There are good wings, and then there are these wings. Juicy smoked chicken wrapped in crispy, smoky bacon. Every bite hits with savory richness and just a touch of sweetness.
By smoking at 275°F, the bacon renders fully while the wings stay tender and flavorful with no burnt or undercooked spots.
All you need is thick-cut bacon, a good BBQ rub, and your favorite sauce for an optional glaze.
Smoked bacon-wrapped chicken wings
I firmly believe that everything is better wrapped in bacon, and these bacon-wrapped wings are no exception. This recipe only takes a few simple ingredients and a couple of hours on the smoker, and you’ll have a perfect BBQ snack to serve up to your family and friends.
Ingredients you’ll need
- Chicken wings – You can either buy whole chicken wings and separate them yourself, or you can buy chicken wing portions that are already separated. You can also use frozen chicken wings, but you will need to let them fully defrost before cooking.
- Thick-cut bacon – It’s important to use thick-cut bacon for this recipe. Thin-cut bacon will cook too quickly, and the chicken wings will not have time to cook fully.
- Dry rub – I used our Ultimate Dry Rub for Ribs, but you can use any store-bought poultry rub.
- BBQ sauce – For extra flavor, I like to glaze the wings with a BBQ sauce during the last 15 minutes. If you choose not to glaze, you could serve it alongside.
- Toothpicks – Help to secure the bacon to the wings before cooking. This ensures the bacon stays on the chicken wings as it renders.
How to make bacon-wrapped chicken wings
1. Prep and season the wings
If you bought whole chicken wings, you will need to use a knife to break them down into drums and flats. While you can smoke them whole, it can be a bit tricky to wrap the bacon around a whole wing, so it’s best to break them down.
Once your wings are separated, season them on all sides with the BBQ rub. I like to use our Ultimate Dry Rub for Ribs. While it was designed for pork, I find that it has a great flavor on all types of white meat – especially wings!
I find a seasoning shaker the best for getting even distribution of whatever I’m sprinkling.
2. Wrap in bacon
Grab a slice of bacon and wrap it around a chicken wing. It’s okay if it overlaps a bit, but if it overlaps a lot, you can trim the slice of bacon down a bit. Then, use a toothpick to secure the bacon to the chicken wing.
Pro tip – The toothpick holds the bacon in place as it cooks and shrinks, keeping it tightly wrapped around the wing, ensuring a bit of bacon in every bite.
You can also season the bacon, but I’ve found that rubs with sugar can burn the outside of the bacon, so I prefer to season the chicken wing and leave the bacon as is.
You don’t need to soak your toothpick, they won’t catch fire as you have no open flame.
Let the wings rest in the fridge while you fire up the smoker. I put them in the fridge because as the bacon comes to room temperature it starts to soften, and I like to keep the wings as tightly wrapped as possible. If you don’t have the fridge space, don’t sweat it, they will be fine on the counter as well.
Pro tip – Make-ahead. You can season and wrap the wings up to a day in advance. Keep them uncovered in the fridge, the cool air helps the bacon firm up for a tighter wrap.
3. Fire up the smoker to 275°F
I smoked these on my Grilla Grills OG pellet grill. I’ve been cooking on it for about three years now, and it’s one of my favorite pellet grills because it has a small footprint and doesn’t take up a ton of space on my deck.
This recipe can be made on any smoker or pellet grill as long as it can maintain a steady temperature of 275°F for a couple of hours. You want to ensure this so the bacon can fully render without the chicken overcooking inside.
I’ve found that 275°F is the perfect temperature for getting crispy bacon while still getting plenty of smoke flavor on the food.
Grilla Grills Alpha Connect Wood Pellet Smoker
It also has a unique, barrel-like design that places the fire pot directly beneath the grill’s grates. I’ve found that it provides amazing smoke flavor and very even cooking, making it an excellent option for recipes like this.
You can use any type of pellets or wood that you prefer. I used Grilla Grills wood pellets. They provide an even smoke flavor that doesn’t overpower the chicken’s flavor. I recommend wood blends like oak, hickory, or applewood for cooking chicken.
Pro tip – if you used a bacon that was smoked with a specific wood, you can mirror that flavor when choosing your smoking wood. For example, if you have applewood-smoked bacon, then use applewood!
4. Smoke the wings
This recipe is about the same as any other smoked wing recipe, and the cooking process is pretty hands-off. As long as you use thick-cut bacon, the bacon and chicken should be cooked around the same time.
Place the bacon-wrapped chicken wings directly on the grates of your smoker and let them cook for about 1-½ to 2 hours, or until the bacon is fully rendered and crisped to your liking.
Leave a bit of space between the wings for air to circulate to ensure crispy bacon.
Chicken wings are darker meat and can withstand a higher internal temperature, so you don’t need to worry too much about the internal temperature of the chicken itself. Once the bacon is done, the chicken will be too.
Can’t get much crsipier than that!
Once the bacon is crispy, the wings are ready to enjoy.
If you want to add an extra layer of flavor, follow the saucing option next.
4. Sauce them (optional)
If you love saucy wings, this is the perfect time to add extra flavor.
I went with a classic BBQ sauce from Kinder’s, but you could try our homemade BBQ sauce, or anything you like will work; even a traditional buffalo wing sauce is a great option.
You want a vessel not too large, but deep so your wing gets coated in just one dip.
Fill a cup with the sauce and use your tongs to dunk each bacon-wrapped chicken wing into the sauce until it is fully coated. Alternatively, if you think this is a lot of sauce, you could brush the sauce over with a BBQ brush.
Place the sauced wings back on the smoker for another 10-15 minutes to let the sauce get tacky.
Remove from the smoker and serve with Ranch dressing on the side.
Pro tip – Remove the toothpick before serving!
Bacon-wrapped chicken wings are one of those BBQ snacks that always steal the show. With smoky, juicy chicken inside and crispy, salty bacon on the outside, every bite packs serious flavor.
Did you try these wings and love them? Let us know in the comments. Remember to leave a five-star rating. It helps more people enjoy the recipe!
There’s a wing out there for everyone
Print
Smoked Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Wings
Tender, juicy smoked chicken is surrounded by a layer of crispy bacon and BBQ sauce to create a wing unlike any other.
Course Appetiser
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time 2 hours hours
Total Time 2 hours hours 15 minutes minutes
Servings 4
Calories 712kcal
- 1 lb chicken wing portions
- 1 lb thick-cut bacon
- 2 tbsp dry rub
- 8 oz BBQ sauce
- Ranch dressing to serve
Season your chicken wings on all sides with the dry rub.
Wrap each chicken wing in a slice of bacon, then secure it with a toothpick. Rest in the fridge.
Preheat the smoker to 275°F.
Place the bacon-wrapped chicken wings on the grates of the smoker and let smoke for 1-½ to 2 hours, or until the bacon is crisped to your liking.
The wings are ready to enjoy as-is, but if you want to sauce your wings you can do it at this time. Dunk each chicken wing in BBQ sauce, then place back on the smoker for 10-15 minutes to let the sauce get tacky.
Remove from the smoker and they are ready to serve immediately alongside ranch dressing for dipping. Be sure to pull out the toothpicks before plating them up!
Whole chicken wings are best broken down into drums and flats. While you can smoke them whole, it can be a bit tricky to wrap the bacon around a whole wing, so it’s best to break them down.
Thick-cut bacon – It’s important to use thick-cut bacon for this recipe. Thin-cut bacon will cook too quickly, and the chicken wings will not have time to cook fully.
Toothpicks hold the bacon in place as it cooks and shrinks, keeping it tightly wrapped around the wing, ensuring a bit of bacon in every bite.
If your bacon was smoked with a specific wood, you can mirror that flavor when choosing your smoking wood. For example, if you have applewood-smoked bacon, then use applewood!
Wood blends like oak, hickory, or applewood are best for smoking chicken.
Calories: 712kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 55g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 24g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 122mg | Sodium: 1380mg | Potassium: 465mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 312IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 2mg
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