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My Smoked Chicken Wings take 45 minutes to make and taste incredible! You can use fresh or frozen wings to make these flavorful, dippable, crispy smoked wings. They're awesome for a party or a fun Sunday supper!
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Smoked Wings Ingredients
- Chicken Wings: You can use fresh or frozen chicken wings for smoked wings.
- Black Pepper: Freshly cracked black pepper works best.
- Salt: I recommend kosher salt or sea salt flakes.
- Garlic Powder: Or granulated garlic.
- Butter: Melted, unsalted butter. If you use salted butter, add less salt to the seasoning.
- Parmesan: I recommend freshly grated if you can, but use what you have.
- Parsley: Fresh parsley adds a pop of vibrancy and color to smoked wings.
How to Smoke Chicken Wings
- Preheat the smoker to 375°F. While it heats, combine pepper, salt, and granulated garlic in a small dish and mix together.
- Arrange chicken wings on a cooling rack or other smoker-friendly rack. Evenly sprinkle the seasoning mixture over the wings.
- Once the smoker is ready, place the wings inside and close the lid.
- Combine melted butter with grated Parmesan cheese, fresh parsley, granulated garlic, salt, and pepper to form your Parmesan Garlic Sauce.
- After the wings cook for 15 minutes, pour half the sauce into a separate bowl and use a basting brush to coat them with a layer of sauce. Discard any leftover sauce in the basting bowl, reserving the other bowl.
- Once the wings are coated with sauce, raise the temperature of the smoker to 425°F and place them back inside. Cook wings for another 15 minutes.
- Remove from the smoker and toss the wings in the remaining sauce.
- Garnish with additional parsley and Parmesan if preferred, and enjoy!
Rather than salt, pepper, and granulated garlic, you can use any spices for wings you prefer. Try my Chicken Wing Seasoning, which uses a mixture of brown sugar, paprika, and other seasonings for super flavorful wings, or simply use your favorite dry rub!
Tips for Smoking Chicken Wings
- If the Parmesan Garlic Sauce starts to thicken while you wait for the wings, add it to the microwave for a few seconds and stir.
- Use a pellet grill for amazing smoked wings. You can also use an electric smoker, however!
- You can use any fruit-based pellets for smoking wings. I used hickory for my pellet smoker; cherry wood, pecan, and apple also work well.
- It's easy to cut fresh whole chicken wings yourself and it will save you some money. See my guide on How to Cut Chicken Wings for details.
- You can use frozen wings, but if you do, make sure to thaw them out first. Do not smoke chicken wings from frozen.
- Taste and adjust the flavor of the sauce to your liking before brushing it over the chicken wings.
- For extra crispy skin, you can coat the wings in cornstarch before adding the seasoning.
- Make sure to separate the sauce into two bowls! The bowl used to brush on the wings will be contaminated with raw chicken, so it's very important to discard this sauce and only use the other bowl for tossing the finished wings.
How Long to Smoke Wings
Smoke chicken wings for 15 minutes at 375℉, then another 15 minutes at 425℉. See the Chicken Temperature Chart for details on the internal temperature of chicken wings, and use a meat thermometer if you have any doubts.
What to Serve with Smoked Chicken Wings
FAQ
Although some would say a lower temperature is better for a smoked chicken wing recipe, you can use a higher temperature for great results in less time. Smoking at a temperature of 375℉, then bumped up to 425℉, will cook chicken wings in 30 minutes total - and they are very flavorful.
If you want to use a lower temperature and smoke for a longer time, you can smoke wings at 225℉. You will need to smoke the chicken wings for 1 hour to 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until they reach 165℉ internally.
Sauces for Smoked Chicken Wings
- Parmesan Garlic Wings: My simple garlic parmesan sauce is amazing for the smoky flavor of these wings. See the recipe instructions for ingredients and step-by-step.
- Smoked Buffalo Wings: Use my homemade buffalo sauce paired with homemade blue cheese dressing or buttermilk ranch dressing for an incredible combo.
- BBQ Wings: Make my homemade BBQ sauce for crisp and delicious wings. I love this sauce with my Crock Pot Chicken Wings and Air Fryer Chicken Wings.
- Try my Instant Pot Chicken Wings with honey sriracha sauce!
Chicken Wings in the Smoker
When it comes to wings, my go-to has always been my classic recipe for baked buffalo wings. But when I tried making smoked wings for the first time, my family and I devoured them that same day, and I knew I'd have to go out and buy some fresh wings to cut and smoke again.
At first, I thought smoking wings would take a while, like other smoker recipes. It's always worth the effort, but I like my chicken wings done quickly. The good news is that they actually don't take long at all! It takes just 45 minutes to smoke chicken wings.
My smoked chicken wings recipe is perfect for game-day parties or a fun weeknight dinner. You can make it quickly and easily, and everyone at the table is guaranteed to want to come back for seconds. Make extra!
Smoked Chicken Wings
Equipment
- Cooling Rack
- Bowl or Dish for Tossing in Sauce
Ingredients
Smoked Chicken Wings
- 2 dozen Chicken Wings - or Frozen Wings
- 1 teaspoon Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Parmesan Garlic Sauce
- 1 stick Salted Butter - melted (½ cup)
- ⅔ cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Parsley - minced
- 1 teaspoon Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Granulated Garlic
Instructions
- Preheat smoker to 375℉. While it heats, combine pepper, salt, and granulated garlic in a small dish and mix together.1 teaspoon Pepper,1 teaspoon Salt,1 teaspoon Granulated Garlic
- Arrange chicken wings on a cooling rack or other smoker-friendly rack. Evenly sprinkle the seasoning mixture over the wings.2 dozen Chicken Wings
- Once the smoker is ready, place the wings inside and close the lid.
- Combine melted butter with grated Parmesan cheese, fresh parsley, granulated garlic, salt, and pepper to form your Parmesan Garlic Sauce.1 stick Salted Butter,⅔ cup Grated Parmesan Cheese,1 Tablespoon Fresh Parsley,1 teaspoon Pepper,½ teaspoon Salt
- After the wings cook for 15 minutes, pour half the sauce in a separate bowl, then use a basting brush to coat them with a layer of sauce. Reserve the rest of the sauce and discard the leftover sauce used to baste the chicken.
- Once the wings are coated with sauce, raise the temperature of the smoker to 425℉ and place them back inside. Cook wings for another 15 minutes.
- Remove from the smoker and toss the wings in the reserved sauce. Garnish with additional parsley and Parmesan if preferred, and enjoy!
Notes
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- If the Parmesan Garlic Sauce thickens while you wait for the wings, add it to the microwave for a few seconds and stir.
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- You can use any fruit-based pellets for smoking wings. I used hickory.
-
- Save money cutting your own wings. See: How to Cut Chicken Wings.
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- You can use frozen wings, but thaw them first. Do not smoke from frozen.
-
- Taste and adjust the sauce to your liking before brushing it over the wings.
-
- For crispy skin, coat the wings in cornstarch before seasoning.
- Make sure to separate the sauce into two bowls! The bowl used to brush on the wings will be contaminated with raw chicken, so it's very important to discard this sauce and only use the other bowl for tossing the finished wings.
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