Go Back Email Link
+ servings
smoked chicken wings on the grates of a Traeger pellet grill

Traeger Smoked Crispy Chicken Wings

Our Traeger Smoked Chicken Wings are first dry brined and seasoned overnight to get the most flavor and crispiest skin possible.
We start these smoked chicken wings at medium indirect heat on the Traeger pellet grill and finish them HOT to crisp up the skin.
Finally, we toss with your favorite buffalo wing sauce and serve.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Dry Brine Time 8 hours
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Course Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine American, Australian, barbecue, BBQ, Smoked
Servings 4 people
Calories 500 kcal

Equipment

  • Traeger Pellet Grill
  • Wood Pellets preferably a fruitwood like apple or cherry; or oak
  • Large Baking Sheet with Wire Rack
  • Paper Towels
  • Instant Read Thermometer
  • Long Handled BBQ Tongs
  • Wire Rack
  • Aluminum Foil Tray
  • Large Mixing Bowl

Ingredients
  

  • 4 lbs Chicken Wings about 40-48, thawed
  • 1 Cup Buffalo Wing Sauce such as Sweet Baby Ray's, Frank's, or Hooter's

Dry Brine

  • 4 tablespoon Kosher Salt for dry brining only, not for rub
  • ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 1 teaspoon Cornstarch

No Sugar Chicken Wing Rub

  • 2 tablespoon Paprika or smoked paprika
  • 2 tablespoon Chili Powder
  • 1 tablespoon Kosher Salt
  • 1 tablespoon Garlic Powder or to taste
  • 1 tablespoon Onion Powder or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon Course Ground Black Pepper
  • ½ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper optional, can be increased for more heat

Instructions
 

  • Remove the thawed chicken wings from their packaging and rinse under cold running water. Pay dry with paper towels.
    4 lbs Chicken Wings
  • If your chicken wings are whole wing sections, cut off the wing tips and then cut through and separate the wing from the drumette of each section.

Dry Brine Overnight

  • Place the chicken wings on a wire rack placed on top of a baking sheet.
    chicken wings on a rack to dry brine
  • Mix together the 4 tablespoon Kosher salt, baking soda, and cornstarch. Sprinkle generously over all sides of each chicken wing. DO NOT use cooking oil to adhere or skin will not get crispy.
    4 tablespoon Kosher Salt, ½ teaspoon Baking Soda, 1 teaspoon Cornstarch
    dry brining chicken wings to smoke on traeger
  • Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 4-6 hours.

Remove the Next Day

  • Take the chicken wings out of the refrigerator and wipe off any salt still remaining on the outside of each wing with a dry paper towel.
  • Mix the Chicken Wing Rub ingredients together and apply to all sides of the chicken wings. Or use one of your favorite BBQ rubs for chicken without any sugar in it.
    2 tablespoon Paprika, 2 tablespoon Chili Powder, 1 tablespoon Garlic Powder, 1 tablespoon Onion Powder, 1 teaspoon Course Ground Black Pepper, ½ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper, 1 tablespoon Kosher Salt

Start the Traeger Pellet Grill

  • Remove the fire pot from the bottom of the Traeger and clean out any ashes left over from the last cook. Replace it and make sure it is secured in place with the clips on either side.
    a dirty ash pot
  • Load the hopper of the Traeger with your chosen wood pellets.
    a hand holding wood pellets
  • Turn on the Traeger and move the dial to the "Smoke" setting.
  • Leave the lid open for 5-7 minutes until you start seeing white billowing smoke stop coming out of the grill. This means the initial pellets are now ignited.
  • Place a disposable bucket liner in the grease bucket as well if you want to limit cleanup later.
  • Set the temperature on the control panel to 275° and clean the grill grates with a good grill brush and close the lid.

Smoking the Chicken Wings on the Traeger Pellet Grill

  • Place the chicken wings on the Traeger. You can flip and rotate for even cooking as needed. You can even leave them on the wire rack if you wish.
    chicken wings smoking on traeger pellet grill
  • Continue smoking the chicken wings, until the internal temperature reach about 140°F internally. This may take about 1 hour.
    chicken wings smoked on traeger grill

Getting the Smoked Chicken Wings Crispy on the Traeger

  • Once the chicken wings reach this temperature, increase the temperature of your Traeger to 450°F.
  • It will take a few minutes to rise in temperature, then you will begin to hear the skin crackling and it will take another 5-10 minutes for the skin on the wings to crisp up. You can rotate, flip, and watch your wings during this time but try to keep the lid closed as much as possible.
  • Once the skin on the wings has gotten crispy and the internal temperatures have reached at least 165°F, remove the wings from the Traeger and place them spread out on a clean wire rack to cool so that they do not get soggy.

Toss in the Wing Sauce and Serve

  • Pour your Buffalo Wing Sauce, or whatever chicken wing sauce you prefer, into a large mixing bowl.
    1 Cup Buffalo Wing Sauce
  • When you are ready to serve the wings toss them in the sauce and serve immediately while skin is still crispy.
  • Serve with dipping sauces such as ranch and/or blue cheese dressing and carrots and celery on the side.

Notes

Video example from Pet TV - Canada Wildlife.

Nutrition

Calories: 500kcal
Keyword barbecue, barbecue chicken, bbq, BBQ Chicken, bbq chicken wings, grilled chicken wings, hot wings, pellet grill, pellet grill buffalo wings, Pellet Grill Chicken, pellet grill chicken wings, smoked buffalo wings, smoked chicken wings, traeger, traeger buffalo wings, traeger chicken wings, Traeger Smoked Chicken, traeger smoked chicken wings
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!