Smoked Chicken Wings

Finger lickin’ good Smoked Chicken Wings! Learn how to make the best smoked wings around. We’ve got a great dry rub for smoking chicken wings and they’re finished in sticky BBQ sauce. These are the perfect smoked appetizer or main dish.

Need a great appetizer for your next game day get together? These smoked chicken wings are just the thing! We love making these smoked wings because they’re perfectly crispy and packed with flavor.

They’re far better than ordering wings from a restaurant, and it ends up being more affordable too. This smoked chicken wing recipe is sure to wow everyone!

But there’s no need to wait for game day to have wings, you can serve them as a main dish too! They’d pair great with Smoked Cheesy Potato Casserole or Air Fryer French Fries.

If you do make them for game day, then don’t forget the Little Smokies and Smoked Queso Dip! Chicken wings are the perfect simple recipe to throw together and are always a crowd favorite.

Why You’ll Love Smoking Chicken Wings

• It only takes 10 minutes to prep the chicken wings to throw in the smoker. The rest of the work is done by the smoker. So simple!
• You only need four ingredients to make these delicious crispy wings. It’s a great last minute recipe that you can throw together quickly.
• These smoked wings are great to bring to a potluck game day party! They’ll be a hit with the whole crowd.

Ingredients Needed for Smoked Wings

• Chicken wings – This recipe calls for 6 pounds of chicken wings, but feel free to double or triple the whole recipe if you need to feed a lot of people!
• BBQ sauce – Choose your favorite BBQ sauce, there’s no wrong choice. If you’re up to trying a homemade BBQ sauce, we’ve got you covered!
• BBQ rub – We, of course, recommend using our tasty BBQ rub, made with the perfect combination of sugar, salt, chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and ground oregano. Of course, you can use any rub you like or make our rub yourself!
• Olive oil – Olive oil will taste best, but you could also use avocado oil to help the seasoning stick to the chicken wings.

How to Smoke Chicken Wings

Begin by preheating the smoker to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

Go through the chicken and separate it into wings and drumettes if need be. Pat the wings completely dry with some paper towels. You’ll want them to be really dry so that the oil will fully cover the wings and the rub will adhere to them.

Then, place the wings in a large mixing bowl and toss with olive oil. Once the wings are evenly coated, add the BBQ rub and toss until each wing is well coated.

Place the BBQ rubbed wings directly onto the grill grates of the preheated smoker and smoke for 2 hours.

After two hours, raise the temperature to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, baste the wings in BBQ sauce and smoke for 10 more minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove the wings from heat and let them rest for 10 minutes, then serve.

Serving Tips for Smoked Chicken Wings

These delicious BBQ wings are made even better with some dipping sauce! Ranch is delicious and you can make your own by using this homemade ranch seasoning. You can also dip the wings in extra barbecue sauce, or just eat them on their own!

Wings go great with fries, coleslaw, fried pickles, mac and cheese, and so much more. Feel free to be adventurous!

How to Store Leftover Wings

FRIDGE: Store your leftover crispy smoked chicken wings in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

FREEZER: Place leftover wings in an airtight container or freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

How to Reheat Leftover Chicken Wings

I recommend popping them into the oven to reheat. And then add a little extra BBQ sauce to them after they have been heated all the way through.

What Wood Chips are Best for Smoking Chicken Wings?

A strong flavor like mesquite or hickory will really compliment these saucy smoked chicken wings!

Can I use a different sauce?

Absolutely! There are so many delicious chicken wing sauces out there. Feel free to use anything you’d like. Some great flavors would be a classic buffalo sauce, spicy hot wings, honey garlic and sweet and sour Asian wings.

Do I have to use sauce?

If you prefer your wings to just have dry rub, then skip the basting step and smoke them until they reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit! If you are feeding a crowd, you can always baste half and leave half dry

Do I need to flip wings while they smoke?

It is not necessary to flip the chicken wings as they smoke, but you can do so if you want. Just don’t flip them too much or the juice will drain off and make them dry.

You’re going to love these tasty BBQ wings! The crispy skin and perfectly smoky flavor will have you craving these smoked chicken wings every game day! Let us know how they turn out for you.

More Smoker Recipes You’ll Love

• Need some more really easy appetizers to throw into the smoker? These BBQ Smoked Meatballs are crazy easy and absolutely delicious. They’d be a perfect addition to your party menu.
• Did you know there’s tons of different ways to make deviled eggs? These Smoked Deviled Eggs are one of the best!
• If you’re looking for a new way to cook a whole chicken then you should this Smoked Whole Chicken recipe.
• These Smoked Potato Skins would pair well with many different dishes, including these chicken wings!