Total Time: 23 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Grilled
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 10 whole chicken wings, cut into drumettes and flappers (learn how to do it here)
- 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Oil your grill racks and then prepare your grill for direct grilling over medium heat, about 350ºF. Keep one burner off or on low in case some wings are cooked before others.
- Put the wings in a single layer on the grill over the heat. You’ll be cooking the wings for about 18-25 minutes total. Start by leaving them on there, lid closed, for a few minutes. Then use big tongs to have look underneath them all. Some tend to get darker faster due to hot spots on the grill. If some are starting to char too much, flip those over. Keep monitoring and flipping as they all darken. If a few pieces seem to be dark before others, shift them to a cooler part of the grill. They’ll keep cooking but not browning.
- After about 15 minutes of flipping and moving them around as needed, use an instant read thermometer in the center of a few wings to make sure that they’ve all reached 165ºF. If some aren’t quite there, give them another 5 minutes. What you want are wings that are nicely charred on all sides and cooked through.
- Use tongs to transfer fully-cooked wings to a bowl. Add BBQ sauce. Start with 1/2 cup. Toss. If it’s a strong-tasting sauce, don’t add more. If it’s milder, add up to another 1/4 cup.
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This post was originally published in January 2016 and was revised and republished in May 2024.
I made these wings years ago and lost the recipe. I kept looking and finally found it again! I’m so happy because these are seriously the best grilled wings!
Shawn, So happy you liked them, and so happy you found us again too!
For the grilled wings, can you put baking powder in them as well?
Scott, I haven’t tried this yet but it’s on my list to try. I think the brined wings with the baking powder in the brine would work on the grill though. That recipe is over here: https://thecookful.com/crispy-brined-chicken-wings/