Smoked Then Fried Chicken Wings
On February 01, 2022 (Updated March 21, 2024)
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Smoked then Fried Chicken Wings bring you the best of both wing worlds. These chicken wings get an extra layer of flavor by being flash-fried after sitting in a slow smoke. Each bite gives you all of that rich flavor and tenderness from a low and slow-smoked wing combined with all of the crispy, crunchy goodness of a fried wing.
Smoked and Fried Wings
These wings are totally delicious because they are both smoked AND fried. When I was competing on the third episode of Food Network’s show BBQ Brawl, I knew I had to bring out the big guns to wow the judges during the chicken wing challenge, and these hit the spot!
By cooking the wings this way, you get double the goodness. The key to making these wings the best ever is the low and slow smoke they get in the initial step. I smoke my chicken wings at 225 degrees F over a fairly strong flavored wood like oak or hickory since they won’t be in the smoke for an extended period of time.
Seasoning for Smoked Fried Chicken Wings
Before you smoke these chicken wings, feel free to add any seasoning blend you like. Always start by tossing the chicken in a little olive oil and then seasoning all over with spices. I like using my Sweet Rub because I love how it adds a little kiss of brown sugar and BBQ flavor. You can make your own or purchase my Sweet Rub pre-made from the Hey Grill Hey Store.
If you don’t have Sweet Rub available, you can always stick with simple salt and pepper, lemon pepper, or your favorite seasoning blend. Feel free to experiment a bit to get these wings just the way you like them.
How to Make Smoked Fried Chicken Wings
Ready to make these smoked fried chicken wings? Here’s the steps to making these tasty party treat.
- Smoke! First, these chicken wings are smoked to infuse them with a tasty smoky flavor. With your smoker preheated to 225 degrees F, smoke until the wings reach the internal temperature of 145 degrees F. This usually takes about 1 to 1 1/2 hours to smoke.
- Fry! Once your wings hit 145 degrees F on the smoker, it’s time for the second step: frying in hot oil. Preheat your favorite cooking oil (I prefer vegetable, canola, or peanut oil) to 375 degrees F in a large, shallow pan. I use my 12 inch cast iron skillet for deep frying and it works great to retain the heat in the oil. You don’t need to deep fry the wings, just fry each side for 2-3 minutes and then flip. Keep frying and flipping until the skin is golden brown and the internal temperature of the wings reads 175 degrees F. You may need to do this step in batches so you don’t overcrowd your pan.
- Sauce! If you like naked wings, remove the fried chicken wings from the cast iron skillet, sprinkle with a little additional sweet rub, and serve immediately. If you like your wings sauced, you can use your favorite wings sauce. I personally love to toss in a mixture of 1 cup Frank’s Buffalo sauce with 2 Tablespoons melted butter for the perfect Buffalo wings. Mix it with 1 cup Kansas City BBQ Sauce and 2 Tablespoons honey for out-of-this-world Honey BBQ Wings.
Tips for Making Smoked and Fried Wings
One last thing before you dive into these wings. I’ve compiled a few tips I think you’ll find helpful as you make these wings.
- Go bold! Use hardwood with a nice strong smoke to really taste the smokiness in the wing. The step of frying actually mutes some of the smoky flavor, so going heavy and strong during the smoke stage helps keep that smoke nice and bold.
- Make sure your oil is hot enough to fry. If your oil is too cool, your wings will be soggy and oily instead of crispy.
- Smoke then air fry! If you have an air fryer and don’t want the full deep-fried experience, you can move the smoked wings to a 400 degree F preheated air fryer to a crisp! It will take the same amount of time to air fry as it does to deep fry.
You’re officially ready to go! Make sure and come back to this post once you’ve made and tried these wings to let me know how they turned out for you!
Smoked Chicken Wings Recipes
Smoked wings are truly one of the best ways to enjoy chicken wings. Hey Grill Hey has a handful of smoked chicken wings recipes to keep your crowd satisfied.
Smoked then Fried Chicken Wings Recipe
This post was originally published in April 2018. We recently updated it with more information and helpful tips. The recipe remains the same.
Watch the video below, and let’s make something delicious! Here at Hey Grill Hey, we’re all about helping you make better BBQ, feed the people you love, and become a BBQ hero Check out more Hey Grill Hey behind the scenes action on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube!
Smoked Then Fried Chicken Wings
Video
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken wings flats and drumettes
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons Hey Grill Hey Sweet Rub link in recipe notes
- 2 cups canola or vegetable oil
Buffalo Sauce (optional)
- 1 cup Buffalo sauce
- 2 Tablespoons melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat. Preheat your smoker to 225 degrees F with a strong flavored wood like oak or hickory.
- Season. In a large zip top bag, combine your wings, the olive oil, and the sweet rub (or seasoning of your choice)
- Smoke. Place the wings directly on the grill grates on the smoker, close the lid, and smoke until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F. This should take about 1.5 hours, but adjust as needed.
- Heat the oil. Preheat canola or vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a cast-iron skillet until the oil temperature reads 375 degrees F.
- Fry the wings. Transfer the wings from the smoker into the hot oil, working in batches so that the wings don't touch or overlap. Fry 2-3 minutes per side, flipping regularly until the internal temperature of the wings reads 175 degrees F.
- Season or sauce. Remove the wings from the skillet and either sprinkle with additional sweet rub before serving or toss in the Buffalo sauce mixture. Serve with napkins and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
WOW! These were SO good! Some of them finished up early on the smoker and never made it to the frying pan. The skin wasn’t rubbery at all. This definitely adds a great flavor to the traditional Buffalo Wing.
I used a marinaded chicken wing package from Safeway and then finished in deep fryer. Came out excellent
My favorite! Hey Susie, question for you. Do you have any tips for keeping wings hot and fresh while you batch fry them? Like say if I smoke a few dozen wings but can only fit 8 or so in the fryer at a time…
Aluminum pan with a layer of foil on top. You can also add a dish towel over the top for a little extra insulation.
I put oven on at 180 and it keeps it just hot enough and still moist. I did 2 dozen frying 8 ata time for 2 minutes each batch and even made French fries after before serving and still moist
Fantastic recipe only change for me is that I will air fry instead of immersing in hot oil. Healthier and I can’t tell the difference in crispy result. I have an air fryer built into my range so can do all the wings in one fell swoop and no messy oil to contend with. I love all your recipes and your sauces are to die for…especially the bourbon peach bbq sauce. I could eat it with a spoon.
This is my Goto recipe for smok-ed wings! I tend to toss in BBQ sauce and place on the grill at 250F until sauce has carmellized on the wings! Thanks HeyGrillHey!
Great recipe. The only problem is this is the only way I want wings now. For air fryer I go to 380 for 8 minutes shaking half way through. I also single layer
Great recipe, going to try these very soon. Couldn’t agree more about the Franks Buffalo sauce with butter, although I like add a touch of white wine vinegar as well. Cheers!
Great recipe. I used a Philips air fryer to finished them instead of pan frying and they were the bomb.
The smoked wings came out great using a deep fryer after smoking them! Franks is the best!!! Love your recipes.
Wonderful site and can’t wait for Saturday to be here! I was curious why 175 finish instead of 165 degrees? Thought it might just be out of caution until I found her tip on another one of Susie’s recipes. Pasting it here for reference:
“While this is a higher temperature for chicken than the FDA recommended 165, I prefer the texture of wings cooked a little bit hotter. This higher internal temperature on wings allows the meat to pull away from the bone easily and still taste delicious.”