Chicken Wings on Pellet Grill

This is a delectably crunchy chicken wings on pellet grill or Traeger. It is smoked to perfection with a blend of simple seasonings.

After that, it is cooked up nice and crunchy at the end. You can just throw on some buffalo sauce and start devouring it.

How to Get Crispy Wings on the Traeger

It is just a known fact that everyone loves nice and crispy wings, but still, you might be wondering how to get crispy and smoky chicken wings on a pellet grill.

The secret to this is in the seasoning and the technique. The wings get crisped up thanks to the baking powder in the seasoning.

And you will get that crispy crunch you want with wings when you finish them with high-heat char.

Can You Get Crispy Skin on Pellet Grill Chicken Wings?

Of course, you can. But keep in mind that it takes some work and a caveat.

Just skip right to the smoked and fried method if you are looking for “crispy,” as in the same kind of crispy you get with deep-fried wings, because you will be disappointed.

Oil Fried Method

This could become your favorite method, given that it is the most reliable way to get that crisp skin without having to lose the smoked flavor you need.

Get a cast iron pan and just heat an inch or two of oil in it, and ensure you give your wings a 2 to 3 minute fry post-smoke.

With these wings, you will have the best of all the worlds, and it is by far the best tasting.

Baking Powder or Cornstarch Method

Some people go for the dry-skin method, which has to do with dusting the wings with baking powder and/or cornstarch. After that, you lay them out on a pan in the fridge overnight and make sure that they are uncovered.

This allows the skin to dry out; the fat renders more quickly, and then the skin crisps faster. This is to say that you should ensure that you do not overcook the wings in the quest for crunchy chicken skin.

Keep in mind that for this to work correctly, you need to mix more or less two parts of your rub with one part of baking powder.

Air Fryer Method

You will have to skip the prep work and just toss the wings in the dry rub for this method, and then proceed to place them on the grill.

However, make sure you give them a spray of oil after they come off the grill and toss them in the air fryer.

Doing this will crisp up the skin without drying out the meat, and it is extremely reliable.

However, this also has its con, which is the fact that most air fryers do not have large amounts of food at the same time. This means that you will have to do them in batches.

Tips for Making Pellet Grill-Smoked Chicken Wings

• Make sure that you do not skip the 2 hours of allowing the wings to marinate and soak in the seasonings, given that this gives them a perfect flavor.
• Keep in mind to always use a meat thermometer or probe to be sure that they are fully cooked.
• It will take around 2 hours to completely smoke them, given that they are smoked totally at 225 degrees Fahrenheit.
• A lot of different smokers put off a different amount of heat; this is exactly why it is good to always have your meat thermometer close by. Just go ahead and enjoy your wings.

Pellet Grill-Smoked Chicken Wings

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 4 hours, 15 minutes
Servings: 8 servings

With this easy smoked chicken wing recipe, you will be making the best chicken wings on pellet grill.

Ingredients

• 4 pounds of chicken wing sections
• ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of cumin
• 1 teaspoon of onion powder
• 2 tablespoons of smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons of garlic powder

Laid-Out Instructions

• First, you are to separate the chicken wings into drum and wing sections. But that is if they’ve not been separated already.
• That being done, proceed to get a small bowl and combine all the dry ingredients for the rub in it.
• After that, you are to get a large Ziploc bag and add the chicken wings to it, then spray the sections with olive oil and coat both sides well.
• Then, spray the seasoning and rub it on the chicken wings, afterward, press it into the chicken wings and coat them evenly on both sides.
• Now, proceed to zip the bag and place it in a pan, and then chill in the fridge for 2 hours.
• That being done, you are to preheat the smoker to 225 degrees F.
• Also, place the chicken wings directly on the smoker and smoke for 2 hours at 225 degrees Fahrenheit. When they reach an internal temp of at least 160 degrees F, you know that they are done.
• You have the option of serving your smoked chicken wings with the sauce of your choice.

Recommended Sides for These Wings

• Any grilled or roasted vegetables will do.
• You can serve it with some rich and creamy coleslaw.
• Or, you can go with either grilled sweet potato fries or air fryer potato wedges.
• You can also go with your choice of healthy summer salad options.
• The best potato salad with bacon is also a great option.

Pair These Wings With These Recipes

• Lobster mac and cheese
• Honey hot wings
• Southern macaroni salad
• Creamy cucumber salad
• Southern coleslaw recipe
• Air fryer hush puppies
• Southern potato salad
• Easy spaghetti salad
• Southern baked beans
• Bacon ranch pasta salad

Leftover Wings

You have the option of storing your leftover wings in the fridge, but make sure that they are tightly covered and eat them within 3 to 4 days.

How to Reheat

To reheat, you have the option of using the grill, air fryer, or oven.

I’m not a fan of using the microwave to reheat these wings, given that they change the flavor, but that does not mean that you can’t use it.

I suggest you reheat at 350 degrees F until warm if you are using an air fryer, grill, or oven.

Freezer Tips

You can freeze-cook wings for later; just ensure that they are tightly sealed and covered, and they will last for a few months.

Cooking Frozen Chicken Wings

• Make sure that you cook your frozen wings on medium heat, about 350 degrees F, for 30 to 40 minutes, at least until defrosted.
• But keep in mind that cooking times will differ. However, use a meat thermometer and make sure that the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Immediately after they have defrosted some on the grill, you will also need to wait and season the wings.

Sauce for Dipping or Drizzling

I prefer my wings without any sauce when it comes to cookouts.

This is so because they do not need them given that there’s so much flavor. Even so, below are some ideas:

• Homemade ranch
• Homemade BBQ sauce
• Buffalo sauce
• Honey and BBQ sauce (1/4 cup of BBQ sauce and 2 tablespoons of honey)

Conclusion

Your pellet-grilled smoked chicken wings will be ready for consumption around 2 hours after smoking.

However, remember that they will also need to sit in the fridge and marinate for a few hours.

To calculate that in total, it will take just over 4 hours to completely prepare these chicken wings on a pellet grill.