Smoked Chicken Wings

5 from 24 votes

You're going to love the juicy meat and smoky flavor of my Smoked Chicken Wings. Tender chicken with a hint of cherry wood will make these crispy smoked chicken wings a hit at your next barbecue.

Prep Time5

Cook Time1

Total Time1 5

Course: Appetiser, Entree

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 287kcal

Author: Chef Ryan Littley

Equipment

Smoker
wood chips
aluminum pan

Ingredients

2 pounds chicken wings
2 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional - more or less depending on taste
1 cup barbecue sauce optional - use your favorite brand of sauce or my easy no-cook bbq sauce.

Instructions

Add your favorite wood chips to the smoker and preheat it to 250 degrees F.
Add the seasonings to a small bowl and mix to fully combine.
Pat the chicken wings dry with paper towels.
Spread the dry rub generously over the chicken, making sure to season all sides of the wing for a well-balanced flavor.
For maximum flavor, let the seasoned chicken set for 30 minutes to give the seasonings time to penetrate the chicken and marinate it with the flavors. This also gives the chicken wings time to come to room temperature prior to putting it in the smoker.
*This step gives the rub time to soak into the skin and meat, but if you're in a hurry it can be skipped.
Place the seasoned chicken in a shallow foil pan and place the pan on a shelf in the preheated smoker and cook the chicken wings for 60 -75 minutes or until an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees is reached.
*Alternatively, you can place the chicken directly on the rack in the smoker, placing a drip pan on the rack below the chicken. Slather the chicken in my easy no-cook barbecue sauce or your favorite brand of sauce.
Slather with your favorite bbq sauce, or use my easy semi-homemade barbecue sauce recipe to perk up your favorite sauce.

Notes

Other seasonings you could add are cumin, chili powder, dry oregano, ground ginger, turmeric, and coriander. You can also use your favorite seasoning blend. Cajun seasoning, Jerk seasoning, Barbecue seasoning, and Old Bay seasoning can be used instead of making your own dry rub. You can also add brown sugar to the seasonings to make a sweet rub.

For heat, cayenne pepper is usually the best way to kick up the flavor of your smoked chicken legs. But be careful because a little can go a long way.

*Use a digital meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the drumstick to make sure the internal temperature of the chicken legs is at least 165 degrees.

Nutrition