Smoked Chicken Wings
Smoked chicken wings come out perfectly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside with deep, smoky flavor throughout. Easy to prep and packed with bold seasoning, these wings are always a hit.
Servings 6
Calories 462kcal
Equipment
- Smoker I used a Traeger Pellet Grill
Ingredients
- 5 lbs chicken wings raw, thawed if purchased frozen
- 1/4 cup dry rub of your choice
- 1 1/2 cups wing sauce buffalo, BBQ, etc.
- ranch dressing or bleu cheese dressing, optional
- celery sticks optional
Instructions
- Remove chicken wings from original packaging and place on a paper towel lined sheet pan. Place in refrigerator to dry out, uncovered for anywhere from a few hours to overnight*.
- Preheat smoker to 225° F. Follow smoker instructions for startup. I used my Traeger Ironwood Pellet Grill with Hickory Wood Pellets, but chicken does well with almost any wood flavor.
- Generously sprinkle dry rub of choice on both sides of chicken wings.
- Place wings directly on grill grates and smoke for 1 hour**.
- After 1 hour, crank heat up to 350° F for 30 min or until wings reach an internal temperature of at least 160° F***.
- Meanwhile, prepare your wing sauce of choice and preheat your searing source (either a gas grill or flat top grill, like the Blackstone) to a very high heat. We want the next step (reverse searing) to go very quickly so we don't overcook our wings.
- Toss nearly fully cooked wings in sauce. A large bowl is perfect for this as you can swirl them around to get fully coated.
- Place sauced wings on hot grill and sear on both sides. This should only take a minute or so per side or until internal temperature reads 165° F.
- Remove from grill and serve immediately with ranch or bleu cheese, plus celery if desired.
Notes
*If short on time, sprinkle with a little baking powder to ensure crispy skin.
**If your wings are SMALL you will want to start checking them at around the 45 minute mark. They may be done all the way at this point. These times are just a guide...you need to always check the internal temperature of the meat since wings sizes can vary greatly.
***The reverse sear will finish the cooking and get them up to 165° F - safe to eat. Please note, the nutrition facts reflect using buffalo sauce.
**If your wings are SMALL you will want to start checking them at around the 45 minute mark. They may be done all the way at this point. These times are just a guide...you need to always check the internal temperature of the meat since wings sizes can vary greatly.
***The reverse sear will finish the cooking and get them up to 165° F - safe to eat. Please note, the nutrition facts reflect using buffalo sauce.
Nutrition
Serving: 0.83lb | Calories: 462kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 157mg | Sodium: 1989mg | Potassium: 338mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 377IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 3mg
