Chicken wings are a guilty pleasure that all of us crave, especially during football season!  Typically, wings are made delicious by deep frying them in oil and then bathing them in a mix of buttery sauces.  However, deep frying wings at home can be messy.  This recipe takes patience but creates super flavorful wings that are crisped to perfection without the greasy repercussions.  Building the fire and the placement of the wings on the grill is important, so don’t cut corners.   

Check out our optional Buffalo Sauce Recipe below.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds chicken wings (cut into drumettes and wingettes)
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons Rattler Rub

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the chicken wings, olive oil and Rattler Rub.  Toss completely until all wings are coated in oil and rub.  Cover bowl with kitchen wrap and let marinate in refrigerator for one hour or up to four.

Using a kettle grill, the goal is to create a medium fireball in the center of the pit, surrounded by enough empty space so the wings can be cooked on indirect heat. Try and aim for a temperature between 300-350 degrees.

When the fire is ready, clean the grill with a grill brush or a half onion.  Surround the center fire with the chicken wings, starting as far from the center as possible.  Put the lid back on the pit.  Let the chicken wings cook for 15 minutes, and then flip.  Continue this process every 15 minutes, rotating the wings and slowly moving the wings closer to the center fire.  The goal is to let the chicken wings cook slowly, so that the fat renders and the skin has enough time to get crispy.  Wings are fairly forgiving, but like all chicken, they can dry out, so be careful above the hour mark. 

Once done, take off the grill and let sit for 10 minutes to cool off.  These wings are great as they are, but they can also be tossed in your favorite buffalo sauce, (recipe below). 

Variation:

Chicken Thighs: 

Chicken thighs are by far my favorite piece of the chicken.  They are the most economical, much more forgiving, and less likely to dry out than a chicken breast.  Using the same method as above, I use bone-in/skin-on chicken thighs and cook them slowly on indirect heat until the skin is crispy and the rub has caramelized on the edges.   

Buffalo Sauce Recipe (optional)

This is a pretty standard sauce that I have used a bunch of times with chicken wings, chicken sandwiches or buffalo burgers with crumbled blue cheese.  I prefer the heat to be around medium, but feel free to heat this up or tame this down as much as you want! 

Ingredients

• 1 bottle buffalo sauce (medium heat)
• ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce or Maggi seasoning sauce
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 1 tablespoon of Rattler Rub

Directions

In a small saucepan, melt butter and combine with the buffalo sauce.  Once combined, add a few dashes of either Worcestershire or Maggie.  Keep the heat on medium-low and add the honey and rub.  Stir constantly until the honey is incorporated into the sauce, about 1-2 minutes. 

Once the sauce is done, place half in a bowl and toss with fully cooked chicken wings.  Depending on how “saucy” you want your wings, add the remaining sauce or serve in a separate bowl for dipping.