Smoked Chicken Wings
intro
Crispy-skinned, deeply smoky dry-rubbed chicken wings with juicy, tender meat, a classic crowd-pleasing bite perfect for casual outdoor gatherings.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep and dry wings
Pat 1200g of split chicken wings (separated into drumettes and flats, wing tips discarded) completely dry with paper towels, then toss evenly with 1 tablespoon of canola oil in a large mixing bowl. Ensure every wing has a thin, even oil coating to help the dry rub stick properly.
Coat with dry rub
In a small bowl, mix 3 tablespoons sweet paprika, 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and 0.5 teaspoon cayenne pepper until fully combined. Sprinkle the rub evenly over all oiled wings, tossing to coat every surface thoroughly, then let wings rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.
Preheat the smoker
Soak 2 cups of apple wood smoking chips in cold water for 30 minutes, then drain fully. Add drained chips to your smoker’s wood chip tray, then preheat the smoker to a steady 120°C (250°F), closing the lid to let thin, light smoke build for 5 minutes before adding food.
Smoke wings low and slow
Arrange the seasoned wings in a single layer on the smoker racks, leaving 1cm (0.5 inch) gaps between each wing to allow even smoke and air circulation. Close the smoker lid, maintain a steady 120°C (250°F) temperature, and smoke for 90 minutes total, flipping wings once at the 45-minute mark and adding small handfuls of drained wood chips as needed to maintain consistent thin smoke.
Crisp the wing skins
After 90 minutes of smoking, increase the smoker temperature to 200°C (400°F) (or transfer wings to a preheated 200°C/400°F gas or charcoal grill). Cook for an additional 10 to 12 minutes, until wing skin is crispy and deep golden brown, and the internal temperature reaches 75°C (165°F) when measured at the thickest part with a meat thermometer.
Rest and serve
Transfer finished wings to a clean serving platter, and let them rest for 5 minutes to allow juices to redistribute through the meat. Serve immediately with optional dipping sauces like ranch, blue cheese, or hot sauce if desired.
Tips
2.Aim for thin, wispy pale blue smoke coming from your smoker; thick, billowing white smoke will give wings a bitter, acrid flavor instead of a smooth, sweet apple wood smoke taste.
3.If you do not own a dedicated smoker, you can replicate this recipe on a charcoal grill set up for indirect heat, placing drained wood chips in a foil packet poked with 10 small holes set directly on the hot coals.
Made these for our Sunday football watch party yesterday and OMG, they were gone in 15 minutes flat! So juicy, the smoke flavor was perfect not overpowering at all. Didn’t even need extra sauce, they were that good on their own. 10/10 will be making these every game day from now on.
Took a little longer than I expected for a weeknight meal but wow, totally worth it. My 7 and 9 year old devoured 6 wings each and asked when we’re having them again. Paired with celery and ranch, perfect family dinner.
Brought these to our neighborhood potluck last weekend and got so many recipe requests! The skin was crispy even after sitting in the cooler for 45 mins on the way over, which I was super worried about. Game changer for summer cookouts.
Pretty solid recipe, medium difficulty is accurate — I messed up the temp on my smoker the first 20 mins so they took a little extra time, but still came out tasty. Next time I’ll add a little more dry rub to the skin before smoking.
Made a big batch of these for my weekly meal prep and they hold up so good! Reheat in the air fryer for 5 mins and the skin gets crispy again, meat stays juicy. Way better than the takeout wings I used to buy for lunches.
Hey, quick question — I just got my first electric smoker last week, can I use that for this recipe or do I need an offset smoker? Don’t want to mess these up for my husband’s birthday cookout!
SO good! I tossed half the batch in mango habanero sauce after smoking and they were the best wings I’ve ever made at home. Who needs to go to a wing spot when you can make these in your backyard?
So happy this recipe is naturally gluten free as long as you use GF dry rub and sauce! I have celiac and it’s so hard to find smoked wing recipes that don’t sneak in wheat based soy sauce or something. These were incredible, no cross contamination issues when I made them at home.
I’ve never smoked anything in my life and these actually came out edible?? I was so nervous I’d dry them out but they were so juicy, my roommate thought I ordered them from our local BBQ joint. The cook time was spot on, no guesswork needed.
Made these for our tailgate before the college football game last weekend and people were coming back for thirds. Only complaint is my friends keep texting me asking when I’m making them again, so now I’m on wing duty for every tailgate this season. Worth it tbh.
These fit perfectly into my low carb lifestyle when I skip the sugary sauce and just use the dry rub! Juicy, flavorful, zero guilt. I was scared smoked wings would be dry but these were better than any fried wings I’ve had on keto.
Wait, has anyone tried making these with cherry wood instead of hickory? I have a ton of cherry wood chunks left from making smoked pork chops last month and wondering if that would pair well.
The 2 hour 15 minute cook time has me nervous — I have 4 kids running around after school, is there a way to prep these ahead so I don’t have to tend the smoker the whole time before dinner?
Did anyone else struggle to get the skin crispy? My wings tasted great but the skin was a little rubbery, not sure what I did wrong. I followed the temp exactly, used a dry rub, everything.
Planning to make 10 pounds of these for our Super Bowl party next month — how big of a crowd will that feed? I don’t want to run out mid-halftime show lmao.
I tossed these in honey garlic sauce after smoking and my whole family is obsessed! The smoky flavor cuts the sweetness of the sauce so well, it’s the perfect balance. My teenage son said these are better than the wings at our favorite local restaurant.