The Best Smoked Garlic and Parmesan Wings – Pellet Grill Recipe

These smoked garlic and parmesan wings are packed with flavour and unbelievably juicy with a crispy exterior. An easy sauce takes these smoked wings from good to great! They be can cooked on any pellet grill, or adapted for the barbecue or oven.

Key Ingredients

4 Pounds of Chicken Smoked Wings: Check out my post on Ultimate Traeger Wings to see how I smoke my wings to get a perfectly crispy exterior and juicy interior.

Spices: Black pepper, paprika, onion powder, salt, parsley

Parmesan: I love to use large parmesan petals and chop them up.

Butter

Garlic: Fresh is best in this recipe, minced or chopped very finely. In a pinch, garlic powder will also work.

Equipment

• Traeger Ironwood 885 or another brand of pellet grill including Pit Boss, Green Mountain Grill, Rec Tec, etc… We love our Traeger Portable Tailgater grill as well- it is the perfect size to throw in our camper!!
• Wood Chips or Pellets. My new favourite for chicken is Pecan.
• Small sauce pan for melting your sauce.

Tips and Tricks

How to Get evenly Sauced Wings:

No one likes an under seasoned wing! Pour in half of the garlic and parmesan sauce and toss well. Add the second half and toss until all of the wings are evenly coated.

How to avoid having rubbery skin when smoking chicken Wings and other Cuts:

We’ve all been there- leathery smoked chicken skin plagues the pellet grill crowd. How do you achieve the elusive crispy skin with a juicy inside? You have a few options here including brining, patting wings dry, high temp smoking, and using baking powder as a rub.

1. Brine: Brining makes chicken more flavourful and moist. The added brown sugar in this brine recipe will help to caramelize your chicken skin even further.

2. Cook your wings at a higher temperature >350°F. This helps to render fat and provide more moisture under the skin.

3. Pat your wings dry before smoking them. Drying your wings will help the smoke stick to the chicken and will help your skin get crispy.

Brine Time:

Brine raw chicken wings for 4-6 hours. The longer you leave the wings in the brine, the more tender they will get, the more salt they will absorb. I recommend brining them for no more than 24 hours to avoid overly salty and spongy wings. Rinse your wings well after brining to make sure that any extra salt is washed away.

Best Type of Chicken Wings for smoked garlic and parmesan wings:

I use split wings when smoking. Using the smaller pieces of the chicken wings (drums and flats) makes wings easier to eat and enjoy as finger food. There is no right or wrong answer- they can be smoked whole or separated. If left whole, the chicken wings will likely take longer to come to temperature.

Best Type of Wood Pellets for Traeger Wings:

When smoking any kind of poultry, apple, cherry, maple, and pecan flavours are mild and enhance the chicken rather than overpower it.

Batch + Storage

You will have about 3/4 cup of garlic parmesan sauce.

On average, there are about 10 wings per pound of chicken wings.

Smoked parmesan and garlic wings can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.

Cooked wings can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 6 months! Think ahead and smoke a large batch of wings, smother in the garlic parmesan sauce, and pop them in the freezer. Thaw completely and warm them up slowly in the oven.

How to Make Smoked Garlic and Parmesan Wings

Step 1: This step is optional but highly encouraged- even if you just brine for two hours. Prepare the brine by combining the brown sugar, salt, and water in a large container. Mix well until sugar and salt are well dissolved. Place your wings in the brine and stow them in the fridge for at least two hours (2-24hrs recommended). Rinse well. See Simple Chicken Brine With Brown Sugar for the recipe.

Step 2: Preheat your Traeger or pellet grill to 250°F. While the smoker is preheating, pat your wings dry and then place them in a ziplock bag with the baking powder. Shake well to make sure that the chicken is evenly coated.

Step 3. Place your wings on the grill for 30 minutes.

Step 4. At this point, I recommend flipping your wings. Turn up the heat to 450°F for 30 minutes or once the internal temperature has reached at least 175° or your desired doneness. This will help to reinforce the crispy chicken skin that everyone yearns for! Different sized wings will need slightly different cooking times- adjust accordingly.

Step 5. While the wings are on your pellet grill, make the garlic-parmesan sauce. Melt butter in a small sauce pan and add the parmesan, garlic, and spices. Stir well until the ingredients are well-combined and the parmesan is melted(easy, right!?).

Step 6. Garnish with fresh or dried parsley and large pieces of parmesan.

Step 7. Serve warm- no dipping sauce required for these perfectly seasoned wings.

Printable Recipe Card

More Great Recipes

Ultimate Traeger Wings with Crispy Skin (Easy Pellet Grill Recipe)

Simple Chicken Brine (With Brown Sugar)

Smoked Beer Can Chicken on a Pit Boss, Traeger or Other Pellet Grill

Smoked Ranch Chex Mix

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