These grilled chicken wings is probably the only food over which we fight in our family. I kid you not. They are irresistible. Any leftovers are closely watched by every family member. They are pre-divided and claimed. An uneven number of leftover wings results in passionate disputes over who gets to get an extra wing. I am telling you, these grilled chicken wings are the best, you won’t need another grilled wing recipe.
For a long time I’ve been a fan of smoked wings, but grilled chicken wings make a heck of a competition. Marinated in an excellent marinade and properly grilled, they turn out just as juicy as smoked wings. If you throw in a couple of chunks of cherry wood just before you load chicken wings on the grill you will get some of that smoky flavor too. And the beautiful dark red color. But there is more. Grilled chicken wings come out crispy-skinned, with beautifully caramelized surface. You can’t replicate that. This is where grilled wings truly shine.
The marinade for grilled wings is important. If it tastes great, the wings will do too. I recently experimented with Bulgogi-Style Chicken Wings and loved the results. A bad marinade will kill the wing taste. Sugary marinade will make it very hard to grill wings without burning them. Keep sugars to a minimum or don’t use at all. My preference is to grill chicken wings on a charcoal grill. It gives me more flavor and a crispier skin. If I want some smoky flavor I will just throw a couple of wood chunks on each side of the fire pit. When grilling on a charcoal grill, make sure there is no flame, only red-hot glowing coals. That’s critical to getting beautiful caramelization and crispiness on chicken wings without charring them. That’s my subjective opinion. Objectively speaking though, both charcoal and gas grills are capable of producing a very good product.
