Smoked Chicken Wings
Smoked chicken wings are a game day favorite at our house, and once you try them, you’ll see why! These wings are perfectly seasoned, slow-smoked for incredible flavor, then finished with a crispy bite that’s totally irresistible. They’re easy to make and always a hit for parties, BBQs, or weekend snacking!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken wings, party wings – separated drums and flats
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons chicken wing seasoning, click link for recipe
- ½ cup buffalo sauce, optional – for tossing with the wings
Instructions
- Preheat a smoker to 225°F with hickory, mesquite or pecan pellets, or wood chips.
- If the wings were frozen, make sure that they're fully defrosted and pat them completely dry (this will help them get a crispy skin on the outside.)
- Drizzle the olive oil evenly over the wings and rub the oil into the wings.
- Sprinkle the chicken wing seasoning evenly over the wings, then rub it onto all sides of the wings.
- Place the wings in an even layer on the grill grates in the smoker and smoke the wings for 2 hours.
- Remove the wings from the smoker and finish them in the oven, in an air fryer, or on the smoker at a higher temperature, to achieve a crispy skin on the outside
To finish the wings in an air fryer
- Place them in an air fryer basket in an even layer. It’s very important that each wing has space around it, so that the air can circulate around the wings and get them crispy.
- Cook the wings for 3 minutes at 400°F, flip and cook for an additional 3 minutes at 400°F.
To finish the wings in the oven
- Preheat the broiler in the oven to high.
- Arrange one rack in the oven about a third of the way from the top of the oven.
- Place the wings in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet.
- Place the wings under the broiler for 2 minutes, flip and broil for another 2 minutes on the other side.
To finish the wings on the smoker
- Remove the wings from the smoker and cover loosely with foil.
- Turn the heat on the smoker up to 400°F.
- When the smoker has heated up, place the wings back on the smoker for 3-4 minutes per side to crisp up the skin.
Serve the wings
- Toss the wings with sauce, or serve the sauce on the side for dipping.
- If tossing the wings in sauce, add the wings to a large bowl, pour in the sauce and use tongs to toss the wings until they’re fully coated in the sauce. Make sure the sauce is room temperature or warm. If you toss the cooked wings in cold sauce, it will cool down the wings.
Notes
- For extra crispy wings, add 2 teaspoons cornstarch to the chicken wing seasoning before rubbing it on the wings.
- Always make sure to pat the wings completely dry before tossing them with the olive oil and seasoning. This will ensure the skin crisps up nicely and you don’t end up with soggy wings.
- If using frozen wings, make sure they’re fully defrosted before starting this recipe. I recommend defrosting them in the fridge for 24 hours. If you’re short on time, you can place the chicken wings in a sealed bag and into a bowl of cold water. And for the quickest method, defrost the chicken using the “defrost” method on your microwave.
- Make sure the wings are not touching. If they wings are too close on the smoker, they won’t cook evenly.
- Feel free to toss the wings in any sauce. While I love buffalo sauce, other sauces like bbq sauce, your favorite hot sauce, this Buffalo Wild Wings copycat Garlic Parmesan Sauce, lemon pepper sauce, white bbq sauce, or my general tso’s sauce, are all perfect for tossing with wings!
- Store leftover smoked chicken wings in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat them in the air fryer at 400°F for 4 minutes. I recommend tossing reheated wings in buffalo sauce for maximum juicy, saucy flavor.
- This recipe is dairy free and gluten free, using the ingredients shown above. Dip the wings in buffalo sauce or dairy-free avocado ranch to keep them dairy free.
Nutrition Facts
Calories 57kcal (3%)Carbohydrates 0.2gProtein 4g (8%)Fat 4g (6%)Saturated Fat 1g (5%)Polyunsaturated Fat 1gMonounsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 16mg (5%)Sodium 168mg (7%)Potassium 34mg (1%)Vitamin A 39mg (1%)Vitamin C 0.2mgCalcium 6mg (1%)Iron 0.3mg (2%)
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