Chicken wings are a favorite any time of year. Whether it’s for a picnic or tailgating, the wings are the first to go. We take you step by step on how to get the chicken ready, how to season, and finally how to grill the wings to perfection. Grill some and believe us, you won’t have any left. You won’t need any paper napkins, they’re finger-licking good. 😂
It’s in the air…can you feel it?
Football season!
And football season means tailgating. And tailgating = Spicy Barbecued Chicken Wings!
Chicken Wing Season
This is the time when normal {whatever that is} people turn into raving fanatics!
They decide to cheer their team on by celebrating in style with over-the-top food while coordinating their clothes in their team’s colors.
Babies get paraded around dressed in team inspired rompers or onesies while fashion conscious women throw caution to the wind and proudly sport their team’s trademarked sweats and hoodies.
Tailgating can be as simple as bringing a picnic basket or as elaborate as a Green Egg {a high-end grill } in the back of a pickup ready to start:
- brisket
- ribs
- burgers
- drunken chicken
- or our recipe for spicy barbecued chicken wings slathered with our delicious Spicy Bourbon Barbecue Sauce.
This tasty chicken wings recipe doesn’t take that long and the wings are full of flavor even though they’re not fried.
Preparing the chicken for the grill
For this step, your most important tool is a good sharp knife!
- First, we trim the chicken wings by cutting off the tip.
- Second, the extra skin on the edge.
- Third, the center membrane between the two arm pieces comes.
- Fourth, the little pocket of fat/skin off of the miniature drumstick.
Ecco!! We’re done with the preparation.
Seasoning the Chicken Wings
We’re now ready to season the wings with All Our Way Seasoning and Rub.
We aren’t selfish with the seasoning! To make sure that the seasoning covers every bit of the wing, we use our hands to rub it in. After all, it is called a rub. 😉
Then we let the wings rest in the fridge for several hours absorbing the delicious spices into the skin and meat.
It’s almost like the wings are in a cool spa basking and absorbing the tasty herbs and spices.🛁
Starting the grill and cooking the chicken wings
We start our grill with our chimney and wait until the temp reaches 350 F.
Once the grill is ready the Grillmaster places the wings outer side down.
Don’t ask why! 🤔 That’s just one of Honey’s “isms”.
After 15 minutes he turns the wings onto the other side. The Grillmaster waits 5 minutes more, then paints on the first coat of the Spicy Bourbon Barbecue Sauce.
The chicken wings stay on the heat for an additional 10 minutes so the total grilling time is 30 minutes.
We take the wings off of the heat then place them on a platter with the unpainted side up.
Then we paint that side with the Bourbon Barbecue Sauce. We cover them with aluminum foil and let them rest for about five minutes.
It’s now time to MANGIA!{EAT!}
But before you grab that wing *shhhh* just between us what are you going to wear at the next game? 🙂

SPICY BARBECUED CHICKEN WINGS
Ingredients
- 3 lbs chicken wings cleaned and trimmed
- 2 tbsp rub seasoning
- 1/4 cup bourbon barbecue sauce or favorite sauce
Instructions
- Be sure to have a sharp knife. Start with the first three steps.
- Go one to the next three steps.
- Now you are ready to use our rub seasoning or your favorite seasoning.
- Prepare the grill to 350 F. according to directions linked on the post. Place the outside part of the wing down first. Cook for 15 minutes.
- Turn the wings and cook for 5 minutes. Then slather the first coat of the barbecue sauce on the turned wings. Cook for 10 more minutes.
- This will be a total of 30 minutes. Take the wings off the grill and place on a platter-- baste the bourbon barbecue sauce on the side that wasn't basted. Cover with aluminum foil and let rest for about 5 minutes.
Nutrition
Note: Recipes and content from All Our Way ©2014 are copyright protected. Please do not use content or recipe without prior written permission. If you want to share the information please link to this post. Thank you.
SaveSave
Claire | The Simple, Sweet Life says
This is such a great step-by-step guide to barbecuing chicken wings! We broke out our little grill for the first time this season, so we’re definitely ready for some tasting grilling recipes.
Saima says
What a great post on barbecuing chicken wings! Love the detailed, step by step pictures and instructions on how to prep the wings. The final dish looks so moist and appetizing too!
Lorie says
I’m actually a bigger fan of grilled chicken wings than fried. Love the flavor so much more. And anything and everything with bbq sauce is always a big hit in our house so these are gonna be a big win!
Tammy says
I would love these with a bourbon sauce! Love the heat to these…they sound delicious!
Kylie | Midwest Foodie says
I LOVE the step by step process shots! It makes me feel like I could confidently make this recipe. Going to try it the next time my husband has friends over for poker night!
Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer says
Oh how I love step by step instructions WITH pictures! I do the same thing and save my wing tips in the freezer. When I need to make bone broth I’ll pop them into the instant pot with veggies and in no time I have broth. But this recipe… those wings look lip-smackin’ good!
Marisa Franca says
Thank you, Lori! Love those wings for bbq’s, picnics, and tailgaiting. Bone broth is great and you have the right idea. xoxo
Veronika's Kitchen says
My hubby is such a big fan of chicken wings! When I don’t know what to cook, he always asks for chicken wings 😉 Love your idea with rub and BBQ sauce and will try it this week!
Marisa Franca says
Your Hubby will love it!!
Denise says
I love the step by step! Thank you for showing that. The flavors in the barbecue sounds so delicious, I have to try it one of these days!
Aleta says
Wow thanks for showing us how to cut wings properly, so helpful! I like my wings with a sweet sauce but my husband LOVES spicy wings.. I’ll be trying this recipe out on him for sure!
Nicoletta De Angelis Nardelli says
What a great step by step! My husband would devour these chicken wings! 🙂
Marisa Franca says
Ciao! The males in our family do devour those wings the minute they’re able to eat them.
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy says
YES grilling season is here. We LOVE wings…and these look finger licking good. Now I can grill pizzas and wings…bring on the beer and wine!!
Colleen says
This recipe is making me crave wings. We usually do a wing night out with friends, but now I want to make them on the grill at home. Thanks!
Natalie says
My kid is such a huge fan of chicken wings. Well we all are. I always look for new ways and new recipes to surprise my boys. This recipe sounds so delicious. I bet my boys will enjoy these wings very much.
Amanda says
What a fantastic tutorial, Marisa! My friends devour chicken wings and I know that a platter of these at our next picnic or game watch would be gone within minutes. I love that you’ve grilled them instead of baking or frying. They must have such great flavor! Will definitely be putting these into our grilling menu rotation.
Donna says
I am so with you, grilled chicken wings are so much better than the fried version. You get all the flavor without the bloated belly afterwards 🙂 I also really appreciate all these prep tips, my hubby is a big wing fan since moving to the US, but they are totally new to me so I sometimes feel like a fish out of water preparing them!
Leslie-Anne says
I adore grilling wings but don’t do it nearly enough – thanks for the inspiration! I like how you let them rest under foil – I bet they get all sticky and delicious while they are resting.
Carmy says
I love bbq chicken wings for the summer time. There’s something so fun about bringing out the grill and tossing some wings on it. My partner loves spicy foods and I love wings so this is perfect for us. Love the step by step on removing the fatty skin on the chicken – a step I always forget!
Dana says
Chicken wings are such a wonderful thing. I grew up just outside of Buffalo, NY (on the Canadian side) and, needless to say, my father and I are total chicken wing snobs. Haha. When I moved to Raleigh, NC, I was extremely worried about the wings, but I managed to find a place that does the Buffalo wing justice.
It’s great when you can make them at home, though. And grilled wings are really, really tasty. Your sauce sounds finger-lickin’ good!
Leah says
I love chicken wings, but I don’t think I have ever cooked them on the grill! And why not? I totally should! Thanks for the great and tasty inspiration for this one, can’t wait to try them!
Julia says
What a great tutorial with so many tips. I did not know about the skin and the membranes. We actually only attempted grilled wings ones and I think they didn’t work because we didn’t prep the wings correctly as you described. So, thank you for your detailed instructions and photos!
Sarah says
I love that these are grilled and not fried! We aren’t big tailgaters, but the hubs LOVES chicken wings. Especially spicy ones. And you make preparing them look so easy!
Marisa Franca says
Hi, Sarah! The males in our family are wing experts — the fried and grilled variety. They all bragged about how good they were. I’m sure you’ll all enjoy it.
Gloria says
Well don’t these looks delicious. You can never go wrong with wings…no matter how you cook them. Getting hubby to grill them sounds like a plan to me. These are always a hit at parties….and never last long either!!
Marisa Franca says
Thank you, Gloria!! They are good and finger food is always a huge hit!!
Lisa says
You’re right about football season and tailgating – some of my friends going absolutely ga-ga with outfits, banners and of course food. The food is the one part of that equation I can get behind and your wings and homemade sauce sound ah-mazing. Thank you for the tutorial on how to prep the wings. I usually get the “party packs” at Costco, which are already broken down, but have also gotten them at the grocery — and have had to figure it out myself. Your instructions are helpful!
Marisa Franca says
Hi, Lisa!! The wings are really easy to do. Hubby taught me how years ago but since he’s retired he takes over the meat side of the meal.
Cathleen @ A Taste of Madness says
To be honest, I am not really a huge fan of chicken wings. But you may be out to change my mind, because these look pretty good!
Ciao Chow Linda says
You did a great job with your instructions. Now if only you could instruct us not to gobble that whole platter! They look so tempting.
Pat says
Hi Marisa!
Thanks for commenting on my profile on Blogging Grandmothers! I’ve always loved your blog and recipes! These wongs all look fabulous!
Jovina says
Looks like you are almost ready for the holiday weekend. Hope you have good weather.
Jenn says
The chicken prep tips and process shots here are awesome and make the process way easier! Thank you!! Great recipe/guide!
April says
Thanks for all the details for prepping the chicken – turned out great!