Smoked chicken wings in an electric smoker give you that crispy skin that we're all here for! These wings come off the grill super crispy and it's crazy how tender and juicy they are. Serve as is or toss with one of your favorite wing sauces before you dig in! Perfect as a main course or as an appetizer!
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If you're a fan of chicken wings, but find that they're always way too greasy, then this recipe is for you! No deep frying or oil is needed!
Chicken wings are a staple at many gatherings of friends, family, or sports fans. Especially Super Bowl fans. This electric smoker recipe is easy, flavorful, and perfect for Game Day.
One of my favorite ways to make the best wings is on the pellet grill! The smoke is infused into each bite of tender and juicy chicken. I love that it doesn't take too long to smoke chicken!
This recipe was inspired by Extra Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Wings and Smoked Chicken Thighs, both very popular recipes.
Jump to:
- Why you will love these smoked chicken wings
- What is so great about a pellet grill?
- What is the best wood for smoked chicken wings?
- Ingredients
- Prep the pellet smoker
- How to smoke chicken wings in electric smoker
- How long to smoke chicken wings?
- Substitutions
- Variations
- Equipment
- Storage
- Top tips
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- What is the best way to serve smoked chicken wings?
- More easy smoker recipes
- 📋 Recipe
- Food safety
- More Recipes
- 💬 Comments
Why you will love these smoked chicken wings
EASY, HANDS-OFF COOKING: With an electric smoker, the process of making smoked chicken wings is simple and easy. Simply put dry ingredients in a plastic bag, add the wings, and place them on the rack of the smoker. Close the lid and let them smoke until they are done cooking. So easy and very little effort involved!
SO DELICIOUS: These electric smoker wings are covered in a dry spice rub that elevates the flavor. The chili powder in the rub adds a little bit of heat, and the spice is perfectly balanced with the chicken. It is just so good!
GREAT SMOKE FLAVOR: Crispy smoked chicken wings have the perfect amount of smoky flavor and a satisfying crunch! I love how it has deliciously crisp skin!
RESTAURANT QUALITY: With this electric smoker recipe, you will have the most delicious crispy smoked chicken wings in about 1 hour!
What is so great about a pellet grill?
A pellet grill, or electric smoker, cooks your food using hardwood pellets instead of gas or propane like a gas grill.
The wood smoke adds great flavor and aroma to the food. Plus, it cooks the meat at a lower temperature so it doesn't dry out. The flavor of smoked food is amazing, and you always get juicy meat.
When using a pellet grill, you get a consistent temperature and even cooking every time. You set the smoker temperature to the temperature you want to cook your food at, and that's it! Easy, right?
No more fires on the grill, no more burnt food, it's practically foolproof!
What is the best wood for smoked chicken wings?
The best wood for smoking chicken wings is a hardwood that has a mild smoky flavor like apple or cherry. Hickory wood pellets are also a good choice. Although it has a stronger flavor, when combined with the savory rub, it has a fantastic flavor.
I also like the Competition blend, which is a combination of maple, hickory, and cherry, which has a uniquely delicious flavor and goes with just about anything.
Because the bags of wood pellets can be expensive if you buy a bunch of different types, my favorite wood chips are the Competition blend as they go with everything, and a bag of Hickory pellets for when I want that stronger hickory flavor. Oh ya, and Applewood for when I'm cooking pork or ham. 🙂
Grab some wood pellets for smoking and let's go!
Ingredients
You can prepare these delicious, juicy, flavorful, crispy smoked chicken wings on the electric smoker with basic ingredients you can find at any grocery store.
- Chicken wings. I used split chicken wings with the skin on.
- Baking powder. This is the secret ingredient to getting crispy skin on the wings. The baking powder breaks down the peptide bonds in the chicken skin so that it will crisp up.
- Dry rub. I used homemade smoked chicken rub, which is fantastic on chicken AND pork. It contains brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, roasted garlic and peppers seasoning, chili powder, seasoning salt, and black pepper.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Prep the pellet smoker
First things first, make sure your smoker is ready to go. Make sure the racks are clean and that the fire pot is not full. I keep a small vacuum cleaner by mine and use it to suck up any debris in the bottom.
Also make sure that your smoker is properly vented and not blocked by anything so that the smoke has a good path to flow out.
Make sure you look in the smoker box and top up your wood pellets before you start cooking. There's nothing worse than running out of pellets in the middle of cooking. Trust me, I've done it!
I would also like to note that all pellet grills are not created equal. So whether you are using a Traeger, Pit Boss, or even a charcoal grill, cook times may vary depending on many factors, eg. wind, outside temperature, specific grills, etc.
How to smoke chicken wings in electric smoker
I love how easy this recipe is.
First, preheat the electric smoker to 250 degrees F.
Dry chicken wings really with paper towels.
Place the wings in a large Ziploc bag or large bowl.
In a small bowl, mix the dry rub ingredients. Add the baking powder and dry spice rub to the bag or bowl. Zip up the bag and shake to coat the wings evenly.
Shake off excess coating and place the whole wings directly on the smoker racks.
How long to smoke chicken wings?
The smoking process for the best wings takes about 1 hour, until they reach an internal temperature of 175 degrees F. Use a temperature probe to ensure the chicken is at the right temperature.
First, smoke the chicken wings at 250 degrees F for about 45 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 160-165 degrees F.
Next, turn the smoker up to high heat. Increase the temperature to 425 degrees F for about 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees. The idea is to turn up the pellet grill to a high temperature to give the wings their signature crispy skin.
Remove the wings from the grill, and serve as is with your favorite dipping sauce, or toss the wings in your favorite wing sauce.
Enjoy!
Substitutions
- No baking powder? Use cornstarch instead! The wings will still crisp up, just not as much as with baking powder.
- Don't want to use my homemade spice rub? Use your favorite dry rubbed seasoning! Go ahead, experiment with what you have in your cupboard!
Variations
Change the flavor of the smoked wings by changing the spice rub ingredients. Go ahead, have some fun with it! Don't forget to dip the wings in your favorite sauce!
- Spicy - add cayenne pepper, chili pepper flakes, or chipotle powder
- Sweet - Add extra brown sugar to the spice rub.
- Less Sweet - Decrease the amount of brown sugar in the BBQ rub.
- Saucy - Add your favorite BBQ sauce 5 minutes before the end of cook time. If you add it any earlier, the sugar in the sauce may burn.
Equipment
Smoker: Our smoker is an electric smoker, a Pit Boss smoker 8-1 pellet grill that uses 100% wood pellets as fuel instead of gas or propane.
Wood pellets: We like the Competition Blend, Hickory Blend, and Applewood Blend.
High-quality temperature probe: This is a must-have item if you own a smoker. We invested in a ThermoPro Wireless Digital Cooking Food Meat Thermometer with Dual Probes as soon as we bought the smoker; it's an absolute necessity!
Storage
FRIDGE: These smoked chicken wings can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for 3 days.
FROZEN: These smoked chicken wings can also be frozen for up to 3 months. To freeze, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap before placing in a Ziploc bag or airtight container.
Top tips
- Do not overstuff the Ziploc bag with chicken. I like to mix the wings with the dry ingredients in two batches.
- Tap off any excess baking powder before placing the wings on the grilling racks. That way you won't get a bitter taste.
- Flip the wings over halfway through for even cooking.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
There are a few ways to reheat crispy smoked chicken wings. The first is to place them on a baking sheet and put them under the broiler for a few minutes until crispy again.
Another option is to place them back in the oven, set at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, for about 5-6 minutes.
You can also reheat them using the 'Reheat' function of your air fryer if you have one.
Lastly, you can place them in the microwave on high for 1 minute.
The best temperature for crispy skin smoked chicken wings is 250 degrees F for the first 45 minutes, then 425 degrees F for 15 minutes.
What is the best way to serve smoked chicken wings?
One of the best ways to serve smoked wings is with a side of ranch dressing, barbecue sauce, hot sauce, or buffalo sauce.
I like to serve my crispy wings with celery sticks, carrot sticks, and a green salad.
These wings also go well with Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries, Oven-Roasted Potatoes, and Frozen Broccoli in Air Fryer.
More easy smoker recipes
I hope you enjoyed this Crispy Chicken Wings recipe. If you try it out and like it, I would appreciate it if you could take a moment to leave a star rating below.
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📋 Recipe
Crispy Smoked Chicken Wings In An Electric Smoker
Equipment
- ThermPro Wireless Remote Digital Thermometer
- Electric Pellet Grill
- Competition Blend wood pellets or your favorite kind
Ingredients
- 4-5 pounds chicken wings
- 3 tablespoon baking powder
- 3 tablespoon dry rub link for homemade rub is down below in the notes
Instructions
- Preheat the smoker to 250 degrees F.
- Remove chicken wings from package and dry wings really with paper towels.
- Place the wings in a large Ziploc bag or large bowl.
- Add baking powder and dry rub to a Ziploc bag or bowl. Zip up the bag and shake to coat the wings evenly.
- Shake off excess coating and place the chicken wings directly on the smoker racks.
- Smoke the chicken wings at 250 degrees F for about 45 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 160-165 degrees F. You can turn chicken wings halfway through to ensure even cooking.
- Next, turn the smoker up to high heat. Increase the temperature to 425 degrees F for about 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees. Flip and and rotate wings as needed to avoid any burn spots.
- Once they reach 175 degrees F, remove the wings from the grill, and serve as is with your favorite dipping sauce, or toss the wings in your favorite wing sauce.
- Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Do not overstuff the Ziploc bag with chicken. I like to mix the wings with the dry ingredients in two batches.
- Tap off any excess baking powder before placing the wings on the grilling racks. That way you won't get a bitter taste.
- Flip the wings over halfway through for even cooking.
Nutrition
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
Jere Cassidy
I think I am missing out on not having a smoker. These wings look amazing.