Our guest poster is The Down & Dirty Chef Dave, making his famous Grilled Buffalo Wings. Truly the easiest chicken wings recipe and with no cleanup! OK, just a little cleanup.
I love buffalo style wings but hate to pay restaurant prices. So I have experimented with grilled buffalo wings at home without the deep frying and have perfected a simple, delicious and easy way to get that buffalo flavor with a hint of crisp, tender wings you’ll love.
What Kind Of Chicken Wings To Buy
I am fortunate enough to have a meat market close to me, actually an incredible indoor farmers market, that sells free range chicken, including buffalo wings.
I will buy five pounds of chicken wings (about 4 dozen) at a time. Not because I’ll be eating 48 wings at one sitting (really, I’ve never eaten that many wings), but if I’m not having a party with guests that can eat all of that, then I can freeze the extra wings. That way I have chicken wings handy when I want them.
Ideally you buy the chicken wings the day of or within a day of making. If not, then you need to freeze the wings until ready to cook for safety reasons.
I’ve found that the store-bought bagged chicken wings typically don’t have as much meat as the ones you buy fresh. So, if you can find a meat market that sells them this way do it.
Or buy the packaged ones at the grocery store in the meat section. You may have to cut the wing tip off as these often are not prepared fully. The frozen bagged chicken wings are typically fully prepared, meaning cut into little drumsticks and wing parts with the tips off.
Can I Freeze Raw Chicken Wings?
Grilled buffalo wings take to freezing well. That way when you want that next round of wings you won’t have to go to the store or buy expensive wings at a restaurant for take out.
Chicken wings can be frozen in a raw state or when they are already sauced and dressed.
We typically freeze the raw wings because I buy the 5-pound bag. I’ll use half the bag, about 24 wings, and freeze the other half.
Put the raw chicken wings in a freezer bag, squeeze out the excess air and seal. When placing in the freezer make sure to squeeze the bag to get the wings in a single or double layer. Otherwise if you toss them in the freezer as a big ball it takes a long time to defrost them.
You can defrost the wings in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight. Or if you stored them in the single or double layer, you should be able to crack them apart. Follow instructions below for grilling from a frozen state.
Can I Freeze Sauced Grilled Buffalo Wings?
You can also freeze the buffalo chicken wings already sauced.
Prepare as directed and then cool completely. Follow same instructions as above for raw wings.
When ready to eat the seasoned buffalo wings, thaw in the refrigerator. Once thawed, place on a baking sheet and reheat at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes or until heated through.
If you don’t have time to defrost, then place frozen wings in a single layer on a baking sheet and reheat at 350 degrees for about 30-35 minutes or until heated all the way through.
Talk about an easy weeknight meal?!
How To Make Grilled Buffalo Wings
Drain any liquid and place chicken wings in a large mixing bowl. Add salt and pepper and ½ of the buffalo wing sauce. Stir until the sauce is covered on all surfaces of the meat.
Heat grill on high, wire brush hot grates to clean them. Dump the bowl of seasoned wings directly on the hot grill. Spread evenly and in one layer with a large spatula (tongs take too long to move each wing by themselves).
I use my professional spatula like the short order cooks use in diners or Waffle House. There’s a reason they have those handy things!
Lower the grill lid and cook until smoke and flames are apparent (3-5 minutes, so don’t leave the grilled buffalo wings and forget them or the wings will burn). You want a nice char before turning.
To turn the wings, use the spatula to scrape under the meat against the grate and shift the wings rotating to the uncharred side being sure to spread evenly. Cover and reduce heat to low or medium, depending on your grill.
Don’t leave for long, maybe another five minutes until smoke and flames are evident. Open and shift the wings again trying to make sure all sides are charred.
You’ll want to flip the wings a few times in the first 10 minutes. Then flip again and lower the grill temperature to low or medium, depending on your grill.
Cover and cook for 10 -15 minutes until clear juices flow from the meat. You still want to flip the wings a couple of times in these last few minutes.
Pop a beer while wings are cooking. Not because it flavors the chicken wings but because you’re the cook, and if you have to stand over the grill then you deserve to treat yourself. You are 21 right?
Never hurts to cut into one of the legs with a knife to be sure they are done. No red juices and you want to see white juicy meat.
Length of time for this final stage depends whether the wings were room temperature or cold from the refrigerator when you started. You’ll have to experiment a few times.
I feel it’s my duty to “experiment” every couple of weeks or so until I perfect my grilled buffalo wings ability. My family happily complies.
How To Cook Frozen Chicken Wings
For frozen grilled buffalo wings, season the same as before, place on the grill, no need to defrost. Add 50% more time to all steps being careful to not leave unattended for too long or you’ll end up with more than a char, the wings will be burned! Lower the heat?
All grills are different and cook at different speeds so be cautious not to over or under cook the wings until you have practiced a couple times first. Practice makes perfect……….or at least that’s what my mom used to say.
How To Serve Grilled Buffalo Wings
Once the buffalo chicken wings are cooked, use your spatula to remove the wings from the grill and return to a clean bowl. Add the balance of the hot wing sauce and stir in until all meat is covered and shiny from the fresh seasoning.
Cover with foil for 10 minutes and then the grilled buffalo wings are ready to eat.
Serve with blue cheese or ranch dressing, celery is optional and plenty of paper towels!
Grilled Buffalo Wings On-The-Go
Grilled buffalo wings are perfect for on-the-go eating. Easy to pack in a lunch box or for lunch at work. No need to refrigerate if eating within 2 hours. Otherwise you’ll want a freezer pack with the chicken wings.
If using the grilled buffalo wings for a picnic or tailgate with outdoor temperatures over 90 degrees, then you’ll want to get the wings on ice within an hour. Those hot temperatures love to play havoc with fresh food. This is where your Yeti comes in handy.
You can place the serving dish on a bed of ice to keep safe. Grilled buffalo wings are great hot or cold, so go for the safety issue first.
You can have the wings prepped and ready to go if grilling at your picnic or tailgate, so a very easy meal or snack to serve.
What’s The Best Thing About Grilled Buffalo Wings?
The best thing about my wing recipe is the value and the preferred flavor of a grilled and not fried product and, of course, the compliments from my family on the tenderness and juicy finished product.
And of course, the ease of preparation, any dinner under 30 minutes is great.
What sets this recipe apart is when the spicy grilled buffalo wings hit your tongue with an explosion of flavor. I think I need to pop open another beer……..
Try Our Other Wing Recipes:
Original Buffalo Chicken Wings Recipe From Anchor Bar
Grilled Buffalo Wings Recipe
This is the easiest grilled buffalo wings recipe you'll find. Our guest poster Dave, The Down & Dirty Chef, keeps steps and ingredients to a minimum. Look for future recipes from Dave.
Ingredients
- 24 chicken wings either drumette or wing part
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 12 ounces wing sauce we usually use Pete's
Instructions
-
Drain any liquid and place chicken wings in a large mixing bowl. Add salt and pepper and ½ of the buffalo wing sauce. Stir until the sauce covers all surfaces of the meat.
-
Heat grill on high, wire brush hot grates to clean them. Dump the bowl of seasoned wings directly on the hot grill. Spread evenly and in one layer with a large spatula (tongs take
too long to move each wing by themselves). -
Lower the grill lid and cook until smoke and flames are apparent, 3-5
minutes, you want a nice char before turning. -
To turn the wings, use the spatula to scrape under the meat against the
grate and shift the wings rotating to the uncharred side being sure to spread
evenly. Cover and reduce heat to medium. -
Don’t leave for long, maybe another five minutes until smoke and flame
are evident. Open and shift the wings again trying to make sure all sides are charred. -
Cover and turn to low for 10 -15 minutes until clear juices flow from the meat. Never hurts to cut into one of the legs with a knife to be sure they are done. No red juices and you want to see white juicy meat.
Length of time for this final stage depends whether the wings were room temperature or cold from the refrigerator when you started. You’ll have to experiment a few times.
-
Add cooked wings to a clean bowl. Pour in the remaining wing sauce, stir and enjoy.
Serve with blue cheese or Ranch dressing and fresh celery.
Recipe Notes
If you don’t have wing sauce then see our post on Buffalo Chicken Slider for a homemade hot buffalo sauce with ingredients you probably already have on hand
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