These crispy smoked chicken wings are marinated in a lemon and garlic marinade, then slow smoked, before finishing in a hot oven or grill. They're crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside and loaded with an absolutely amazing smokey, savory flavor!
Jump to:
- Why this recipe works
- Ingredients
- Preparing the chicken wings
- Marinade for smoked chicken wings
- How to smoke chicken wings
- How long to smoke chicken wings
- How to make crispy smoked chicken wings
- How to serve smoked chicken wings
- Recipe tips and FAQs
- Check out my other wings and game day recipes
- 📖 Recipe
- You may also like
Why this recipe works
Everyone loves classic buffalo wings on game day, but another great option is to cook your chicken wings in a smoker. These aren't your typical barbecue smoked chicken wings. For this smoked wings recipe I use a flavorful lemon garlic marinade. It brings an awesome amount of flavor and helps keep the meat tender and juicy.
Ingredients
- 4-5 pounds chicken wings
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- zest and juice of 2 lemons
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preparing the chicken wings
Fresh chicken wings often come whole, with the drum, flat, and wing tip all attached. Wings are much easier to eat if you break them down, and I prefer to do this before cooking. To break down the wings you can use kitchen shears or a sharp chef's knife.
- Begin by cutting off the wing tip at the joint with the flat.
- Next spread the drum and the flat apart and cut at the joint to separate them.
- If desired you can also trim off some of the extra skin that joined the flat and drum.
Marinade for smoked chicken wings
This marinade is similar to my Greek chicken souvlaki and sheet pan lemon garlic chicken marinades, but smoking the meat really changes the flavor profile to a much more savory flavor. To make the marinade:
- Add all of the marinade ingredients to a mixing bowl then whisk to combine.
- Add the wings to a large resealable plastic bag and pour the marinade over top.
- Seal the bag and give it a good shake to ensure all of the wings are coated.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to overnight, flipping occasionally to redistribute the marinade.
How to smoke chicken wings
I typically use a Weber Smokey Mountain smoker, but this recipe will work with any smoker, pellet grill, such as a Traeger. You can also use a charcoal grill or kamado style grill like a Big Green Egg.
The key is to maintain an even temperature around 250-275°F and a steady smoke level throughout the cook.
When smoking chicken I prefer to use pecan and apple wood. Hickory will also work well but its flavor is a little more aggressive.
Preheat your smoker to 250-275°F and add your wood chunks to get a fairly heavy amount of smoke. Then place the wings in the smoker leaving a little space between each one to allow for airflow.
How long to smoke chicken wings
Smoking chicken wings will usually take around 2 hours. The most important thing is to cook them until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
But to get crispy skin you'll need to pull them from the smoker about 5-10 degrees shy of that and let them come up to the final temp while they crisp in the oven or grill.
Do pay close attention to the internal temperature using an instant read digital thermometer. Chicken wings can vary quite a bit in size and smaller wings will cook a little quicker.
How to make crispy smoked chicken wings
To get crispy, crackly skin on smoked wings you'll need to expose them to high heat while the fat is rendering out of the meat and skin. A hot oven or grill works best. If it's a hot summer day and I don't want to heat up the house by using the oven, I go with the grill. On the grill you'll also get a little char on the wings for some extra flavor.
My favorite time to make smoked wings is on cooler fall days during football season. They're a perfect game day food. On those days I typically use the oven to crisp them. The oven will get a crispier skin than the grill but you won't have the charred flavor that the grill provides.
When the wings have reached around 155-160°F, preheat your oven or grill to 450°F. Transfer the wings to the oven or grill and finish cooking for another 5-7 minutes until they're reached 165°F and the skin is crispy.
For the oven be sure to use a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet to get the crispiest skin. If using a grill flip the wings occasionally while cooking.
How to serve smoked chicken wings
If we're being honest there's not really a fancy way to serve chicken wings. It's all about digging in with your hands and tearing into the wings. If serving them for guests I typically use a large platter or rimmed baking sheet and serve dipping sauces alongside.
My favorite dipping sauce with these wings is ranch dressing, but barbecue sauce, honey mustard, hot sauce, and blue cheese are good options as well.
Recipe tips and FAQs
Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Reheat leftovers in a toaster oven at 400 degrees until warmed through for the crispiest skin, or in the microwave.
With most chicken wing cooking methods it's key to get the chicken wing skin very dry since you cook with high heat, but with smoked wings you'll be cooking low and slow temperature. This allows us to pack tons of flavor using a wet marinade since the skin has more time to dry as it cooks. But that low and slow cooking can produce tough skin if not done properly.
For crispy skin make sure to keep your smoker temperature even at around 250 to 275°F. At lower temperatures the cook will take longer and the skin will dry out too much. You need the combination of rendering fat and high heat to produce crisp skin.
Pull your wings when they reach an internal temperature of around 155°F.
Then immediately place into a hot oven or grill and cook until they reach 165°F. This last minute dose of high heat will heat the rendering fat and crisp the skin.
If using the oven method set a wire rack in the baking sheet to allow for more air circulation.
Check out my other wings and game day recipes
- Baked Buffalo Wings
- Chili Lime Chicken Wings
- Crispy Baked Lemon Pepper Wings
- Southwestern Chicken Egg Rolls
- Homemade Guacamole and Pico de Gallo
- Spinach Artichoke Dip
📖 Recipe
Crispy Smoked Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 4-5 pounds chicken wings
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 lemons zest and juice
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Marinade
- Add all ingredients except the wings to a mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
- Add chicken wings to a large resealable bag and pour marinade over top. Seal the bag and shake to ensure the wings are well coated. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to overnight.
Wings
- Smoke the wings at 250°F for approximately 2 hours or until the internal temperature reaches around 155-160°F.
- Remove wings to a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet and place in a 450°F oven for 5-7 minutes or longer until they reach and internal temperature of 165°F and the skin is crispy. Alternatively, if you like more char, you can transfer the smoked wings to a grill over medium-high heat and cook for 2-3 minutes per side until they reach the finished temp of 165°F.
* All nutrition information we provide are estimates based on third party calculators. We encourage you to calculate these on your own for accurate results.
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