This post is sponsored by Foster Farms Air Chilled Chicken but the content and opinions expressed here are my own
The perfect crispy grilled chicken wings without all of the oil!
These crispy grilled chicken wings are simple, easy, and delicious! The wings are seasoned beautifully with the homemade spice rub, made of basic pantry ingredients. The meat is so tender and moist on the inside while crispy on the outside. It’s the perfect crispy chicken wings recipe without all of the oil and deep-frying!
In this post, you will learn how to get crispy skin on grilled chicken wings that taste just like or even better than deep-fried wings! These wings are made with very little oil, meaning fewer calories.
Jump to:
This is the ultimate chicken wings recipe for home grillers to make all summer long. It’s also a great chicken recipe for any weeknight dinner throughout the year.
Buffalo chicken wings taste great and are quite popular but I think it’s time to try something new with this recipe. These chicken wings are seasoned with a unique spice blend that you can easily find in your pantry or local grocers.
Now, let’s talk about how I seasoned the wings.
What Makes These Grilled Chicken Wings Taste Great?
These chicken wings taste great because of the seasoning and the good quality meat. The homemade seasoning or rub spice is made of black peppercorn, five-spice powder, cumin, coriander, garlic powder, brown sugar, salt, and oil.
This combination of spices adds complex flavors to the wings, yet does not overpower them. It just has a nice balance of saltiness, sweetness, with both peppery and smoky flavors.
In this recipe, I used Foster Farm’s new Simply Raised Air-Chilled Chicken as the star ingredient. Air-chilling is a method for cooling chicken during processing, which results in benefits that include better taste and texture, and faster cooking time. Since excess water is not absorbed during air-chilling (in comparison to water-chilled chicken,) the natural juices in the air-chilled chicken are not diluted and the texture is unaltered. This leads to more flavorful and tender pieces of meat.
You can learn more about the Foster Farm’s new Simply Raised Air-Chilled Chicken here.
Crisp the Chicken With Baking Powder:
I added baking powder as a secret ingredient to achieve truly crispy and restaurant-style chicken wings without deep frying. It’s the same baking powder that people us as a leavening agent in baked goods.
By combining baking powder and salt, it helps break down the protein and draws out the moisture in the wings’ skin. As a result, the skin will be crispy while the meat remains moist. Please note, do not substitute baking powder with baking soda as it will make the chicken taste bad when used in excessive amounts or cooked too long at high temperatures.
Another important note is to use baking powder without sodium aluminum sulfate to eliminate the possibility of any unwanted metallic tastes.
CHECK OUT MORE DELICIOUS CHICKEN RECIPES:
- HEALTHY BAKED CHICKEN TENDERS (AKA CHICKEN STRIPS)
- CHICKEN SHAWARMA (OVEN-ROASTED + INSTANT POT INSTRUCTIONS) – WITH VIDEO 🎥
- OVEN-BAKED CHICKEN BREAST (SO TENDER AND JUICY!)
- HARISSA CHICKEN RECIPE – WITH RECIPE VIDEO 🎥
- CREAMY CHICKEN MARSALA
- MEDITERRANEAN ROAST CHICKEN WITH VEGGIES
- INSTANT POT GARLIC PARMESAN CHICKEN WINGS (NINJA FOODI + OVEN-BAKED INSTRUCTIONS)
- DRY RUB CHICKEN WINGS (OVEN-BAKED/INSTANT POT/NINJA FOODI)
- INSTANT POT CHICKEN WINGS WITH BUFFALO SAUCE
Here are some important steps to follow to make this recipe work:
- Drying. Make sure to pat dry the chicken wings before mixing them with seasoning and baking powder.
- Marinating. Arrange the chicken wings on a prepared baking sheet and chill in the fridge for at least 8 hours or up to overnight. You want to chill them uncovered, so be sure to put in the safest place in the fridge, away from fresh produce to avoid cross-contamination. If you don’t have enough space in the fridge, feel free to marinate in an airtight container or a large zip-lock bag.
- Let it sit out. Make sure to bring the wings close to room temperature for about 15 minutes before cooking.
Can You Bake These Chicken Wings?
Of course! You can bake these chicken wings in the oven at 425F or even use any kitchen gadgets, such as air fryer or an electric pressure cooker.
Whatever cooking method you choose, this chicken wing recipe will never fail you!
I hope you’ll enjoy this recipe. Click here to access the coupon so you can save on next Foster Farms simply raised chicken purchase.
Crispy Grilled Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Foster Farms Simply Raised Party Wings
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp five-spice powder
- ¾ tbsp ground cumin
- ¾ tbsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp fresh whole black peppercorns (crushed)
- 2 tsp kosher salt (or use ¼ tsp less salt per 2 pounds of chicken if you are salt-sensitive)
Instructions
Preparation:
- Remove wings from the package, thoroughly pat them dry with paper towels.
- Crush the peppercorn seeds with a mortar and pestle or knife or the bottom edge of the heavy-duty pot or grinder.
Make the Spice Rub:
- In a small bowl, add five-spice powder, ground cumin, coriander, baking powder, brown sugar, vegetable oil, garlic powder, crushed black peppercorn, and kosher salt. Mix well.
Season the Chicken and Marinate:
- Place the party wings into a ziplock bag or large mixing bowl, add the marinade seasoning. Massage the seasoning all over the party wings.
- Put the wings in a single-layer prepared baking sheet in your fridge, uncovered for at least 8 hours and up to overnight (preferably).Be sure to put in the safest place in the fridge, away from fresh produce to avoid cross-contamination. If you don't have enough space in the fridge, feel free to marinate in an airtight container or a large zip-lock bag.
Grill the Chicken Wings:
- Remove the wings from the fridge. Make sure to bring the wings close to the room temperature for about 15 minutes before cooking.
- Preheat the grill over medium heat. Oil grill grates with vegetable oil or cooking spray. Add wings and then grill, flipping the wings every 5 minutes for a total of 20-25 minutes of cooking time or until no longer pink. Insert the meat thermometer into the thickest area of the wing being careful to avoid the bone. If the wings are below the minimum safe internal temperature of 165 °F, return to the grill.
Dannii
oooh these look super crispy and delicious. Great game day food.
Beth
Yum! These are making my mouth water! I can’t wait to make these!
Anjali
I love that these chicken wings are grilled and not fried!! They taste delicious but are so much better for you!
Ashley
I cannot believe I grilled these, and they were as crispy as frying/baking with baking powder!! YUM!
Tawnie Kroll
These were so crispy and delicious. Thank you for a yummy recipe!!
Rika Livingston
I am so glad that you enjoyed this recipe, Tawnie!
Rika Livingston
I am glad that this grilled chicken wings recipe turned out well for you!
Rika Livingston
Agreed! Thanks for sharing your feedback!
Rika Livingston
They are so tasty! Enjoy!
Susan F
Delicious and easy! I quadrupled the recipe for a Labor Day BBQ and seasoned the wings with the spice rub for 24 hours before grilling time. After cooking, we tossed some with a sauce made from melted butter, dehydrated onions & garlic and Franks Red Hot sauce for those that liked their wings spicier. They were a big hit. The few that were leftover reheated nicely in the toaster oven the next day. Thanks, Rika.
Rika Livingston
Hi Susan,
I appreciate you sharing your feedback! I am glad that this worked out for you and especially for a holiday barbeque. The sauce sounds really good, I have a huge bottle of Franks in my kitchen and will have to try your combination. Thanks again, Susan!