Sticky Grilled Wings consist of lots of garlic, brown sugar, lemon and herbs that combine for the BEST wings marinade recipe ever! The absolute perfect chicken wings recipe.
If you are a chicken wing lover, you probably have one or two ways you make or eat them. That’s how we were, but we have branched out and have made all the wings, and we have come to the conclusion: Grilled Wings are the winner.
This is the easiest way to make whole wings and our new favorite cooking method that we just can’t get enough of.
The marinade on them creates a sticky sweet sauce that is irresistible and they are grilled, two of my favorite things. When I can get grilled wings I’m in Heaven.
I love the flavor of grilled chicken and that is why we absolutely love this Grilled Chicken Wing Recipe.
Trust me, once you try them grilled you will understand!
I have a love for grilling all the things so chicken wings are definitely one of those recipes that we have to grill all the time. With the grill marks and the flavor, it is just an all-around great recipe.
Plus the marinade is what really makes these Grilled Wings what they are; it is literally one of my favorite marinades and finger-licking good. I know you can’t wait to try them out for yourself!
Some of our other favorite chicken recipes we have on our site include Sticky Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken, Southern Fried Chicken and Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Tenders.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- With minimal ingredients and an outdoor grill (a gas grill or charcoal grill both work), these come together quickly.
- You can easily double this recipe to serve a larger crowd on game day.
- You can use whole chicken wings or wingettes for this recipe!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST FOR THE FULL RECIPE CARD):
- Chicken wings
- Lemon juice
- Light brown sugar
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Oregano
- Parsley
- Salt
- Pepper
HOW TO MAKE GRILLED WINGS:
- Place the cut, raw chicken wings in a gallon-sized plastic bag and set aside.
- Place the lemon juice, brown sugar, olive oil, garlic, oregano, parsley, salt, and black pepper in a food processor and pulse until smooth.
- Pour marinade over the wings and make sure they are coated, tossing the bag around. Place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, up to overnight. Try to turn the bag every few hours so the wings marinade evenly, but if you can’t, no big deal.
- Take the wings out of the marinade and place them in a bowl. Add the remaining marinade to a small saucepan or skillet and bring the marinade to a simmer over medium heat, remove for the heat immediately and set aside.
- Preheat the grill to medium heat. Oil the grates and place the wings on the grill. Baste the party wings every couple of minutes while they cook, especially after turning. Discard marinade and stop basting about half way through.
- Continue cooking until the wings reach an internal temperature of at least 165°F degrees but try not to over cook too much, about 20 minutes total. Really try and get a good char on the outside. If you see some of the wings are not charring, but they are almost cooked through, place them over a hotter part of the grill to finish. This is where most of the flavor comes from. Serve and enjoy with your favorite sauce like ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS RECIPE:
WHAT KIND OF GRILL SHOULD I USE?
My absolute favorite way to grill these are on a charcoal grill. However, I know many people don’t have the time or access to charcoal.
So that being said, you can use a gas grill as well.
If you can’t use either one, the last way to grill would be on a grill pan on top of the stove. You won’t get that smokey grilled flavor but they will still be delicious!
IS IT SAFE TO BASTE WHILE GRILLING?
Now, I have mentioned before that I will baste with a marinade while grilling. I think it’s a really great way to get extra flavor into your wings. You will normally see that this is a big no-no, especially when it involves raw chicken.
However, I do this all the time, and the trick is basting at the beginning of cooking and then stopping about halfway through the cooking process. That way, whatever marinade is on the outside of the item will cook thoroughly.
DO NOT continue to baste with this marinade the whole time or use it as a sauce at the end. If you want to feel safer, boil the marinade and then baste.
But I strongly suggest that basting is the best way. It amps up the flavor and helps get that sticky, caramelize-y outside on the wings, yum!
CAN I USE OTHER CUTS OF CHICKEN FOR THIS?
We have used this marinade for various cuts of chicken and cooked wings too! You will want to keep it pound for pound, but other cuts we have tried are chicken breasts, thighs, and even just chicken drumsticks.
The cooking time for other cuts will be different when it comes to grilling but just make sure that your internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
WHAT TO SERVE THESE WITH?
Any bbq or picnic sides would go well with these. Here are some of my favorites:
- The BEST Creamy Macaroni Salad with Peas Recipe
- Easy Five Bean Salad Recipe with Vinaigrette Dressing
- Chick-fil-A Mac and Cheese Recipe
- Classic Pasta Salad
- Grilled Corn
- Grilled Vegetable Kebabs
- Sausage Dirty Rice Recipe
- Corn and Tomato Salad
- Classic Potato Salad
- Easy Grilled Asparagus Recipe
You can also use a dipping sauce like ranch or blue cheese but these wings really don’t need a sauce.
HOW TO STORE:
These wings can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
To reheat, we like to do this in the oven. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place your wings on a baking sheet in a single layer, place in the oven and cook for 10-20 minutes until internal temp reaches 165 degrees F.
Freeze for up to 3 months.
DANA’S TIPS AND TRICKS:
- The longer you marinate these tasty wings, the better! The flavors get better the longer they sit.
- You can make these crispy chicken wings on a grill pan or on the grill itself.
- You can use other cuts of meat with this marinade, see my notes above.
- We do baste this while we grill them, which some disagree with; see my tips above on how to make it safer.
- The easiest way is to use whole chicken wings cut up or drummettes, which are already cut up drums and wings.
If you want a delicious, tender wings recipe that can be a great appetizer or meal, then you have to try my Grilled Wings ASAP! You’ll get a 5 star rating with any crowd you serve them to.
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
If you’ve tried these GRILLED WINGS let me know in the comments how it turned out! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!
Grilled Sweet Sticky Wings
Ingredients
- 4 pounds chicken wings cut into flats and drumettes tips discarded
- 1/2 cup lemon juice fresh squeezed
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 12 cloves garlic skins removed
- 1/4 cup fresh oregano roughly chop
- 1/8 cup fresh flat leaf parsley rough chop
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Place the cut chicken wings in a gallon sized plastic bag and set aside.4 pounds chicken wings cut into flats and drumettes
- Place the lemon juice, brown sugar, olive oil, garlic, oregano, parsley, salt, and pepper in a food processor and pulse until smooth.1/2 cup lemon juice, 1/2 cup light brown sugar, 1/4 cup olive oil, 12 cloves garlic skins removed, 1/4 cup fresh oregano roughly chop, 1/8 cup fresh flat leaf parsley rough chop, 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Pour marinade over the wings and make sure they are coated, tossing the bag around. Place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, up to overnight. Try to turn the bag every few hours so the wings marinade evenly, but if you can’t, no big deal.
- Take the wings out of the marinade and place them in a bowl. Add the remaining marinade to a small saucepan or skillet and bring the marinade to a simmer over medium heat, remove for the heat immediately and set aside.
- Preheat the grill to medium heat. Oil the grates and place the wings on the grill. Baste the wings every couple of minutes while the wings cook, especially after turning. Discard marinade and stop basting about half way through.
- Continue cooking until the wings reach an internal temperature of at least 165°F degrees but try not to over cook too much, about 20 minutes total. Really try and get a good char on the outside. If you see some of the wings are not charring, but they are almost cooked through, place them over a hotter part of the grill to finish. This is where the most flavor comes from. Serve and enjoy.
Notes
- The longer you marinate these tasty wings, the better! The flavors get better the longer they sit.
- You can make these crispy chicken wings on a grill pan or on the grill itself.
- You can use other cuts of meat with this marinade, see my notes above.
- We do baste this while we grill them, which some disagree with; see my tips above on how to make it safer.
- The easiest way is to use whole chicken wings cut up or drummettes, which are already cut up drums and wings.
Nutrition
Originally posted June 10th 2015
Updated with new post copy July 2023
Comments & Reviews
Elizabeth says
Thanks for the mention, Dana. Your version looks amazing!
Chloe Crabtree says
Wow! These sound wonderful. My husband really doesn’t like sauce on his chicken, wait, he doesn’t like sauce on anything unless it’s pasta, I have a chicken marinade I use, but this sounds better than my recipe! I am pinning and sharing over at my FB page and G+. Oh, and I found this over at Friday Flash Blog! Hugs! Chloe
Hollie says
I can’t wait for it to stop raining so I can try these!!!
Jay of Relaxed Thairapy says
I come to you from Wake Up Wednesday where I’m a cohost.
Oh my gosh, these sound delicious. I will be sharing this with my followers and I’ve nominated you as featured post for next week’s Wake Up Wednesday linkup – CONGRATS!!!
Please stop by my blog and say hello while there.
Kristina & Millie says
ohhh as usual your recipes make me drool! both recipes sound delish and as we love wings, we will have to try both! thanks for sharing with us at Snickerdoodle!
Sinea PIes says
Wow this sounds so good. Pinned it to my Chicken! board.