Grilled Chicken Wings with Seasoned Buffalo Sauce
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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!
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!
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.
Step-by-step instructions
Begin by seasoning the wings with salt and pepper.
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.
Meanwhile, make the sauce by melting the butter with the garlic in the microwave. Stir in the hot sauce and spices and set aside.
When the wings are done, dip them in the sauce. (Alternatively, you can serve the wings plain with the sauce on the side).
Serve immediately and enjoy!
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
I love the flavor and ease of cooking chicken wings on the grill. They are truly no fuss, no muss and finger lickin’ good!
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
- Heat the grill to medium-high. Season the wings with salt and pepper.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 627
- Fat: 49g
- Saturated fat: 18g
- Carbohydrates: 4g
- Sugar: 1g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 42g
- Sodium: 851mg
- Cholesterol: 205mg
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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Hi Jenn, I’m attempting to prep as much as possible the day before the Super Bowl. Can I make theBuffalo Sauce the day before?
Thx you.
Could I bake the wings in the oven with the sauce on the chicken to get it gooey and baked on the wings?
Hi Vanesa, were you planning to grill them first or just bake them? If you’re only baking them, you can do this, but they won’t get crispy at all.
Made these for the Super Bowl and my guests were raving!
My family loves these wings! They are in our regular rotation. Some of my kiddos eat it with the sauce, and some eat the wings without, so I serve it on the side. For my son with a dairy allergy, I make a batch of sauce substituting Earth balance soy free margarine for the butter, and it works like a charm. Another easy, flavorful, fantastic recipe, Jenn!
Would those bulk frozen 10lb. bag of wingettes from Costco/BJs/Sam’s Club work once defrosted? Some supermarkets have not had chicken wings lately, so looking into options. And if so, any changes in prep or cooking being that they may be frozen with salt? Thanks.
Hi Erika, I think they would work with no adjustments. Enjoy!
Seasoned my chicken differently but loved the sauce!
The sauce on this is so thin and buttery that it doesn’t stick to the wings like the picture shows. When I shopping for the Franks, they have a buffalo sauce. Would that be thicker than the cayenne sauce and then you can skip all the other spices and butter?
Hi JR, the buffalo sauce isn’t any thicker. Next time you make this, I’d let the sauce sit for a few minutes; it will thicken up a bit. Hope that helps!
This did the trick!! Made it for family and let everything cool first. Can’t eat any of it piping hot anyway so why not?
I did them in the oven both times for 40 min on 425 then 5 min broil on each.
Put it in a container and shook to coat. They raved it was restaurant good. 🙂 and baked at that! 👏🏼
Glad that resolved it and that you enjoyed them — thanks for the follow up! 🙂
These were the best wings – grilling over frying any day! The flavor was great for kids and adults. Next time we will try a hotter sauce, and also make the sauce ahead so it thickens up more. YUM!!!
Olive oil ok to use? Needs to be dairy free
Hi Sue, I don’t think the sauce would work well with olive oil. Instead, I’d suggest using this recipe. Because the wings are highly seasoned, you really don’t need a sauce. Hope you enjoy if you make them!
Jenn, when I click on the link for the alternative sauce it takes me to Chocolate Cupcakes!
Oh my gosh – that’s clearly a mistake! 🥴 I just fixed it.
This is the recipe I intended to link to. Hope you enjoy if you make them!
Country Crock has a plant butter that’s dairy free.
I made the recipe exactly as written and the wings came out perfectly with just the right amount of heat and flavor. I also made the wings again in the oven at 425 degrees for 45 minutes on a rack. These wings were crispier and just as delicious. This is now my go to wing recipe!
I made these with my Foods 10 students. It was a ’10/10 would make again’. Thanks for the great recipe!