Grilled Buffalo Wings

Article by Layla Khoury-Hanold

Classic buffalo wings are fried, but Katie Lee Biegel loves the flavor and ease of cooking wings on the barbecue. With Katie Lee’s easy grilled chicken wings recipe, you’ll learn how to make a simple seasoning, how to make a spicy homemade buffalo sauce, how long to grill chicken wings and her unconventional technique for ensuring juicy and crispy chicken wings.

How to Make Grilled Buffalo Wings Like a Pro

Reach for whole chicken wings. Katie Lee prefers to use whole chicken wings for grilling, but you can also use wings separated into drumettes and wingettes (aka flats) if you prefer (though you’ll need to adjust the cooking time).

Season the wings with a simple yet flavorful dry rub. Katie Lee mixes together salt, freshly ground black pepper and garlic powder to make a flavorful, savory seasoning to toss the wings in.

Crowd the wings close together on the grill. Rather than spreading the wings out to prevent steaming, Katie Lee defies conventional wisdom and arranges whole wings close to one another on the grill to create steam, helping to render the fat and keep the meat moist.

Make a spicy homemade buffalo sauce. Katie whisks together butter, hot sauce, apple cider vinegar for tang and a little bit of honey for sweetness. Holding the pan over the grill while whisking helps to melt the butter and blend the ingredients into a smooth, glossy sauce.

Flip the wings frequently. Katie Lee flips the wings every 5 minutes to ensure that the wings cook and render fat evenly on both sides, ensuring a juicy, amply browned result.

Toss grilled wings in the buffalo sauce. Katie Lee transfers the grilled wings to a bowl, then gives them a good toss in the sauce to evenly coat.

Crisp up the wings on the grill. Katie Lee finishes the wings on the grill for a couple minutes to crisp up. The sugar in the sauce helps to caramelize the skin and makes them nice and crispy.

Toss the wings in the sauce again for a saucy finish. Once the wings have crisped up, Katie Lee adds them back to the bowl with the sauce and gives them a final toss to coat, ensuring a saucy, finger-licking finish.

How Long to Grill Chicken Wings on Grill

Katie Lee grills whole chicken wings on the grill for 12 to 15 minutes per side over medium heat, tossing them every 5 minutes to ensure evenly cooked and rendered wings. The cooking time for grilled chicken wings will vary depending on whether you are using whole or separated wing parts and the temperature your grill is heated to.

Grilling Chicken Wings Temperature

Katie Lee heats her grill to medium heat (350 degrees F) to ensure that the wings stay juicy and cook evenly without burning and that the fat has enough time to render.

What to Serve with Grilled Buffalo Wings

Serve grilled buffalo wings with dipping sauces such as blue cheese dip and ranch dressing along with sides such as French fries, like Katie Lee’s Herbed Fries, potato salad, like her Bacon Ranch Potato Salad, macaroni and cheese, such as her Stovetop Mac and Cheese, garlic knots and coleslaw. You can also serve wings with game day appetizers, like Katie Lee’s Deviled Eggs, Grilled Onion Blossom or Buffalo Chicken Nachos, as well as dips, such as Katie Lee’s fan-favorite Caramelized Vidalia Onion Dip, Hot Roasted Red Pepper Dip, Slow Cooker Chili Con Queso and Chili Cheese Dip with Biscuit Dippers.