Irresistible Asian-Style Grilled Chicken Wings: Your Ultimate Recipe Guide for Flavorful Backyard BBQ
Prepare to elevate your grilling game with these incredibly delicious Asian-style grilled chicken wings! Moving beyond the traditional, this recipe introduces a unique two-part flavor system: a savory dry rub applied first for ultimate crispiness and a foundational taste, followed by a vibrant, umami-rich Asian glaze that caramelizes beautifully on the grill. We’ll be utilizing both direct and indirect heat methods on your Weber Kettle grill, a technique that ensures perfectly cooked, tender meat with an irresistibly crispy skin and a sticky, flavorful exterior. While this approach involves a few more steps than a simple Buffalo wing, the layers of flavor and texture you achieve are absolutely worth every bit of effort. Get ready to impress your friends and family with a dish that’s truly a cut above the rest!
Why These Asian-Style Grilled Chicken Wings Will Be Your New Favorite
There are countless reasons to fall in love with this particular grilled chicken wing recipe. It’s not just about cooking; it’s about crafting an experience that delights the senses and creates memorable moments.
- Unmatched Flavor and Texture Fusion – What truly sets these wings apart is the remarkable interplay between the initial dry rub and the finishing Asian glaze. The rub penetrates the chicken, developing a deeply savory, crispy crust when grilled indirectly. Then, the sweet, tangy, and spicy glaze is brushed on, creating a sticky, caramelized layer that clings to every bite. The “mouthfeel” of biting through that luscious, glazed exterior into the perfectly seasoned, tender chicken is simply heavenly and exquisitely satisfying. It’s a delightful journey of textures and an explosion of balanced flavors.
- The Ultimate Crowd-Pleaser and Party Food – Let’s be honest, chicken wings are synonymous with good times! They are the quintessential finger food, perfect for any social gathering. Imagine devouring wing after wing at a lively backyard barbecue, cheering on your favorite team at a tailgate, or enjoying a casual evening with friends and family. These Asian-style wings bring an exciting twist to a beloved classic, making them an instant hit and conversation starter. Who could ask for anything more? Seriously, nothing beats the pure joy of eating wings!
- Masterful Grilling Technique – This recipe guides you through a two-zone grilling method on your Weber Kettle, a technique often used by BBQ professionals. Starting with indirect heat ensures the chicken cooks through evenly, renders fat for crispier skin, and absorbs the rub’s flavors without burning. Finishing with direct heat provides that coveted smoky char and caramelizes the glaze to perfection, locking in moisture and adding another layer of complexity. This method results in wings that are tender on the inside, crispy on the outside, and incredibly flavorful.
- Simple Yet Sophisticated – While the flavor profile is gourmet, the steps are straightforward and easy to follow. We’ve broken down each part of the process, from preparing the wings to creating the glaze and mastering the grill, making it accessible for home cooks of all skill levels. You’ll gain confidence in grilling and create a dish that tastes like it came from a high-end restaurant.
Essential Ingredients for Our Asian-Style Grilled Chicken Wings
Crafting these delectable wings requires two main components: a flavorful dry rub and an irresistible Asian-inspired glaze. Here’s a detailed look at what you’ll need:
Ingredients for the Chicken Wing Rub:
- 3 pounds chicken wings and drumettes (approximately 15 wings): We refer to the combined flats and drumettes simply as “chicken wings” throughout this recipe. Opt for fresh, high-quality wings for the best results. If frozen, ensure they are fully thawed and dried thoroughly.
- ¾ cup chicken wing rub (plain chicken rub works well too): A good quality dry rub forms the base flavor. Look for blends with savory notes like garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and a touch of salt and pepper. If you don’t have a specific chicken wing rub, a general poultry rub or even a homemade mix of these basic spices will do wonders. The rub creates a delicious crust and a layer of savory goodness before the glaze is even applied.
- 2 tablespoons corn starch: This is our secret ingredient for extra crispy skin! Cornstarch, when mixed with the rub, creates a super fine, porous coating that helps draw out moisture from the chicken skin during grilling, resulting in an incredibly crunchy texture. It’s a technique often used in Asian frying, now adapted for the grill.
Ingredients for the Asian Glaze:
- 2 cups hoisin sauce: The backbone of our Asian glaze, hoisin sauce brings a rich, sweet, and savory umami depth. Its thick consistency also helps the glaze adhere beautifully to the wings.
- 1 ½ cups soy sauce: Essential for adding salty, umami notes and further complexity to the glaze. For a gluten-free option, tamari can be substituted.
- ½ cup honey: Contributes natural sweetness, helps the glaze achieve that desirable sticky texture, and promotes beautiful caramelization on the grill.
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar: Provides a crucial acidic component that balances the sweetness and richness of the other ingredients, adding a bright tang that elevates the entire flavor profile.
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic: Aromatic and pungent, fresh minced garlic is fundamental to many Asian dishes, lending a robust, savory kick.
- 2 tablespoons minced ginger: Fresh minced ginger adds a warm, spicy, and fragrant counterpoint to the garlic, completing the classic Asian aromatic duo.
- 2 tablespoons crunchy chili oil: For those who appreciate a kick, crunchy chili oil offers both heat and a delightful textural element, with crispy bits of garlic and chili. Adjust the amount to your preferred spice level.
- 2 green onions, thinly diced: Used primarily as a fresh garnish, green onions add a mild oniony flavor and a beautiful pop of color, enhancing the presentation of your finished wings.
Mastering the Grill: Step-by-Step for Perfect Asian-Style Chicken Wings
Achieving truly epic grilled chicken wings involves a careful balance of preparation and precision grilling. Follow these steps for crispy, juicy, and incredibly flavorful results:
1. Set up your Weber Kettle for indirect smoking – This is a critical first step for even cooking. Begin by filling your charcoal chimney fire starter with enough charcoal briquettes to cover the bottom of the chimney. Light the charcoal and allow it to heat until it’s mostly ash-gray and glowing red (this usually takes about 15-20 minutes). Once ready, carefully empty the hot charcoal onto the center of your Weber Kettle’s charcoal grate. Using long grill tongs, move the charcoal to both sides of the kettle, creating two equal piles. This creates a “two-zone” fire: indirect heat in the center and direct heat over the coals. Add three more fresh charcoal briquettes to the top of each pile of hot coals. Place the cooking grate on top, close the lid, and allow the grill to preheat to a steady temperature of around 350-375°F (175-190°C) for at least 10-15 minutes.
2. Prepare the chicken wings with the dry rub – While your grill is preheating, prepare your chicken. Pat the chicken wings dry thoroughly with paper towels. Removing excess moisture is crucial for achieving that desirable crispy skin. In a medium-sized bowl, combine your chosen chicken wing rub with the cornstarch. Mix well until the cornstarch is evenly distributed throughout the rub. Place each wing individually into the bowl and roll it in the rub, ensuring the entire chicken wing is completely covered. Don’t be shy; a good, even coating is key to flavor and crispiness. Once coated, you can let them sit at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes while the grill finishes preheating, allowing the rub to adhere better and the chicken to lose some of its chill.
3. Initial indirect grilling – Once your Weber Kettle is at temperature, carefully place the rubbed chicken wings in the center of the grill grate, directly over the indirect heat zone (between the two charcoal piles). Close the lid immediately to maintain the heat. Grill indirectly for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, open the lid, and using tongs, flip all the chicken wings over. Close the lid and grill indirectly for another 20 minutes. Throughout this process, monitor your grill’s temperature. If you notice any wings getting too dark or if there are hot spots, rotate the chicken wings away from the direct heat of the coals as needed. If your grill temperature drops significantly, you may add a few more charcoal briquettes to both piles to maintain consistent heat, using the hinged grilling grate for ease.
4. While the chicken wings are grilling, prepare the Asian glaze – While your wings are doing their initial cook on the grill, you can prepare the exquisite Asian glaze. In a medium-sized saucepan, combine all the glaze ingredients: hoisin sauce, soy sauce, honey, apple cider vinegar, minced garlic, minced ginger, and crunchy chili oil. Whisk them together until well combined. Place the saucepan over medium-low heat on your stovetop and bring the mixture to a low simmer, stirring occasionally. Allow it to simmer gently for about 5-7 minutes, or until the glaze has slightly thickened and the flavors have melded. Keep it warm until you are ready to use it for brushing the wings.
5. Brush the chicken wings with the warm glaze – After the initial 40 minutes of indirect grilling, your wings should be nearly cooked through and have a nice crispy exterior from the rub and cornstarch. Now it’s time to add that incredible Asian flavor. While the wings are still on the indirect heat zone of the grill, generously brush each chicken wing with the warm glaze, ensuring every surface is completely coated. Close the lid and grill for 5 minutes, allowing the glaze to set and caramelize. Then, open the lid, flip the wings, and brush another generous layer of glaze onto the other side. Close the lid again and grill for another 5 minutes. This double-glazing technique builds layers of flavor and a beautiful, sticky finish. Be careful not to overcook or burn the glaze, as honey can quickly scorch.
6. Move the chicken wings over the charcoal pile for extra char and crispiness – This final step is where the magic happens, adding a smoky char and ultimate crispiness. After glazing, use your grill tongs to carefully move the chicken wings from the indirect zone directly over the hot charcoal piles on the sides of the Weber Kettle grill grate. This is for direct grilling and a quick sear. This high heat will create a beautiful char, crisp up any remaining skin, and further caramelize the glaze, imparting a delicious smoky finish. This step is quick and requires constant attention: it should take about a minute per side. Watch the chicken wings carefully, flipping them frequently to prevent burning. You want a nice char, not black, burnt spots. Once you achieve that perfect balance of crispy skin and rich char, remove your precious, hard-earned yumminess from the grill and let them rest for a few minutes before serving. Garnish with the thinly diced green onions for a fresh finish.
Creative Variations and Smart Substitutions for Asian-Style Chicken Wings
This recipe provides a fantastic foundation, but don’t hesitate to get creative! Here are some ideas to customize your Asian-style chicken wings to your taste and available ingredients:
- Experiment with other cuts of chicken or poultry – The beauty of this chicken wing rub and Asian glaze combination is its versatility. It’s not limited to just wings! You can apply this same incredible flavor profile to almost any other cut of chicken, such as boneless breasts, juicy thighs, drumsticks, or even whole chicken leg quarters. For larger cuts, you might consider marinating them in the rub for a few hours before grilling and adjusting grilling times accordingly (ensure internal temperature reaches safe levels). This recipe also works wonderfully with other poultry. Imagine succulent turkey legs or breasts infused with these flavors, or even a whole Cornish game hen, providing a more elegant presentation.
- Mix up the ingredients in the glaze for new flavor profiles – While hoisin sauce forms a rich and reliable base for our chicken wing glaze, the world of Asian sauces offers endless possibilities. Any other deep, richly flavored Asian sauce can be used as a substitute or combined with hoisin. Consider using plum sauce for a sweeter, fruitier note; oyster sauce for a richer, more savory depth; duck sauce for its tangy and sweet complexity; Kung Pao sauce for a spicier, nutty kick; orange sauce for bright citrus notes; sweet chili sauce for a milder heat with sweetness; General Tso’s sauce for a classic takeout flavor; or teriyaki sauce for a more traditional Japanese-inspired taste. Feel free to adjust the honey, vinegar, and chili oil to balance the flavors of your chosen base sauce.
- Infuse a smoky flavor with soaked wood chips – If you desire an extra layer of complexity and a subtle smoky aroma, integrating wood chips into your grilling process is a fantastic idea. For this recipe, consider using fruitwoods like apple or cherry, which impart a milder, sweeter smoke that complements the Asian flavors beautifully. Hickory or pecan can also be used for a more robust smoky character. To use them, soak a handful of wood chunks or wood chips in water for at least 30 minutes (this prevents them from burning too quickly). Once the charcoal is set up for indirect grilling, simply place the soaked wood chips directly on top of your hot charcoal piles. They will smolder slowly, releasing aromatic smoke that will subtly perfume your chicken wings during the indirect grilling phase.
- Spice it up or mellow it out – Adjust the amount of crunchy chili oil or add a pinch of cayenne pepper to the rub if you prefer more heat. For a milder version, omit the chili oil and use a sweet chili sauce in the glaze instead.
Pro Tips and Clever Tricks for Grilling Perfect Chicken Wings
Elevate your grilling game with these invaluable tips and tricks, designed to make your Asian-style chicken wings perfect every time:
- Utilize a Weber Kettle hinged grilling grate – This simple accessory is an absolute game-changer, especially for longer cooks or multi-zone grilling. The hinged portions on both sides of the grill grate lift up easily, allowing you to add more charcoal briquettes or soaked wood chips whenever needed without having to remove the entire hot cooking grate. This maintains consistent heat and smoke, preventing temperature fluctuations and making your grilling process much more efficient and enjoyable.
- Knowing when your chicken wings are perfectly done – While a standard safe internal temperature for chicken is 165°F (74°C), dark meat cuts like chicken wings often taste significantly better when cooked to a slightly higher temperature, around 175°F (80°C). This is because chicken wings, particularly the drumettes, contain a lot of connective tissue. Cooking them to 175°F allows this connective tissue to fully break down and dissolve into gelatin, resulting in a much more tender, succulent, and less chewy texture. Always use a reliable meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a drumette, avoiding the bone, to accurately check for doneness.
- The magic of cornstarch in the rub – Drawing a page from traditional Asian cooking techniques, the addition of cornstarch to your chicken wing rub is a brilliant trick for achieving an exceptionally crispy and crackling coating. When heated, cornstarch helps to create a delicate, super-fine, porous crust on the chicken skin by absorbing and evaporating moisture more effectively than the rub alone. This gives our chicken wings a more pronounced crispy and crunchy base, which is eagerly ready to accept and enhance the sticky Asian glaze, ensuring maximum textural satisfaction.
- Don’t overcrowd the grill – Give your wings space! Placing too many wings on the grill at once can lower the grill’s temperature and inhibit proper air circulation, leading to steaming rather than crisping. Cook in batches if necessary, ensuring there’s at least an inch of space between each wing.
- Let them rest – Once off the grill, allow your finished wings to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, resulting in even juicier and more tender wings.
Serving Suggestions for Your Asian-Style Grilled Chicken Wings
These flavorful wings are fantastic on their own, but pairing them with the right sides can elevate the meal. Consider serving them with:
- Fluffy steamed jasmine rice or a savory fried rice.
- Cool and refreshing Asian-inspired coleslaw with a sesame-ginger dressing.
- Blanched or stir-fried green beans or broccoli.
- A light cucumber and sesame salad.
- Fresh cilantro and extra thinly sliced green onions for garnish.
- Lime wedges for a bright squeeze of citrus.
- A side of extra crunchy chili oil for those who like more heat!
Storage and Reheating
Leftover Asian-style grilled chicken wings, if any, can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. To reheat and maintain some crispiness, it’s best to avoid the microwave. Instead, preheat your oven or air fryer to 350°F (175°C) and reheat for 10-15 minutes, or until warmed through and the skin crisps up again. You can also briefly place them back on a hot grill for a quick refresh.
Grilled Asian Style Chicken Wings
Equipment
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1 Weber Kettle Grill
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1 Charcoal Chimney Fire Starter
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1 BBQ Tongs
Ingredients
Ingredients for the chicken wing rub:
- 3 pounds chicken wings and drumettes, roughly 15 wings or 4 wings per serving: We’re calling the combination of wings and drumettes “chicken wings” in this recipe
- ¾ cup chicken wing rub, plain chicken rub is fine too
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
Ingredients for the Asian glaze:
- 2 cups hoisin sauce
- 1 ½ cups soy sauce
- ½ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons garlic
- 2 tablespoons minced ginger
- 2 tablespoons crunchy chili oil
- 2 stalks green onions, thinly diced
Instructions
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Set up your Weber Kettle for indirect smoking – Fill your charcoal chimney fire starter with charcoal briquettes, and when ready, empty the chimney in the center of the charcoal grate. With tongs, move the charcoal to both sides of the Weber Kettle, creating two equal piles. Add three more charcoal briquets to each pile. Close the lid and preheat the grill to 350-375°F (175-190°C).
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Bring the chicken wings to room temperature – Pat the chicken wings dry with a paper towel. Combine the chicken wing rub with the cornstarch in a medium-sized bowl. Place each wing individually in the bowl, and roll the chicken wing in the rub, making sure the entire chicken wing is completely covered with the rub. Let them sit for 15-20 minutes.
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Place the chicken wings on the Weber Kettle grill grate – Place the chicken wings in the center of the Weber Kettle grill grate over the indirect heat zone and grill indirectly for 20 minutes with the lid closed. Then, flip the chicken wings over and grill indirectly for another 20 minutes. Rotate the chicken wings away from the heat of the coals if necessary to prevent burning. Add more charcoal to both piles if necessary to maintain temperature.
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As the chicken wings are grilling, make the chicken wing glaze – In a medium-sized saucepan, combine all the Asian glaze ingredients. Bring to a low simmer over medium-low heat on the stovetop, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened (5-7 minutes). Keep warm.
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Brush the chicken wings in the warm glaze – While the wings are still on the indirect heat zone, generously brush each chicken wing with the warm glaze. Grill for 5 minutes with the lid closed. Then, flip and brush the glaze on again, and grill for another 5 minutes, allowing the glaze to set and caramelize.
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Move the chicken wings over the charcoal pile for extra char – With grill tongs, move the chicken wings to the sides of the Weber Kettle grill grate for direct grilling. This will add a nice char-finishing flavor and extra crispiness. This step should take about a minute per side. Watch the chicken wings carefully, flipping frequently, as you don’t want to burn your precious hard-earned yumminess. Remove from grill and let rest for a few minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Additional Info