Crispy Grilled Chicken Wings
Chicken wings on the grill should have shatteringly crispy skin, juicy meat all the way to the bone, and enough char to remind you that fire did the work. The secret isn't a special sauce — it's technique. Dry the wings properly, manage your heat zones, and finish them right and you'll never want them any other way.
What you'll need
- 1.5kg chicken wings, separated into drumettes and flats
- 1 tbsp baking powder (not baking soda — this is the crispy skin secret)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- Black pepper to taste
- Your choice of sauce — buffalo, honey soy, or BBQ glaze
The crispy skin secret
Pat the wings completely dry with paper towels — moisture is the enemy of crispy skin. Once dry, toss them in the baking powder and salt mixture. The baking powder raises the pH of the skin surface and helps it dehydrate further during cooking, resulting in skin that crisps up dramatically better than wings without it.
Place the coated wings on a wire rack over a tray and refrigerate uncovered for at least 1 hour — overnight is even better. This drying step in the fridge is what separates truly crispy wings from average ones.
Pitmaster tip
The baking powder trick only works if the wings are genuinely dry before coating. Don't skip the paper towel step and don't let them sit in any marinade beforehand — wet wings steam instead of crisp on the grill.
Setting up your grill
Set up a two-zone fire — high direct heat on one side, no heat on the other. You want the grill running at around 200–220°C (400–425°F). The indirect zone is where the wings will spend most of their time; the direct zone is for crisping the skin at the end.
Oil your grates well before the wings go on — chicken skin sticks aggressively to a dry grate. Brush with a high smoke point oil like vegetable or avocado oil.
On the grill
Place the wings over the indirect heat zone, skin side up. Close the lid and cook for 20–25 minutes, turning once halfway. The wings should be cooked through and the skin starting to render and tighten.
Move the wings over direct heat for the final 5–8 minutes, turning every 60–90 seconds. Watch them closely — the rendered fat will cause flare-ups. Keep the lid open during this stage and be ready to move them if flames get too aggressive. You're looking for deep golden, blistered, crackling skin with some char on the edges.
Pitmaster tip
Internal temperature should reach 74°C (165°F) but wings are forgiving — they're actually better at 80–85°C (175–185°F) where the connective tissue has fully broken down and the meat pulls cleanly from the bone.
Saucing
If you're saucing the wings, do it in the last 2 minutes over direct heat. Toss them in sauce off the grill first, then return them briefly to caramelise the glaze. Saucing too early burns the sugars and makes the skin go soggy — always sauce at the very end.
For buffalo wings, toss immediately off the grill in melted butter and hot sauce. Serve straight away — wings wait for no one.