Wings Lovers! This is the Only Grilled Chicken Wings Recipe You’ll Ever Need 🔥
Over the years we’ve shared many fan favorite grilling recipes on Plays Well With Butter, we LOVE grilling! Whether it’s grilled BBQ chicken thighs, grilled vegetable salad, or cooking brats on the grill we simply can’t get enough.
This Grilled Chicken Wings recipe is no exception! It has become a favorite of thousands of PWWB readers ever since we published it way back in 2017. They’re incredibly juicy yet perfectly crispy all at once – the ultimate grilled buffalo wings!
The secret lies in using a flavorful beer brine, grilling with the 2-zone grilling method, and finishing with my spicy-tangy homemade buffalo sauce. 😍
While we love classic buffalo flavor these wings are versatile enough to be easily modified to make any flavor you love most. Plus, you’ll only need 3 key ingredients and 15-20 minutes of active grill time – so much easier than takeout.
If you’re stumbling upon this recipe for the first time…you in for a major treat. It’s the last grilled chicken wing recipe you’ll ever need!
How to Brine Chicken Wings for Grilling (Using Beer! 🍻)
If you’ve ever grilled chicken before then you know how easy it is to end up with totally dried-out chicken meat. It’s the worst, especially when grilling lean chicken wings!
Using a brine or marinade is an easy first step in avoiding dry and tough chicken when cooking chicken wings on the grill since it infuses the wings with the necessary moisture to keep the chicken nice and juicy when cooked over high heat on the grill.
A simple beer brine is one of my favorite brine options! It adds a rich, earthy flavor that’s pretty hard to beat (even if you don’t love the flavor of beer!).
To brine your chicken wings, simply place your wings in a large airtight container or resealable bag, add a good amount of kosher salt, top it all off with beer, and place in the fridge for up to 3 days – simple as that!
For best results, I recommend a big, hoppy beer like an IPA, porter, or stout. Brine the chicken for up to 3 days in the fridge. The longer you can brine the more flavor you’ll get but if you only have 15 minutes before dinner needs to get on the grill, please don’t skip this step. Even the quickest brine will make a difference!
Want to skip the alcohol? ⇢ If you prefer not to use beer, buttermilk is a great alternative! Plus, it has the added benefit of naturally tenderizing the chicken. Pro Tip! ⇢ If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can DIY it by adding a splash of vinegar or lemon juice to regular ol’ milk.
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Grilling Chicken Wings 101: Get the Crispiest Grilled Wings With 2-Zone Grilling
Ever wonder how to make grilled wings crispy yet totally juicy? The secret is 2-zone grilling! By creating 2 distinct zones of heat on your grill (one indirect and one direct heat source), you can grill up the most juicy and tender wings with a perfectly crispy and charred exterior!
Not only is the 2-zone grilling the best method for grilling wings, it also couldn’t be easier!
Learn more! ⇢ Be sure to check out our comprehensive guide to 2-zone grilling for tips on how to use zone grilling on a gas or charcoal grill.
Cook the wings with indirect heat. Place the brined chicken wings over the indirect heat source, as close to the fire as possible without being over the direct heat. Then close the lid to let all the hot air circulate. Grill the wings for about 7-10 minutes on each side. Tip! ⇢ When you flip the wings, rearrange them so the wings closest to the flame are now furthest from the flame and vice versa. This helps ensure everything grills up evenly.
Finish the buffalo wings over direct heat. Once cooked, move the wings over the open flame in the direct heat zone for a totally crispy and delicious charred skin finish. Grill for a few minutes per side to let the skin char without overcooking the chicken. Tip! ⇢ This is also the moment I love to slather the grilled chicken wings with plenty of my homemade buffalo sauce for the best hot wing flavor!
Grill Time
Chicken wings are fairly lean so we typically find grilling about 7-10 minutes per side over gentle indirect heat then a few additional minutes per side over high direct heat for a crispy, charred finish yields perfect results.
Eliminate all the guesswork for how long to cook chicken wings by using an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature as you grill, reaching a final internal temperature of 165 degrees before serving!
Step-by-Step Video
Serving Suggestions: Go-To Toppings and Dips
Juicy and charred grilled buffalo wings are perfect as-is, right off the grill. But if you have the time, extra toppings never hurt!
Grilled buffalo wings practically beg for a sprinkle of crumbled blue cheese, chives, or green onions. I also love adding a few lemon wedges and sliced carrots and celery on the side for people to enjoy as they please and for the ultimate grilled chicken wings platter, be sure to add a bowl of dip!
My Favorite Greek Yogurt Ranch! ⇢ While you can definitely buy a bottle of ranch if it’s more convenient, my homemade ranch dip is super easy to make and one of my all-time faves. It’s ultra-creamy, perfect for dipping, and adds herby coolness to the grilled chicken wings. Plus, you’ll only need 5 basic ingredients to make it!
Easy Variations
While I LOVE classic grilled Buffalo wings, the true beauty of this grilled chicken wings recipe is it’s a great base for pretty much any flavored grilled wings you can imagine. Simply try a different grilled chicken wings marinade or season the wings with a dry rub for endless options!
Here are some ideas to get you started…
- BBQ – Brine as directed, then season your wings with my homemade BBQ dry rub is perfect before grilling. Toss the grilled wings in your favorite BBQ sauce after they’re cooked. For dry rubbed grilled chicken wings, just skip the sauce!
- Lemon Pepper – Buffalo wings aside, the most iconic chicken wings! Brine as directed, then season your wings with your favorite lemon pepper seasoning before grilling. For an extra-special touch, toss lemon wedges directly on the grill to serve your lemon pepper grilled wings with charred lemon juice. So good!
- Teriyaki – Skip the brine and soak the wings in Mom’s legendary teriyaki marinade! Be sure to double the marinade to baste the wings as they grill for a caramelized and crisp finish.
- Greek – I’m obsessed with this bold and zesty lemony Greek grilled wings recipe. Serve with creamy whipped feta for dipping.
- Tuscan-Inspired – Infuse some classic lemon, garlic, and fresh rosemary into your grilled chicken wings with this easy Tuscan marinade!
- Whisky-Lovers – Skip the brine and soak your chicken wings in a tangy, rich and sweet brown sugar bourbon marinade. The sweetness from the brown sugar will help create even more amazing caramelized char on the grill.
I can’t wait for you to try these Best-Ever Grilled Chicken Wings! They’re so easy to make and always a total crowd-pleaser – if you are willing to share! 😉
If you do give them a try, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo and tag @playswellwithbutter on Instagram. We LOVE seeing your PWWB creations! Happy grilling! ♡
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30-Minute Juicy & Tender Grilled Chicken Wings
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Inactive Marinating Time: up to 3 days
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: serves up to 6
- Category: Main Dishes, Appetizer Recipes, Snack Recipes
- Method: Grilling & Smoking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Seriously the Best Grilled Chicken Wings you’ll ever make! There are 2 secrets to grilling chicken wings perfectly: soaking them in a flavorful brine and grilling with 2 zones of heat. These grilled wings stay juicy and tender thanks to a simple beer brine, and they get delicious charred and crispy using a 2-zone grilling technique. This 30-minute grilled wings recipe is a buffalo-style for hot wing lovers, but it includes easy variations for other dry-rubbed and marinated wings.
Perfect for summer parties, game day, or casual dinners at home, you’ll turn to this grilled chicken wings recipe over and over again!
Ingredients
- 3 pounds fresh chicken wing sections
- 16 ounces beer of choice (see Recipe Notes)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ¾ cup Frank’s RedHot Original
- 4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
- 1 heaping teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 heaping teaspoon smoked paprika
- for serving, as desired: crumbled blue cheese, freshly snipped chives or green onions, blue cheese dressing or ranch dressing (see Recipe Notes for our go-to wing dip!), sliced carrots, sliced celery, etc.
Instructions
- Brine the chicken wings in beer: Place the chicken wings in a large airtight container or resealable plastic bag. Pour the beer over top and season with the kosher salt. Toss to combine well, ensuring all the of the chicken wings are submerged in the brine. Cover/seal and transfer to the refrigerator to brine for at least 12 hours or up to 3 days. The longer you’re able to brine, the juicier and more flavorful your grilled buffalo chicken wings will be.
- Grill prep: About 30 minutes before you’re ready to grill, pull the wings out of the refrigerator to come to room temperature for more even grilling. Prepare your grill for indirect cooking, creating a zone of direct high heat and a second zone of indirect heat. If using a gas grill, begin preheating at least 15 minutes before grilling. If using charcoal, light the charcoal at least 30 minutes prior to grilling. (To learn more about zone grilling, be sure to check out this post.) This is also a great time to mix up the buffalo sauce – simply add the Frank’s RedHot Original, melted butter, garlic powder, and smoked paprika to a small bowl and mix to combine well.
- Grill the wings with indirect heat: Once the grill is hot, place the brined chicken wings on the indirect side of the grill, shaking off and discarding any excess beer brine. Arrange the wings as close to the fire as possible without being over the direct heat. Close the grill lid and cook the wings with indirect heat for 7-10 minutes. Flip the wings, rearranging them so the wings furthest from the direct heat source in the first half of the cook are closest to the heat during the second half, and vice versa. Close the grill lid and cook the wings with indirect heat for 7-10 minutes more. If your wing sections are smaller, they’ll grill up in closer to 7 minutes per side, if larger it’ll take closer to 10 minutes per side – the goal is to cook the wings almost entirely with indirect heat.
- Char the wings over direct heat: Arrange the cooked wings over the direct heat to finish them off with a good crispy char, about 2 minutes per side or until as charred as desired, carefully brushing with the prepared buffalo sauce as they cook.
- Serve: Transfer the grilled buffalo wings to a serving platter, drizzling any remaining buffalo sauce over top. As desired, finish with freshly snipped chives or green onions and crumbled blue cheese. Serve immediately with blue cheese dressing or ranch dressing. Enjoy!
Notes
- Ingredient Notes:
- Beer: Even if you don’t love the flavor of beer or you’re not typically a beer drinker (I am not!), a beer brine adds rich, earthy flavor to chicken that’s pretty hard to beat. I’ve tested these grilled wings using all kinds of beer. Any beer works well, but for the best results, use a big and/or hoppy beer such as an IPA, porter, or stout. If you’d prefer not to use beer, buttermilk is an awesome alternative – it makes the chicken extra juicy and tender. If you do not have buttermilk on hand, you can quickly DIY it by adding 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup of milk. You’ll need 2 cups of buttermilk for this grilled chicken wing brine.
- Go-to grilled chicken wing dip – herby yogurt ranch: To a small bowl, add 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (whole milk or 2% is best), 1 finely chopped clove of garlic, 3-4 tablespoons finely chopped chives or green onions, 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill, 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Mix to combine well, drizzling in a few tablespoons of water as needed to reach desired consistency.
- 10-Minute Meal Prep: Nearly all of the active prep work for these grilled chicken wings come from brining the wings. Up to 3 days before you’d like to grill the wings, brine the chicken wings in beer according to Step 1 of Recipe Directions, above. At dinnertime, all you have to do is fire up the grill – easy! (<10 minutes active prep)
Recipe, Food Styling, & Hero Shots by Jess Larson, Plays Well With Butter | Process Photography by Rachel Cook, Half Acre House.
Excellent! Best recipe I’ve found yet!!!
Thank you so much, Carol! So happy to hear that!
I’ve struggled with grilling wings that were dry, or undercooked, or with skin that just wouldn’t crisp up. But these turned out really great! Thanks so much for the detailed 2-zone method instructions, it was perfect! And the brine…I was so surprised how moist these were. The only thing that didn’t work for me was the buffalo sauce. We thought it was very salty so we used a different sauce to baste and serve. But overall, these grilled wings are awesome!
So glad you loved the wings, Kelly!! 🙂
My family thought these were the best wings they have ever had. I would also agree! I feel brining is the key. This is now a requested meal. Thank you for sharing!
Hi Michele! Thanks so much for leaving a comment – we are so glad to hear that you & your family loved these wings! 🙂
Wow, these were the best wings I have ever made or tasted. I can’t believe the difference in the brining and the zone cooking. Thanks you so much for this wonderful recipe. Hubby loves wings and also said they were the best. He had his doubts with the brining. All I had was Guinness stout so used that and they were delish!
Hi Carol! Thanks so much for dropping a comment, we are SO glad you enjoyed & hope you’ll keep coming back to them all summer long! If you enjoy Mediterranean flavors try these Lemony Greek Grilled Chicken Wings next! 🙂
I was stunned…STUNNED…at how good these wings were. In my opinion, better than fried wings (I know, but trust me). Easily the best wings we’ve ever made at home. We will be grilling wings all summer long for sure!
Thanks so much, Caitlin! We are so so glad you loved them as much as we do! Check out our Lemony Greek WingsLemony Grilled Greek Chicken Wings with Whipped Feta Dip next! 🙂
This are SO tasty and SO easy to make! Will definitely be making these again!
A total fave here, too! So glad to hear you enjoyed!
These were so.good. o.m.g. Jesse. The grilled flavor came through so perfectly due to your technique, and the brine gave the chicken itself such amazing flavor. Perfect for a Memorial Day cookout and will be easy enough to put together for a fun weeknight supper too. Thank you for sharing!
I used a dry rub instead of the brine (personal preference,) but followed your cooking times on my Weber kettle grill. Your indirect-then-direct method worked perfectly with charcoal, too. The wings were right around 165 degrees after the total cook time, and were super moist inside. Most other grill recipes I’ve seen call for longer cook times, but the wings dry out if cooked much longer.
I’m bookmarking this page as the best method.
Oh, I did still have the beer – with the meal!
Hi Mitch! So glad that this method worked out great for you, we swear by it for juicy wings! Thanks so much for sharing & glad you were still able to enjoy a beer with your grilled wings!
I thought these were amazing and the brine was well worth it! I do not understand the salt comment… they were not salty at all. ALL of my guests commented on how they loved the wings.
SO glad to hear it, Debra! Yes, the brine makes a world of difference. So glad you & your friends enjoyed – thanks for dropping a comment! Jess
These look amazing. I am hoping to grill these up this weekend. We love buffalo, but my kids love lemon pepper. Have you ever tried with any other seasonings? Or any recommendations?
Hey Anna! Sorry I’m just seeing your comment…Yes, lemon pepper would be awesome too! Let me know if you end up trying! Jess
it is very delicious and full of nutrition and good for health thanks for share it
Glad you enjoyed!
This is THE BEST wing recipe ever! I used this recipe the first time I ever tried grilling and these wings came out incredibly juicy and flavorful. Brining in beer and zone grilling is the way to go! I’ll never make wings any other way.
YAY, ANNA! Thank you for leaving a comment – so glad you love these wings as much as we do!
These wings are seriously the best. The beer brine makes it so juicy and flavorful. I’ve made it twice now and the directions are clear so I can execute perfectly cooked chicken. And that char! A+ !
Hi Stacey! We are SO glad to hear it, the beer brine definitely makes all the difference! If you loved this recipe stay tuned for even more grilled goodness this Spring & Summer when we kick off our 3rd Annual PWWB Grilling Series next week!
You used an Furious IPA for the wings and have a PBR to drink in the picture with the final product? Child please
Sure did, Bud. Thanks for your condescension. Hope it made you feel better.
These were INCREDIBLE and I felt like a rockstar for grilling these on my own! Thanks for the inspiration, Jess!
Hey Lauren! We are so glad to hear that you enjoyed these wings!! We love how simple it is to make restaurant-quality wings at home & feel so fortunate to be a part of your grilling journey!!
I just tried this, super salty. I do not recommend.
Hey Fernando! Sorry to hear that. The salt is used in the brine & is meant to draw out moisture to be replaced with the beer – keeping the wings nice & juicy when grilled! Anyways, to each, their own!
Do you think taking a meat tenderizer to the wings will help crisp the skin? So more fat gets out during cooking?
Hi Peter! We have not tested using a meat tenderizer, instead we opt to rely on the 2-zone grilling method to get these grilled wings deliciously charred & crispy!
I grilled these up for Fourth of July. It was about 300 degrees outside in front of that grill under the beating sun but soooo worth it!! Once plated everyone shouted “you cooked too many” and then they ate them all. So juicy, so tasty, so easy! Awesome
Haha thank you for sharing, Judy! You can never have TOO many wings 😉 – so glad to hear that everyone loved them!
These were so good!! We doubled the recipe and are still fighting over the leftovers! Best chicken I’ve ever had 🙂
Haley! Yes, these can definitely be hard to share 😉 so glad you enjoyed!
Simply amazing! Best wings ever.
So glad you love them, Daryl! They’re a fave at our house too!!! xx
Just finished eating these and omg!!!! Thank you! I’ve never brined in beer and I could totally tell the difference. Soooo juicy! I didn’t use traditional wing sauce though. I used Buffalo Wild Wings Asian zing and it was amazing!
I’m crazy picky about chicken wings. Mostly, crazy picky about texture. And this recipe gives the most perfectly charred/juicy wing! I was a bit nervous about the brine because I’m not a beer drinker but, trust me, nothing tops that flavor.
Yesssss!!! I’m so glad you love these wings as much as we do, Maria! Agree about the beer – I’m not a huge beer lover myself, but it sort of just adds some delicious funky umami that pairs really well with the buffalo sauce. Thanks for commenting!!!
I just made these and they are amazing! I only brined a couple of hours. Way better than a store bought sauce. I will be adding this to my recipe book. Thanks for sharing!
You don’t mention when and how to put the hot sauce on.
I considered myself an expert at wings but always looking for other ideas. For fun, why don’t you explain when and how you sauce these up”
Thanks
Joe
hey joe! i like to brush the wings with sauce as they grill up – it creates that addictive crispy sauced-up crust that you crave when you think of grilled wings. i give the full run down in the recipe card – check out Steps 3-4!
Love wings
what’s not to love, right??
These look absolutely amazing! I think grilled wings aren’t given as much credit as they deserve. Thanks for sharing!
thanks, mckenzie! grilled wings are the best!!!
Wow, these look excellent! I’m a big fan of the Daytona wings from Hooters and these look way better! Thanks for sharing.
thanks aaron! i’ve never had those wings, but i have had many, many grilled wings and these are top-notch for sure. let me know if you give them a try! xx
I am SO EXCITED to try this recipe out!! John + I are obsessed with buffalo wings and I can’t wait to try out grilled wings at home on our new grill versus going to a restaurant.
omg katie — you + john are going to LOVE these. they honestly could not be easier. beer brine + HIGH indirect heat. you’re going to almost think it’s too hot – but it’s NOT! just be patient. they’re so good – let me know how it goes!!! xx
Pat has been asking for wings and I’M FINALLY GONNA DO IT. These look bananas. And your Thursday night sounds purrrrfect.
ellie, that makes me SO happy!!! let me know how it goes…i have a feeling pat’s gonna LOVE them. xx