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Grilled Chicken Wings with Seasoned Buffalo Sauce

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By Jenn Segal
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I love the flavor and ease of cooking chicken wings on the grill. They are truly no fuss, no muss and finger lickin’ good!

grilled buffalo wings

Classic Buffalo chicken wings are fried but I love the flavor and ease of cooking them on the grill. They are truly no fuss, no muss and finger-lickin’ good! The key is to cook them over a moderate flame so that the fat renders out and the skin gets nice and crispy. You can serve them plain — they are perfectly delicious as is — but the seasoned Buffalo sauce takes them over the top. The sauce is mild enough for most kids. As you can see, my son and his friends polished off an entire 3-pound test batch in about ten minutes!

Collage of boys eating chicken wings.

What you’ll need to make Grilled Chicken Wings with Buffalo Sauce

You can buy chicken wings already cut up or whole. If you buy them whole, the wings will consist of three parts: the drum, the flat/double-boned “wing” part, and the tip. To cut up a whole wing, start by cutting off the tip (which you can either discard or save for stock), then cut between the drum and the wing part. Try to cut the sections apart at the joints, where the cartilage is softer than solid bone. It’s easy once you get the hang of it.

Wing ingredients including Frank\'s Red Hot, chili powder, and onion powder.

Step-by-step instructions

Begin by seasoning the wings with salt and pepper.

Seasoned wings on a plate.

Grill the wings over moderate heat, turning frequently, until golden. You don’t want the wings to char at all, so keep a close eye on the flame.

Seasoned wings on the grill.

Meanwhile, make the sauce by melting the butter with the garlic in the microwave. Stir in the hot sauce and spices and set aside.

Collage of creating buffalo sauce.

When the wings are done, dip them in the sauce. (Alternatively, you can serve the wings plain with the sauce on the side).

Wings in a bowl of buffalo sauce.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Plate of grilled chicken wings with seasoned buffalo sauce.

Note: I like Frank’s Hot Sauce for this recipe because it’s pretty mild. For spicier wings, use a hotter sauce.

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Grilled Chicken Wings with Seasoned Buffalo Sauce

By Jenn Segal

I love the flavor and ease of cooking chicken wings on the grill. They are truly no fuss, no muss and finger lickin’ good!

Servings: 4-6 as an appetizer
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Total Time: 25 Minutes

Ingredients

For the Wings

  • 3 pounds chicken wings (if whole, cut into sections; discard the wing tips or save for stock)
  • 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • Vegetable oil, for grill

For the Seasoned Buffalo Sauce

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons Frank's Red Hot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce (or similar brand)
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder
  • ¾ teaspoon sugar

Instructions

  1. Heat the grill to medium-high. Season the wings with salt and pepper.
  2. Using grill tongs, dip a wad of paper towels in oil, then carefully rub the grill grate until glossy and coated. Grill the wings, covered, flipping occasionally, until they are golden brown, crispy and completely cooked through, about 20 minutes. Keep a close eye on the grill: if there are flare-ups or the wings begin to burn, move the wings to a cooler part of the grill or reduce the heat. You don't want grill marks on the wings; just a nice and even golden-brown color.
  3. While the wings are cooking, make the sauce. Combine the butter and garlic in a microwave-safe bowl. Cook for about one minute in the microwave until the butter is melted. Stir in the hot sauce, salt, onion powder, chili powder and sugar. Set aside.
  4. Dip the cooked wings in the sauce and serve immediately. Alternatively, serve the wings plain with the sauce on the side.

Pair with

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • Per serving (6 servings)
  • Calories: 627
  • Fat: 49g
  • Saturated fat: 18g
  • Carbohydrates: 4g
  • Sugar: 1g
  • Fiber: 2g
  • Protein: 42g
  • Sodium: 851mg
  • Cholesterol: 205mg
Nutritional Data Disclaimer

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

Gluten-Free Adaptable Note

To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.

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Comments

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  • Can I make the sauce ahead of time when I go camping? Best wings ever!!!!!

    • Hi Diane, Sure, it may solidify or separate depending on how you store it, but you should be able to warm it up/whisk it back to together before serving.

  • Excited to make these! Do you have a suggestion for a blue cheese dipping sauce to go with these?

    • Hi Selina, I’m not a big fan of blue cheese so I don’t have a recipe of my own — sorry! This one looks good and gets good ratings (please keep in mind I haven’t tried it myself).

    • Quick and easy and so yummy. Had no onion powder or chili powder but it was still amazing. Wings were perfectly crispy and caramelized with the sauce. What a great way to celebrate national wing day

  • My husband said these were the best wings he ever had. He did Intentionally get a slight bit of grill mark in certain places and for our taste that adds to the flavor but the wings remained tender and moist inside. Definitely will make them again. We served them with blue cheese dressing as a dip. Thanks for your recipe!

  • Hi ! Can you use this for your buffalo chicken dip ? or would you just stick to the Frank’s for the buffalo dip ? Thank you !

    • Hi Kelly, I’d stick with Franks as this has a lot of butter in it (and that dip already has quite a bit of fat in it).

  • These are awesome! I loved everything about them. Hubby couldn’t stop eating them. This totally elevates the old butter & Frank’s sauce. Will be making these often. Thanks Jenn!

    • I followed the instructions exactly as described. The wings were excellent. For the wing sauce, I used Frank’s Xtra Hot sauce, and perhaps because of this, the water-soluble parts of the sauce didn’t mix well with the butter. After fussing unsuccessful to get them to blend, I added 3/4 tsp of cornstarch, stirred it in well, then added 2 tbsp hot water. This immediately homogenized it, but retained a light consistency. The flavor is great!

  • This is my new go-to recipe for wings! They are delicious. I cannot say enough fabulous things about them.

  • Absolutely love love love!

    First time using a recipe and I actually used a smoker for the first time today as well.

    So following the directions outlined the sauce was just amazing, I happened to use a little more Franks Red Hot Sauce, but to each their own. OMG!! Delish!!

    So I used a smoker and at about 275 heat for about 15 -20 min.
    Then threw those babies on the propane grill over medium-high heat for about 8 – 10 min, just to give the grill taste! about 4-5 min each side.

    Took off the grill, mixed with sauce! Holy moly! Thank you Jenn Segal!!!!!

    Will recommend this recipe for anyone who loves chicken wings and thats that!

  • I don’t often write reviews but this was a HUGE hit with my family. My husband said it was better than he had in restaurants and my boys could not stop eating them. Thank you!!!

  • Making this recipe for the 2nd time today. A few, standout things I really like about this wing recipe: 1) the wings are grilled, and the flavor of grilled wings can not be beat; and, 2) the sauce is not simply Franks and butter. The added seasoning take this sauce to the next level!

    The only tweak to this recipe I made both times is to serve the sauce on the side, so people can spoon it over their wings, giving them the option of how much (or little) to add.

    Thanks Jenn!!!

  • I have never made wings with buffalo sauce and am trying for the first time tonight. However, I only have Frank’s Buffalo Sauce rather than original. Would you recommend I still season it as instructed for the Original hot sauce or just use as is and only use your recipe to grill the chicken?

    • Hi Janet, I’ve never tried that version so it’s hard to say. I’d make it without the spices and add them to taste, if necessary. Hope you enjoy!

      • Thank you Jenn! The grilled chicken wings were a hit but they would be more delicious with your sauce! love your recipes as always.

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