Chicken Wings: A Game Day Staple
Chicken wings are a beloved dish, perfect for any occasion, from game nights to backyard cookouts. Whether you like them grilled, fried, smoky, or saucy, these eight mouthwatering recipes will satisfy every wing lover. Featuring bold flavors like curried lime cilantro, sticky whiskey maple, and sweet heat, there’s something for everyone to enjoy!
What Is The Recommended Serving Of Chicken Wings For Adults?
Chicken wings are sold in one of two different ways. They may be full wings, with three sections, called the “wingette,” “drumette,” and the tip. Or they may be “party wings,” which have the tips removed and the wingette and drumette separated into two different sections.
If served as an entree, the recommended serving size of full chicken wings is about 4-5 wings per adult, or about 1 pound per person. If you’re serving party wings, this will be 6-10 wing portions per adult.
Curried Lime Cilantro Wings
Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 15–18 minutes Serves: 4–5
1–2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons lime or lemon zest or 3 stalks lemongrass
1 cup cilantro sprigs
8 garlic cloves, peeled
½ tablespoon turmeric
½ tablespoon sea salt
½ tablespoon pepper, or to taste
10–12 chicken wings, approximately 1.5 pounds (for 2 pounds, double the marinade ingredients)
Combine the olive oil, lemongrass or zest (remove the outer layers of the lemongrass and chop before putting into the food processor), cilantro, garlic, turmeric, sea salt, and pepper in the food processor and pulse until uniformly mixed—you are looking to make a seasoning “paste.”
Reserve about 2 tablespoons to drizzle before serving. In the remainder, marinate the chicken wings for 30 minutes before putting on the grill.
Prepare your grill at 400°F.
Grill your wings, turning halfway during the process, for approximately 15–18 minutes OR until the internal temperature has reached 170°. Pull the wings off the grill.
Drizzle with the remaining marinade. Add a few sprigs of cilantro for extra color, and serve.
Smoke-Fried Wings
Time: 75 minutes Serves: 2–3
2 pounds chicken wings, both drums and flats
¼ cup olive oil
½ cup Favorite Unkie’s Seasoning Blend
3 cups vegetable oil (or enough to fill a Dutch oven about 1-inch deep)
1 cup buffalo wing sauce (or an easy homemade version is 2 parts Frank’s Red Hot Sauce and 1 part melted butter) or sauce of your choice
Preheat your pellet grill to 225°F and turn on the Super Smoke feature if your grill has it.
In a large bowl, toss the chicken wings with olive oil until evenly coated. Sprinkle generously with the rub, being sure to cover all the sides thoroughly.
While the grill heats up, let the chicken wings sit with the seasoning for about 15 minutes. This allows the flavors to start to work their way into the meat. Then cook them in the hot grill for about 45 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 140°F.
Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, heat the vegetable oil on the stove over medium-high heat until it reaches 350°F.
Remove the chicken from the grill, tent with foil, and increase the grill temperature to 450°F. Very carefully transfer the Dutch oven with the hot oil to the grill.
Pour the buffalo wing sauce into a grill-proof saucepan or bowl and place on the grill to allow it to heat up while you fry the wings.
Fry the wings in the Dutch oven in small batches for 3–5 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 175°F, which makes for a crispy skin and excellent bite. Remove them from the oil, drain briefly on paper towels, and transfer to a large bowl.
Toss the wings with the warmed sauce. Serve with blue cheese dressing, ranch, and your favorite veggies.
Peanut Butter and Jelly Wings
Serves: 4–6
2 pounds chicken wings
kosher salt
4 tablespoons strawberry jelly
2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
1 teaspoon sriracha
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 teaspoons paprika
2 tablespoons chopped peanuts
Put the chicken wings in a large, resealable plastic bag and season well with salt.
In a bowl, mix together the jelly and peanut butter. Add the sriracha, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar and paprika, and mix thoroughly. Pour the marinade into the bag, and massage the bag gently to distribute the marinade over all the chicken wings. Place the bag in the fridge to marinate for at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight.
Heat a grill to medium. Place the wings on the grill and cook, turning them every 2–3 minutes. This should allow the color to develop without burning before the chicken is cooked all the way through. Continue to turn the wings until they are nicely browned with charred areas.
Place on a tray to cool slightly. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts for a textural garnish.
Sticky Whiskey Maple Wings
Serves: 4, as appetizer
1 ½ pounds chicken wings
2 cups vegetable or peanut oil, for frying
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon Unkie’s Chipotle Seasoning
jalapeno slices, to garnish
Whiskey Maple Glaze:
1 cup Favorite Whiskey BBQ sauce
1 tablespoon maple syrup
¼ cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons water, to thin as needed
Heat the oil in a large pot and allow it to reach 375 degrees. Use a thermometer to guarantee even cooking.
Mix the flour, salt and Unkie’s Chipotle in a medium bowl.
Dredge the wings in the flour mixture.
Lightly drop each wing into the hot oil and cook for about 15 minutes, or until wings look nicely browned and crisped. Doing this in batches is recommended, so the oil can retain even heat.
While the wings are cooking, combine the brown sugar, maple syrup, black pepper and Maple Whiskey BBQ sauce in a medium-size saucepan. Allow the mixture to reduce significantly, until it has a sticky, but not dry consistency. If it is reducing too quickly, add some water to thin it out.
Add the wings into the reduced sauce mixture and coat thoroughly.
Top with jalapeno slices. Enjoy with blue cheese or ranch dressing or even more barbecue sauce.
Chimichurri Wings
Serves: 4, as appetizer
½ cup hot sauce
½ cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
4 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 cup tightly packed fresh parsley, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons dried oregano
3–4 pounds chicken wings
Combine hot sauce, barbecue sauce olive oil, soy sauce, vinegar, parsley, garlic and oregano in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until pureed and the mixture forms a thick sauce.
Marinate the chicken for at least two hours, or up to overnight, refrigerated.
Prepare a grill for direct cooking. For a charcoal grill, when the coals are ash-covered, rake or spread them out in the bottom of the grill so the wings can cook directly over the coals. (For a gas grill, fire up the burners so the wings can cook directly over the heat.)
Remove the wings from the marinade and discard the marinade. Grill the wings over direct medium heat, until the wings are brown on the outside and the meat is opaque, about 20 minutes total cooking time, flipping them over once or twice during cooking. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Grilled Chicken Wings
Makes: 2-dozen wings
½ cup salt
2 pounds chicken wings
1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon pepper
Dissolve salt in 2 quarts cold water in large container. Prick chicken wings all over with fork. Submerge chicken in brine, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Combine cornstarch and pepper in bowl. Remove chicken from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Transfer wings to large bowl and sprinkle with cornstarch mixture, tossing until evenly coated.
For a charcoal grill: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter half filled with charcoal briquettes (3 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.
For a gas grill: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Turn all burners to medium-low.
Clean and oil cooking grate. Grill wings (covered if using gas), thicker skin side up, until browned on bottom, 12 to 15 minutes. Flip chicken and grill until skin is crisp and lightly charred and meat registers 180°F, about 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to platter, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve.
VARIATIONS:
Grilled Cajun Chicken Wings:
Add 1 tbsp of Unkie’s Coastal Cajun to cornstarch mixture in step 2.
(Unkie’s Chipotle & Elizabeth’s Salt are a great choice for Wings.)
Grilled BBQ Chicken Wings:
Reduce pepper to 1/2 teaspoon. Add 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano and 1/2 teaspoon sugar to cornstarch mixture in step 2.
Grilled Tandoori Chicken Wings:
Reduce pepper to 1/2 teaspoon. Add 1 teaspoon garam masala, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper to cornstarch mixture in step 2.
One-Pot Sticky Chicken Wings
Total Time: 40 minutes Serves: 6
3 pounds chicken wings
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
4 small dried red chiles
2 whole star anise
1 3-inch cinnamon stick
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup sake
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
3 tablespoons mirin
3 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup water
2 scallions, thinly sliced
lime wedges for serving
In a very large nonstick skillet (or in batches), cook the chicken wings over moderate heat, turning once, until golden, about 8 minutes. Add the ginger, chiles, star anise and cinnamon, and cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the soy sauce, sake, oyster sauce, mirin, sugar and 1/3 cup of water and bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Uncover and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until the wings are cooked through and the sauce has reduced to a thick glaze, about 8 minutes. Discard the chiles, star anise and cinnamon. Transfer the chicken wings to a platter, scatter the scallions on top.
Serve with lime wedges.
Sweet Heat Chicken Wings
Total Time: 40 minutes Serves: 6
1 cup favorite barbecue sauce
1/2 stick of butter melted
1/4 cup of honey
1/4 cup habanero hot sauce
Favorite Unkie’s Seasoning
Sprinkle Unkie’s Seasoning on chicken wings and place in plastic zip bag for 1 hour. Heat grill. In a small bowl combine barbecue sauce, melted butter, honey and hot sauce. Place wings on hot grill and cook for 10–12 minutes. Start basting wings with sauce mixture, turning frequently until chicken is cooked through.
Storage & Reheating
- Store leftover wings in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat in an air fryer or oven at 350°F for 5–7 minutes to retain crispiness.
Love these wings? Try them at your next gathering and let us know your favorite! Don’t forget to share this recipe with fellow wing lovers!