Chicken wings are classic food. They are finger-licking good—be it on the grill, oven-baked, or deep-fried in hot oil, but some wings are better than others. If you’re looking to up your game, you need to try these Smoked Chicken Wings! Ever since we invested in a Traeger pellet grill, my husband has been experimenting with different cuts of meat and discovered that wings taste incredibly amazing when smoked! The wings come out with a crispy exterior while retaining perfect juiciness within, and the heavenly smoky flavor makes everything so much better. You won’t want to stop eating! Today’s recipe is a smoker version of our family’s favorite Teba Shio (Salted Chicken Wing). In addition to the salt and black pepper seasoning, we also shared a spicy soy glaze with an amazing kick. If you have a smoker or planning on getting one, go forth and make these wings.
Why You Should Smoke Chicken Wings
Super crispy! Once you tried these wings, you may not go back to regular oven wings. Easy and less cleaning. Outdoor cooking is great. No smoke, smell, or heat in the house. And the cleaning is a lot simpler. Unbelievably easy! The wings require only a short marinating time and simple seasonings. Cooking them in the smoker is straightforward and easy. We love it as one of our lazy meals, especially on perfect outdoor cooking days.
Two Seasoning Variations
Salt and Pepper Smoked Chicken Wings are our go-to flavor because our whole family enjoys them. It’s the same recipe for Teba Shio (Salted Chicken Wings), but instead of broiling in the oven, we cook it in the smoker. Broiling in the oven emits smoke, but outdoor smoking has no such issue. Smoked Chicken Wings with Spicy Soy Glaze are lightly salted and coated with a savory glaze for the final touch. This slightly sweet, spicy, and salty glaze is phenomenal. These flavors are a fun and tasty change to BBQ sauce, buffalo sauce, dry rub, ranch, and blue cheese dressing for smoked wings.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Chicken wings – I use organic chicken wings (smaller but delicious). Sake – This is Japanese rice wine and the most important ingredient for this recipe. It can be found at major liquor stores. Learn more here. Salt – I always use Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt. Black pepper – I use Premium Coarse Ground Black Pepper (16 Mesh) for smoking and BBQ. Glaze: soy sauce, sake, mirin, and red pepper flakes.
How to Make Smoked Chicken Wings
3 Tips for Making the Best Smoked Chicken Wings
Soak the wings in sake – This is the most important tip for chicken wings. Sake helps to remove the chicken’s gamey odor; you can also use Chinese rice wine or dry sherry. Season the chicken wings with a generous amount of salt – For salt and pepper chicken wings, salt and pepper are the main seasonings. Keep in mind to “generously” sprinkle. Smoke at 450ºF (232ºC) – Many smoked wings recipes recommend smoking at a much lower temperature (225-250°F or 107-121ºC) for 1-1.5 hours. This yields a nice smoky flavor due to cooking for a long time, but it can result in rubbery skin. Some recommend switching to a higher temperature (425-450ºF or 218-232ºC) at the end to make the skin crispy. For the Japanese-style chicken wings, we realized that smoking at 450ºF (232ºC) for 45-50 minutes gives the perfect wings we like, just enough smoky flavor with super crispy skin that gives the crunch sound.
Cooking Tip: How do we know if the chicken wings are completely cooked? Use an instant-read thermometer to ensure they are cooked to a safe internal temperature of 165ºF (74ºC).
Sake Pairing with Sho Chiku Bai Premium Ginjo
We love serving Japanese sake with food since it works with various dishes. One of our favorite go-to is Sho Chiku Bai Premium Ginjo Sake. This ginjo sake is fermented from Calrose rice and polished to 50%, so it’s very smooth and easy to drink. It’s a great starter sake for anyone who hasn’t tried many sakes before. With its delicate and fruity flavors, Sho Chiku Bai Premium Ginjo Sake is perfect for drinking chilled on warm summer days with finger foods like smoked chicken wings. The fruity flavor contrasts well with salt and pepper wings and the spicy soy glaze ones. It also works as a palate cleanser, so you can enjoy both wings fully. We’ve paired this versatile sake with seafood and okara in the past, and it’s worked wonderfully, so feel free to explore your own food pairings.
More Smoked Recipes You’ll Enjoy
Smoked Baby Back Ribs In Traeger Inspired By Franklin BBQ Smoked Wagyu Brisket Smoked Tri-Tip With Stovetop Smoker Reverse Sear Steak on Traeger with Smoked Garlic Smoked Baby Back Ribs
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on August 3, 2022. It was republished with more information on July 30, 2024.
