Sticky Grilled Chicken Wings

These easy Sticky Grilled Chicken Wings are marinated in a sweet lemon, garlic, and herb sauce, then grilled until charred and glossy with a sticky brown sugar glaze.

Course Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Sticky Grilled Chicken Wings

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Servings servings

Calories 398kcal

Author Jason Decker

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