I’ve never met anyone who didn’t love chicken wings. When I make smoked chicken wings, they never last more than 30 minutes and these grilled chicken wings are no different. Every bite is infused with big flavor! We’ve been grilling everything from these Italian kebabs to Grilled Corn with Cotija Cheese. And this grilled chicken wings recipe is perfect as an appetizer, a snack, or paired with your favorite pizza!
🛒 Ingredients You’ll Need
There are 2 separate steps you’ll need to take when making these barbecue wings. Mixing the rub is the first part which consists of combining fresh minced garlic, salt, and cayenne pepper. From there, you’ll baste ranch dressing and barbecue sauce onto each wing. For the wings, you can use party wings or larger wings. If you use party wings, you’ll get drumettes and flats. This is what the restaurants serve and the type everyone loves. Drumettes are the single bone part of the wing and flats are the double bone part. You have the option to use store bought BBQ sauce or make your own homemade version. When making this recipe, I’ve done both. But I’m pretty partial to making my own because the flavor is out-of-this-world delicious. My homemade BBQ sauce recipe is easy to make and both sweet and smoky. It’s a bit on sweeter side, but the secret to cutting some of that is to add just enough strong brewed coffee to the BBQ sauce while it’s simmering on the stove. The coffee also enhances the smoky flavor.
📋 Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
To start the process, mince the garlic cloves and add to a small bowl. Mix the fresh minced garlic, cayenne pepper, and salt with a spoon. Gently rub the mixture onto each chicken wing and set them aside. Next, make a pouch out of aluminum foil so you can grill the chicken wings in the ranch and BBQ sauce. Or, you can use a grilling bag. Using a basting brush, evenly coat the ranch dressing on each side of the wings. Then, baste on barbecue sauce. Seal the foil pouch and pull each side of the aluminum foil up and fold the top. Make sure to fold each end to ensure the foil pouch is sealed. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat (about 425°F) and place each foil pouch directly on the grill grates. Grill for 30 minutes. There is no need to “flip” the packets or move them around. Just let them slowly cook on the grill. I took a little sneak peak about 25 minutes into grilling. As you can see, the chicken is starting to reflect that golden grilled appearance and the meat is starting to fall off the bones. That’s what you want! Once they are done, remove them from the foil pouch and place them directly on the grill grates. You can oil the grill grates if you want, but since they are coated in sauce already they shouldn’t stick. Gently brush on additional BBQ sauce and let them finish grilling, about 5 minutes on each side. If grilling party wings, allow them to grill for 5 minutes ensuring you turn them frequently. They are done when an internal meat thermometer registers to 165°F. The total time it takes to cook should be around 30 minutes and each wing should be golden in color. These grilled chicken wings are perfectly tender and juicy on the inside. Whether you eat these as a snack or enjoy them as the ultimate game day food, the flavors are so good you won’t be able to stop eating them!
🙋🏼 Frequently Asked Questions
💭 Expert Tips
These wings are mild but if you want to add a bit more heat, add additional cayenne pepper.I don’t recommend grilling frozen wings. Thawed is always best. I find that when I’ve grilled frozen or partially frozen chicken meat, I never get a balanced doneness and the texture is off.To make a foil pouch, tear off a piece of 18x18 heavy-duty aluminum foil. Lay it on a flat surface and place 3-4 wings in the center of the foil. Using a basting brush, evenly coat the ranch dressing on each side . Then, baste on the barbecue sauce. To seal the foil pouch, pull each side of the aluminum foil up and fold the top. Make sure you fold each end to ensure the foil pouch is sealed.It’s always a good idea to use a digital thermometer when cooking or grilling. I always insert the thermometer at a slight angle into the wing to avoid touching the bone. Bone conducts heat faster than the meat, which will result in a higher temperature reading.To ensure no bacteria is introduced, discard the ranch and barbecue liquid from the foil pouch.
🥘 Side Dishes for Chicken Wings
A good Idaho potato salad recipe pairs amazingly well with these grilled chicken wings. If you’re smoking these on a smoker, they taste so good with my easy-to-prep smoked green beans. I also enjoy eating these wings alongside a big batch of my air fryer french fries!
BBQ sauce recipe provided by my dear friend Tyler Bain, the best engineer of software and food!Update Notes: This post was originally published in May 2017, but was re-published with updated step-by-step instructions, pictures, and tips in March 2022.This post is brought to you by M&R Specialty Trailers and Trucks, a supporter of really great BBQ this summer! All opinions are entirely my own.
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