One of my favorite things to as a recipe creator is take inexpensive foods and elevate them to “Can I get this recipe?” status. Smoked Chicken Wings are a good example of this. Toss a package of cheap wings on a pellet grill or smoker and you end up with delicious little morsels that will disappear quickly!

Smoked Chicken Wings on a plate with a small bowl of BBQ sauce.

There’s nothing like Smoking Chicken Wings on the Pellet Grill!

Confession: I don’t actually like wings that much, but my family does. BUT I ate a half dozen of these in just a few minutes because they were so good.

You only need a couple of ingredients, too. Use any kind of steak seasoning you like and let the smoker do all the heavy lifting!

H3: What Sauce to Use with Smoked Chicken Wings?

As delicious as these are on their own, you could add a sauce if you prefer! BBQ sauce, wing sauce, bleu cheese or ranch dressing would all be tasty options.

Raw chicken wings in a clear bowl that have been tossed in oil and seasoning.

Smoked Wings Ingredients

Chicken wings — I like to use party wings which are chicken wings separated into a “flat” and a “drumette”.
Cooking oil — I like to use avocado oil because of its high smoke point.
Kosher salt — I like using Kosher salt when I season meat because it seasons it really well without being overly salty. If you use sea salt, reduce the amount by half. If your grill seasoning has a lot of salt you might not even need extra salt.
BBQ Grill Seasoning — You can use whatever kind you prefer. I like to use my Homemade Steak Seasoning as an all-purpose grill seasoning.
BBQ Sauce — Again, use whatever you like! If you’re wanting a low sugar option, I have a few BBQ Sauce recipes on my site that allow you to control the sugar content: Balsamic BBQ Sauce, Honey Ginger BBQ Sauce, and Raspberry Chipotle BBQ Sauce would all work well here.

How to Smoke Chicken Wings on Pellet Grill

Preheat your smoker.
Toss the wings in oil, BBQ seasoning, and salt.
Smoke for about an hour.
Toss them in a little BBQ sauce.
Finish them off under your oven broiler.
Serve!

What Sauce to Use with Smoked Chicken Wings?

As delicious as these are on their own, you could add a sauce if you prefer! BBQ sauce, wing sauce, bleu cheese or ranch dressing would all be tasty options.

How long to smoke Chicken Wings

I like to smoke mine for an hour at 275F. Its long enough to get a lot of smoke flavor into them and cook them well without drying them out.

Smoked chicken wings fresh off the grill in a bowl.

Freshly smoked wings that have been tossed in a little BBQ sauce.

Tips for Smoking Chicken Wings

Season the wings well. I use a combination of BBQ grill seasoning and Kosher salt to make sure they’re super flavorful.
Don’t smoke them too long. They won’t be as moist and the skin will get leathery.
Don’t put too much BBQ sauce on them or it’ll make the skin mushy and the sauce might burn under the broiler.
Don’t broil them for too long or the sauce will burn.
Eat them right away! They’re best right out of the oven as soon as they’ve cool enough to eat.

Smoked Wings Recipe Variations

Make them spicy: Use a seasoning and a BBQ sauce with a little kick to give it some heat.

Swap out the sauce: Use buffalo or another kind of cayenne pepper sauce to make buffalo wings.

Smoked chicken wings on a foil-lined pan ready to finish off under the oven broiler.

What to serve with Pellet Smoked Chicken Wings

Chicken wings are typically part of a party spread, but if you wanted to make these for a main dish, here are a few side dish ideas:

Cabbage Slaw With Cucumber Yogurt Dressing

Roasted Broccoli and Instant Pot Lemon Herb Rice

Instant Pot Potato Salad

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes or Cauliflower Puree

Southwestern Coleslaw

Storing the Best Smoked Chicken Wings

I highly recommend eating them all if you can since they’re best fresh out of the oven. If you have leftovers you’d like to store, just put them in an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Reheating Pellet Smoked Chicken Wings

I recommend putting the wings on a sheet pan and warming them in a 375F oven to reheat them. It should only take 10 minutes or so. You could also reheat them in an airfryer or a toaster oven.

I don’t recommend using your microwave unless you like rubbery chicken skin.

A plate of smoked chicken wings with a small bowl of BBQ sauce.

Smoked Chicken Wings Recipe FAQs

How do you get crispy skin when smoking wings?

I coat my wings with a little oil along with the seasoning to help the skin get crispier. Finishing them off under the oven broiler helps too.

Why are my Smoked Wings rubbery?

Chances are you cooked them at a temperature that was too low to crisp the skin. I recommend 275F or up to 325F if you’re in a hurry.

Should you flip wings when smoking?

You don’t need to, but you can if you can’t help it.

Can you overcook smoked wings?

Yes. I actually did this. If you leave them in the smoker too long the skin gets leathery and the meat isn’t as moist.

What kind of pellets are good with chicken wings?

I like to use apple, cherry, or hickory, but you can use any type of pellets you prefer.

A BBQ smoked chicken wing that has been pulled apart so you can see the moist pieces of meat inside and the crispy, caramelized skin.

More On Perry’s Plate

If you make one of my recipes, be sure to post it on social media and tag me at @perrysplate or #perrysplate so I can send you some love!

Smoked Chicken Wings Recipe

Yield: 30 pieces

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Throwing some chicken wings on your smoker or pellet grill is a great way to add even more flavor to an inexpensive party food! My version is super simple, super tasty, and you can use your favorite grill seasoning and BBQ sauce!

Ingredients

30 chicken wings (bone-in)
2 Tablespoons avocado oil or another heat-safe oil
2 Tablespoons BBQ seasoning (see note)
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 cup BBQ sauce

Instructions

Preheat your smoker or pellet grill to 275 deg and a high smoke setting (if you have the option.)
Put your chicken wings in a large bowl. Drizzle oil over them and sprinkle the BBQ seasoning and salt over the top. Use your hands to toss everything to coat the wings well.
Lay the seasoned wings directly on the grates of your smoker. Cover and cook for 45-60 minutes. Or until the chicken is 165F on the inside and the skin has started to crisp up a bit.
Meanwhile, prepare a large rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment and preheat your oven broiler.
Transfer the smoked wings to a clean bowl. Pour 1/2 cup BBQ sauce over the top and toss them to coat. Transfer them to the prepared baking sheet and put them on an upper oven rack under the broiler for about 2-3 minutes or until they crisp up a little. Watch them carefully -- don't leave them in too long or the BBQ sauce will burn.
Take them out of the oven and serve them immediately with the remaining BBQ sauce.

Notes

I like to use party wings which are chicken wings separated into a "flat" and a "drumette".
I like to use my Homemade Steak Seasoning as an all-purpose BBQ seasoning.
I have a few homemade BBQ sauce recipes on my site if you're looking for something with less sugar. Balsamic BBQ Sauce, Honey Ginger BBQ Sauce, and Raspberry Chipotle BBQ Sauce would all work well here.

Nutrition Information

Yield 6 Serving Size 5 wings
Amount Per Serving Calories 590Total Fat 40gSaturated Fat 12gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 24gCholesterol 112mgSodium 1318mgCarbohydrates 33gFiber 1gSugar 17gProtein 24g

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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