Spicy Smoked Chicken Wings

By Todd Martin January 12, 2025 5 mins read 9 Views

If you’re looking for a crowd-pleasing appetizer to serve at your next cookout or gathering, then these mouthwatering spicy smoked chicken wings are a must-try!

These spicy smoked wings are truly amazing. The seasoning is straightforward, and they require only a short time on the grill or smoker. Serve these flavorful wings with a blue cheese dipping sauce, ranch dressing, or Comeback Sauce.
Please note that these wings are spicy, as the name suggests, but please feel free to adjust the seasonings to suit your tastes.

Brine and Wood Recommendations

Brine: Using a brine solution is an excellent way to add extra moisture to chicken wings and can plump up chicken meat by 40%. The salt actually helps the muscle retain moisture. Since the wings are essentially soaking in a salt bath, they won’t require a salt-heavy seasoning. Reduce or omit the salt from the rub recipe featured below.
Wood Recommendations: For best results, use cherry, apple, alder, or pecan wood for this chicken wing recipe.

Spicy Chicken Wings-Ingredients

3 pounds of bone-in wings: separate flats and drumettes
Vinegar-based hot sauce: like Tabasco, Frank’s Red Hot, Yellow Bird, etc.
Kosher salt: or coarse sea salt. If you plan to wet brine the wings, we recommend using our recipe for Chicken Wing Brine. Reduce the amount the kosher salt from the rub by half.
Dried oregano
Granulated onion or onion powder
Granulated garlic or garlic powder
Cayenne pepper: Adjust to your liking by using less or adding more.
Black pepper
Blue Cheese Dressing (optional): see below for the recipe.
Buffalo sauce or BBQ sauce (optional): While these wings are meant to be served as is, you can certainly toss them in your favorite bottled buffalo sauce before serving.

Making Spicy Smoked Chicken Wings

Brine: This step is purely optional but can be done 2-4 hours before cooking.
Prepare grill or smoker: Preheat to 375 degrees F. or medium-high heat. Add your desired wood chips before the wings go on. If you are using a pellet grill, use your favorite pellet “flavor” for chicken.
Combine the rub mixture in a small bowl. Set aside, or transfer to a large spice shaker.
Prep the wings: Blot chicken wings dry with paper towels, place them into a large bowl, and pour hot sauce over the top. Toss to coat well.
Apply dry rub: transfer the wings onto a large baking sheet. Use two if needed. Shake the spices on top of the wings, turn them over, and repeat the process.
Cooking: place the chicken wings on the grill, close the lid, and cook them for 35-45 minutes, turning halfway through cooking.
Doneness: the wings are done once the internal temperature is 175 degrees F. The flats will cook faster than the drumettes.
Crunchiness: if the wings aren’t as crunchy as you’d like them, increase your grill’s heat to 500 degrees F and broil them for 3-4 minutes, turning a few times for even crisping. You can also broil them in your oven.
Serving: remove the wings from the grill and place them onto a large serving dish. Serve with creamy blue cheese dressing, and carrots and celery sticks.
Leftovers: store wings in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing

1 cup yogurt plain (use whole milk)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
salt and black pepper to taste

Combine the plain yogurt and mayonnaise. Add blue cheese, vinegar, and garlic—season with salt and black pepper. Gently fold in. Place mixture into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days—double or triple the recipe based on need. Pair your desired amount of sauce with the spicy chicken wings.

More Recipes!