“Grill Fried” Wings & 5 Sauces Recipe

Take an American classic dish outside to your charcoal grill! Perfect for game day, or any day, the ideal chicken wing has a crispy, crunchy skin and tender, juicy fall-off-the-bone meat. Sure, you can throw them in the fryer to get that result, but “frying” them on the grill gives you a chance to add an element of smoke flavor you just can’t get when cooking them inside.

This "grill fried" wings recipe is brought to you by Rus Jones from Smoky Ribs using our Slow 'N Sear® Kettle Grill with the Slow ‘N Sear® insert and Drip 'N Griddle Pan. Included are 5 dipping sauces so there's something for everyone! 

How to Prep Chicken Wings for the Grill 

We used 6 pounds of chicken wings separated into drums and flats, and discarded the wing tips.

Chicken Seasoning 

• 3 cups of all purpose flour
• 1 cup of cornstarch
• Cooking oil spray, such as canola or vegetable oil spray
• 3 tablespoons plain table salt, or 4 tablespoons of Kosher salt (use less if desired)
• 3 tablespoons of black pepper
• 2 to 3 tablespoons of garlic powder

Mix the flour and cornstarch well. Mix in salt, pepper and garlic powder. Coat the wing pieces well with the flour mixture. 

How to Cook Chicken Wings 

Grill Temperature 

Place the wings on the indirect side of the grill when the grill temperature is at 350°F to 375°F. Put the lid on the grill and check it often to see if you need to turn, flip or move the chicken pieces around so they brown evenly. Once they begin to brown and the surface begins to dry out a bit, spray with cooking oil and continue to cook until nice golden brown. Then turn and repeat for the other side.

Chicken Internal Temperature 

Remove the wings when the internal temperature is around 185°F to 190°F.

Serve with sauces of your choice.

Chicken Wing Sauce Recipes 

Buffalo Wing Sauce

• 1 cup of Frank’s Red Hot sauce
• 2 sticks of butter, sliced into slices
• 1/4 teaspoon of Xanthan Gum

Cut butter into slices, pour hot sauce into a small pot and heat on a medium to low heat. As hot sauce begins to heat up, start mixing in the butter slices until all the butter is melted and completely incorporated into the hot sauce. Pour this butter and hot sauce mixture into a blender and turn on. Now add in Xanthan Gum. Blend until fully incorporated. Can be used right away.

Blackened Ranch Sauce

• 1 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
• 1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 2 teaspoons fresh diced chives
• 1 tablespoons of fresh minced Italian parsley
• 3 to 4 drops of Worcestershire sauce
• 1.5 tablespoons of blackening seasoning or Cajun seasoning

Mix all ingredients well. Cover and place into the refrigerator for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

Blue Cheese Sauce

• 1 cup of mayonnaise
• 1 cup of sour cream
• 3/4 cup of buttermilk
• 3 to 4 cloves of finely minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon of dry mustard powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
• 8 ounces of blue cheese crumbles

Mix well, and place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

Honey Mustard Sauce

• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoons of white vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoons of black pepper
• Salt to taste
• 1 dash of hot sauce

Whisk until smooth and chill for 2 hours

Greek Tzatziki Sauce

• 1 large English cucumber
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoons of salt
• 2 cups of Greek yogurt
• Juice from 1/4 of a lemon
• 2 tablespoons of fresh dill
• Salt and pepper to taste

Peel cucumber, then grate with a box grater. Place grated cucumber into a bowl, and mix in 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Allow 30 minutes for the salt to pull out the water from the cucumber. Place grated cucumber into cheesecloth and bundle it up. Squeeze out as much water as you can, now put grated cucumber into a mixing bowl and add all the other ingredients. Cover and place in the refrigerator and let set at least 4 hours but best to go overnight.

Enjoy!