Grilled Chicken Wings are the best chicken wings ever! The smoky flavor from the grill is totally crave-worthy. Whether you eat them hot off the grill or dipped in one of my three favorite chicken wing sauces, you will love them.

A grilled chicken wing being dipped into sauce.

Is there anything better than digging into a plate of deliciously messy chicken wings with a few good friends? There is one thing … making those chicken wings in the height of summer, OUTSIDE on your bbq, and washing them down with a fizzy lime margarita.

Why you want to make these grilled chicken wings all summer long

  • Cooking the wings on your BBQ not only keeps the heat out of your kitchen, but it also gives the wings the best smoky flavor.
  • The crispy charred bits on the wings are out of this world amazing.
  • Delicious served hot off the grill OR tossed in one of my 3 favorite chicken wing sauces. So many options!
  • The three chicken wing sauces are all refined sugar-free and can easily be made gluten-free and paleo.
  • These grilled wings are so easy to make that you're going to want to put them on the regular dinner, snack, appetizer rotation.
grilled chicken wings on the bbq

How to grill chicken wings

Lucky for us, it's super easy to make grilled wings! Here's how you're going to do it:

  1. Toss the wings in some basic spices then put them on your BBQ.
  2. Let them cook for 20 minutes, turning them a few times.

That's it! Wasn't that ridiculously easy?

You can either eat them as is or toss them in one of my three favorite sauces. Or try them all!

How long to grill chicken wings

Chicken wings (or wingettes or drumettes) don't take long to grill. They will be ready to eat in 20 minutes if cooked on medium-high heat.

Make sure to turn them over every 5 minutes to ensure they are evenly cooked and not too charred.

Chicken wing marinade for grilling

For BBQ chicken wings, I recommend using a spice rub rather than a marinade. This is because the sugars in most marinades will burn on the grill before the chicken is fully cooked. It is best to toss the grilled wings in sauce AFTER they are cooked, not before.

The spice rub I use in this grilled chicken wings recipe uses pantry staple spices:

  • Garlic powder
  • Onion powder
  • Paprika
  • Salt
  • Pepper

It's a similar spice rub to the one I use on the popular Juicy Grilled Pork Chops and Best Grilled Chicken Breasts recipes.

BBQ chicken wings hot off the grill.

What to serve with these grilled wings

If I'm serving these for dinner, I like to keep the sides light. Here are a few of my favorites:

If I'm serving these as an appetizer, I'll serve a few others at the same time.

A closeup of the grilled wings.

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Favorite Chicken Wings Recipes

A grilled chicken wing being dipped into sauce.

Grilled Chicken Wings

Yield: 4 dinner portions or 12 appetizer portions
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 25 mins
Grilled Chicken Wings are the best chicken wings ever! The smoky flavor from the grill is totally crave-worthy. Whether you eat them hot off the grill or dipped in one of my three favorite chicken wing sauces, you will love them.

If you love this recipe as much as we do, let us know with a 5-star rating!

4.98 stars (34 ratings)
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Ingredients

Grilled Chicken Wings

  • 3 lbs. chicken wings, drummets, wingettes, or a combination
  • 1 tablespoon each: garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika
  • 1 teaspoon each: salt and pepper
  • Optional garnishes: minced cilantro, chopped chives, or sesame seeds

Honey Garlic Sauce

  • ⅔ cup honey
  • ¼ cup soy sauce, gluten-free, if needed. coco aminos for paleo
  • 2 tablespoon finely grated ginger
  • 4 large garlic cloves, very finely minced
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Buffalo Sauce

  • ½ cup butter
  • ½ cup hot sauce, such as Frank's or Cholula

BBQ Bourbon Sauce

Instructions 

  • Preheat your BBQ to medium-high heat and oil your grill. Or use a grill mat, if you have one.
  • Place the chicken wings in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle the spices over the chicken wings and toss until they are evenly coated.
    3 lbs. chicken wings, 1 tablespoon each: garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika, 1 teaspoon each: salt and pepper
  • Put the chicken wings on the BBQ and close the lid. After 5 mintues, turn the wings over. Repeat turning over the wings 2 more times. They will cook for 20 minutes total. 
  • Once they are cooked, serve them on their own or toss them in one of the 3 sauces.
    Optional garnishes: minced cilantro, chopped chives, or sesame seeds

Make the sauces

  • All of the sauces are made the same way. Add the ingredients for the sauce you want to make to a small pot. Bring it to a boil over high heat then reduce the heat to medium-high and continue to boil for 3 minutes. The sauces will all thicken a little as they cool.

Notes

For Whole30 chicken wings make sure not to toss them in any of the sauces. They are delicious hot off the grill!
Serving: 1 dinner sized portion with none of the optional sauces (¼ of the recipe), Calories: 773kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 63g, Fat: 55g, Saturated Fat: 15g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g, Monounsaturated Fat: 22g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 262mg, Sodium: 833mg, Potassium: 612mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 1362IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 53mg, Iron: 4mg
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A grilled chicken wing being dipped into sticky sauce with the recipe title at the top of the picture.