Cajun Wings
On August 19, 2024
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My Cajun Wings have a uniquely spicy coating of crispy, bite-through skin over tender, juicy chicken. Hit them with some fresh lemon juice for a bright touch on an already flavorful wing. Oh, and it’s all ready in 30 minutes.
Cajun Dry Rub Wings
With a crispy, spicy exterior over tender, smoky, charcoal-grilled chicken, My Cajun Wings will have you trying to make every night wing night. Seasoned with a homemade cajun rub, these juicy wings just take a handful of ingredients you’ve probably already got at home. I’ll teach you everything you need to know make perfectly grilled wings loaded with a deep heat, including some finishing touches to take them over the top.
So, if you’re ready for these Cajun Wings to be your most requested appetizer this season, then let’s get started.
Cajun Seasoning
To give these grilled wings a blast of cajun flavor, I decided to dust them with some of my Cajun Seasoning. I initially came up with this blend to help you make awesome seafood dishes like this Cajun Grilled Shrimp, but soon found it helped give some intense flavor to poultry. It’s great on this Cajun Smoke-Fried Turkey, and I think you’ll agree it’s so tasty on these wings. Here’s what you need to make it:
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground mustard powder
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
I personally recommend slicing some lemon wedges to squeeze fresh juice onto your grilled wings. When the brightness of the lemon hits the heat from the cajun rub, it’s a thing of BBQ beauty.
Prepping Wings for Grilling
Once you’ve got your cajun seasoning made, it’s time to get your wings prepped and seasoning for grilling. First, make sure to pat down your wings completely with a paper towel to remove any moisture. After that, drizzle your wings on all sides with some avocado oil, or your preferred cooking oil. This is going to help all that spicy cajun seasoning stick to your wings, and it’s also going help the outside fry up nice and crispy. With the right preparation, you’ll get juicy, smoky wings with that perfect, bite-through, crunchy exterior.
How Long to Grill Cajun Wings
I love making these cajun style wings on my Weber charcoal grill. I just love the smoky flavor my wings get over charcoal, but you can do this recipe on any grill you like. You want to preheat your grill to around 425 degrees F so it’s nice and hot when you’ve got your wings prepped and seasoned. You’ll place your wings directly on the grill grates, then close the lids and allow the chicken to cook for 15-20 minutes. You will want to pop oven your grill and flip your wings every 3-5 minutes. This allows your chicken to cook through so it’s tender and juicy in every bite. It also helps you get that crispy skin everyone loves.
It’s important to remember that cooking times should always only be used as a guideline. When cooking any meat, cooking to the recommended internal temperature is the most important part of the process. For these grilled wings, you want your wings to reach an internal temperature of 175 degrees F. I recommend grabbing a reliable instant-read thermometer, like my Thermapen ONE.
How to Make Cajun Wings on the Grill
You’re just a few easy steps away from enjoying this bold and sassy Cajun Dry Rub Wings:
- Preheat the grill. I love grilling my wings on my charcoal grill for the smoky flavor the wings take on. You can also do these the same way on your gas or electric grill, by setting your grill to 425 degrees F.
- Make the cajun seasoning. Combine all the ingredients for your seasoning in a small bowl, then mix together with a fork. This is a dry rub, so you just want to make sure you don’t have any clumps. The recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, but I recommend going ¼ teaspoon at a time. You can always add more, but you can’t take it away. Find the spice level you like.
- Prep the wings. Make sure you’ve got a pair of food-safe gloves, then pat the wings dry with a paper towel. Next, spray or drizzle the chicken wings with avocado oil, then season on all sides with the Cajun Dry Rub. The avocado oil protects your skin at this higher heat, and helps your seasoning stick and soak into that juicy chicken.
- Grill the chicken wings. Place your chicken wings directly on the grill grates, close the lid, and grill them for 15-20 minutes, flipping occasionally. This helps to prevent burning, but it also helps to crisp the skin and give your chicken some gorgeous grill marks. When your chicken reaches an internal temperature of 175 degrees F on a reliable meat thermometer.
- Serve and enjoy. Remove your wings to a serving platter, and arrange with fresh wedges of lemon, and some of my Homemade Ranch Dressing or Blue Cheese Crumble Dressing. And of course, be ready for these to become a regular request at your house.
More Delicious Wing Recipes
I know these Cajun Wings will kickstart a wing swing at your house, so I put together a little list for you. Some of these are my most popular wing recipes, some are new classics, and all of them can be found in the Wings category of this website. For now, check out these wickedly good wings next:
Easy Cajun Wings Recipe
Make this incredible recipe for Cajun Wings, and be the backyard wing hero your family needs. Whether you make these totally tasty wings for your next tailgate, or you just have a wing Wednesday with your family, I want to see your results. Make sure to tag @heygrillhey on Instagram and Facebook with all your wonderful wing photos.
For even more grilling inspiration, head on over to my YouTube channel where I’ve got fun, simple, instructional videos for all my most popular recipes. You can also find all over my over 650 BBQ recipes in the Hey Grill Hey app. Not only can you find all your grilled and smoked favorites, but you can meal plan and make shopping lists with a tap of your screen.
Chicken Rub
$12.99
Cajun Wings
Ingredients
- 4 pounds chicken wings flats and drumettes
- 1 Tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 lemon cut into wedges
Cajun Dry Rub
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon black pepper fresh cracked
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground mustard powder
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the grill. Preheat your grill to 425 degrees F.
- Make the seasoning. Combine all seasonings in a small bowl. Use ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper to start and then add more, as needed, until you reach your desired spice level.2 teaspoons Kosher salt, 2 teaspoons smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon ground mustard powder, ½ teaspoon oregano, ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- Prep the wings. Pat the wings dry and spray or drizzle the chicken wings with avocado oil and then season on all sides with the Cajun Dry Rub.4 pounds chicken wings, 1 Tablespoon avocado oil
- Grill the chicken wings. Place the chicken wings directly on the grill grates, close the lid, and grill them for 15-20 minutes, flipping every 3-5 minutes to prevent burning and to crisp the skin. Cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 175 degrees F.
- Serve and enjoy. Serve wings with wedges of fresh lemon, if desired.1 lemon
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
We cook wings like this all the time on our Traeger with fantastic results. Turn it up to 400, and let them go! I haven’t tried this exact seasoning, but I will soon!