There are a few surefire signs of summer now that we’re back at home in the good old US of A. First, the parentals go into gardening, planting, lawn-mowing overdrive. (I personally don’t understand why the grass needs to be trimmed so often, and on top of that why weeds need to be pulled on the lawn when they just get mowed down every week…but, hey, that’s just one girl’s opinion.)
We clean up the deck, break out the deck chairs and table, complete with umbrella and bright and summery tablecloth. Also, our meals are simpler–we grill eggplant, zucchini (usually a humongo beast from our garden), bell peppers, and disks of sweet red onion, and some of the best chicken wings ever conceived.
Now a few words about these grilled chicken wings–first, we’ve been making them for a solid 20 years. They are a staple of our summer dinner table to the point that the first wing grill of the season is actually an observance in our family. But MOST notable is that they only require three ingredients–chicken wings, salt, and pepper.
Ah yes, I can see the next logical leap in your mind, dear wokker. “That can’t possibly be THAT good.” But we’ve served these salt and pepper chicken wings at many a BBQ, and friends and family gobble them up, surprised at how dead simple the recipe is.
In case it hasn’t really sunk in yet, I’ll say it again–these wings only require THREE ingredients. THREE!!! So enjoy the simplicity of summer while you can! We’ve got some other tasty chicken wing recipes on the blog in case you’re looking for something a little more complex (Fried Chicken Wings Takeout Style, Kung Pao Chicken Wings, Honey Sriracha Chicken Wings, Thai Red Curry Lime Wings, and “Three Cup Chicken” (San Bei Ji)), but sometimes there’s no point messing with a good thing. Salt, pepper, chicken, and some help from the grill is all you need to serve up summer on a platter!
Recipe Instructions:
You’ll need:
- Chicken wings
- Salt
- Pepper
:D (SMILE AGAIN BECAUSE THERE ARE ONLY THREE INGREDIENTS!)
First, wash the chicken wings and pat dry. Place in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the wings and mix thoroughly with your hands. This helps the seasoning really adhere to the chicken.
Let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 5 hours. If you let them marinate overnight, all the better! When the wings are done marinating, fire up your grill. Let it get pretty hot–if your grill has one of those fancy thermometers, let it get all the way up to max heat.
Grilling is a rather inexact science, so let your resident grillmaster handle these. I’m happy to say that in recent years, I’ve very nearly usurped my dad–at least when it comes to wings! If you’re a grilling novice and need a few more tips, though, here’s how I cook them:
Place the wings on the grill, topside down.
After about 3-5 minutes, you can turn them 90 degrees to brown them evenly. Close the grill to let them cook through as well. Though you should only close the grill for 45-60 seconds at a time, as grease flare-ups can occur pretty easily with wings. When the top of the wing is thoroughly grilled (you’ll know it by the golden, lightly crisped and charred skin), flip the wings.
Lower the heat to medium/medium high, and repeat these steps until the wings are cooked through, periodically closing the grill to let them cook through.
Some wings will cook faster than others, so you can place those on indirect heat while the rest finish up.
Three-Ingredient Grilled Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 pounds chicken wings (about 1.5 kg)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
Instructions
- First, wash the chicken wings and pat dry. Place in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the wings and mix thoroughly with your hands. This helps the seasoning really adhere to the chicken.
- Let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 5 hours. If you let them marinate overnight, all the better! When the wings are done marinating, fire up your grill. Let it get pretty hot--if your grill has one of those fancy thermometers, let it get all the way up to max heat.
- Grilling is a rather inexact science, so let your resident grillmaster handle these. I'm happy to say that in recent years, I've very nearly usurped my dad--at least when it comes to wings! If you're a grilling novice and need a few more tips, though, here's how I cook them:
- Place the wings on the grill, topside down. After about 3-5 minutes, you can turn them 90 degrees to brown them evenly. Close the grill to let them cook through as well. Though you should only close the grill for 45-60 seconds at a time, as grease flare-ups can occur pretty easily with wings. When the top of the wing is thoroughly grilled (you'll know it by the golden, lightly crisped and charred skin), flip the wings. Lower the heat to medium/medium high, and repeat these steps until the wings are cooked through, periodically closing the grill to let them cook through. Some wings will cook faster than others, so you can place those on indirect heat while the rest finish up.
nutrition facts
Hi can I use oven instead? If so, what is temperature for fan assisted oven for how long?
Hi Nikki, take a look at our oyster baked chicken wings for guidance https://thewoksoflife.com/oyster-sauce-baked-chicken-wings/
Hi, can you use air fryer instead of the grill? If so, what would be the settings? Thanks!
Hi Liz, I think you wouldn’t go wrong with the chicken setting.
These were really delicious and weaned me from the Montreal Steak Spice that I’ve been putting on any meat that I’ve grilled all summer. Using a gas grill, I wasn’t able to get quite the char I would have liked, but on the positive side, there was no problem with flare-ups. Thank you for removing the fear from grilling chicken!
We have the same issue with propane grilling, not enough char :-) Glad that you enjoyed the recipe.
OK, so, y’all have yet to disappoint me, so I don’t know why I doubted at all, but oh my stars, I don’t understand how these wings are so good. If I hadn’t seasoned them myself, I never in a million years would have guessed it’s nothing but salt and pepper. Legit blown away.
That makes me so happy, Brenda, I do wish more people would give this recipe a try. It is so amazing what Salt and Pepper can do in this case :-)
can I grill chicken using best electric smoker
Never used it before, John. so it’s hard to tell.