Marinated Teriyaki Wings
On September 04, 2024
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These Marinated Teriyaki Wings are smoky, delicious grilled teriyaki chicken in the handheld convenience of a wing. This recipe is a keeper.
Marinated Teriyaki Wings
If you like teriyaki chicken as much as I do, then you’re going to develop some serious feelings for my Marinated Teriyaki Wings. Picture the most perfectly grilled, smokiest chicken you’ve ever bitten into, smothered in a savory, caramelized teriyaki sauce. Now imagine all of that rolled into a conveniently handheld wing perfect for dunking and double-fisting. The secret to nailing the essence of teriyaki flavor lies in the brown sugar and soy sauce marinade. With notes of pineapple, garlic, and ginger, these wings are bursting with zesty flavor. A few minutes on the grill allows your chicken to develop a rich, smoky flavor before finishing it off with a homemade teriyaki sauce.
If your family loves wings or teriyaki chicken, then this recipe is sure to become a regular in your wing rotation. Let’s get started.
Teriyaki Marinade for Wings
One of the most critical factors to the sensational flavor of these grilled teriyaki wings is the marinade. This brown sugar and soy marinade helps your chicken in a couple of ways. First, this marinade is going to infuse your wings with some serious flavor by enhancing the already sweet and savory notes of the chicken. Marinating your wings also helps to ensure the meat stays moist and tender while cooking. The ingredients, which are all inexpensive, are mostly items you likely have on hand already. Here’s everything you need to make this sweet and deeply savory marinade:
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup pineapple juice
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon grated ginger
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
Simply place all the ingredients for your marinade in a gallon zip-top bag, then mix well to combine before placing your wings inside. Seal the bag with as little air as possible, then place in your fridge for at least 4 hours. You can go overnight if you really want to develop some deep flavor in your wings.
How Long to Grill Teriyaki Wings
Once your wings are soaked to the bone with rich marinade flavor, they’re ready for another crucial step in developing flavor: hitting the grill. To achieve that crispy, caramelized exterior while maintaining tender, fall-off-the-bone meat inside, I grill using the two-zone method. You want your grill to have direct and indirect heat zones, with an overall temperature of around 375 degrees F. If you need a refresher course on cooking with two zones, check out my post on it.
After removing your wings from the bag and shaking off any loose marinade, place them directly on the grill grates on the low heat side of your grill. Make sure to hang on to that marinade. I did my wings on my Weber charcoal grill because I absolutely love the smoky flavor the briquettes add to the chicken. You can make this recipe on any grill. Just be aware you might not get that signature smokiness without charcoal. Close the lid and allow your chicken to grill for 5-7 minutes, flip, then allow 5-7 more minutes.
When your chicken reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F, you’ll hit them with some teriyaki sauce and give them 2-3 more minutes per side. Now, let’s talk about that sauce.
Chicken Teriyaki Sauce
Making your own teriyaki sauce for wings is super easy, especially with the leftover marinade you already put together. You can use store-bought teriyaki sauce, but I highly recommend making your own. It’s super easy to do and you have complete control over your sauce. All you need to do is bring your remaining marinating liquid to a boil, then whisk in some cornstarch and cool water until combined. You can do this ahead of time if you like, but I like to make mine while my chicken is grilling.
Once your chicken is through the first stage of grilling, brush it with a healthy coating of teriyaki sauce. Then move it to the direct heat side of your grill and give it a few minutes per side. Flipping and basting once, then give it a few more minutes. This final step over high heat helps that rich, savory sauce caramelize for a slightly crispy, bite-through skin. When your wings are good and barky, and they’ve reached a fall-off-the-bone 175 degrees internal temperature, you’re ready to impress.
How to Make Teriyaki Wings on the Grill
Alright, now that you know how simple it is to create these amazing wings, let’s break it all down:
- Marinate chicken wings. Mix up that flavor-packed marinade in a gallon zip-top bag, toss in the wings, and let them soak up all that goodness for 4-8 hours in the fridge. Remember, the longer your wings marinate, the more flavor they’ll take on.
- Grill chicken. Fire up your grill for two-zone grilling, with an overall temperature of around 375 degrees F. Start the wings on the low heat side, grilling for 5-7 minutes per side. This is where your chicken takes on all that smoky flavor from the charcoal. The smoke and heat also help to tenderize the chicken for a bite you can sink your teeth into.
- Make teriyaki sauce. While the wings are grilling, use your remaining marinade to whip out some seriously sticky and delicious teriyaki sauce. Bring it to a boil in a sauce pan and add some cornstarch and cool water. If you like your sauce a little thicker or thinner, you can adjust the amount of cornstarch.
- Sauce the chicken. This is my favorite part. Brush your wings with the thickened sauce and move them to the direct side of the grill. Flip and baste again, and grill until they’re beautifully caramelized and reach 175 degrees F inside with a reliable meat thermometer.
- Rest and serve. Remove your wings to a serving platter, but resist the temptation to bite into them right away. You want to give those beauties a few minutes to rest before digging in. This lets the yummy juice redistribute throughout the wings, so every bite is full of succulent flavor.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
If you somehow end up with leftovers, thank the BBQ gods, then store your remaining wings in the fridge in an airtight container. When stored this way, your wings will remain fresh and full of smoky chicken flavor for 3-4 more days. I recommend popping your teriyaki chicken back on the grill over low-medium heat, or on a wire rack in your oven until they rise to temperature. This will help your wings stay crispy, and you’ll retain much of that caramelized crust. You can also reheat them in the microwave if you just want some warm, smoky wings. Just be aware you’ll sacrifice some of that amazing texture.
More Chicken Wing Recipes
When the leftovers are gone, but your eye is still twitching for more, hop onto the Hey Grill Hey app, or the Wings category of your Hey Grill Hey library. Trust me, you’ll want to have a few go-to wing recipes in your pocket. Once you discover how easy making your own wings at home on the grill is, you’ll be whipping them up all the time. Here are a few of my most flavor-packed wing recipes to try next:
Simple Teriyaki Wings Recipe
As you’re marinating on the memory of these sweet, smoky wings, feel free to give the recipe a 5-star rating. I want to hear how these wings helped you become a wing night hero, so tell me about it in the comments below. My top priority at Hey Grill Hey is helping you make better BBQ to feed the people you love. I really think your friends and family, whether wing fans or teriyaki enthusiasts, will absolutely love when you make this recipe.
Remember, you can share your results, receive BBQ insider tips and tricks, and get a look at the behind-the-scenes fun by following @heygrillhey on Facebook and Instagram. If you’re more of a visual learner, then check out my YouTube channel. I’ve got step-by-step instructional videos for all my most popular recipes, grill guides, and more, to help you become a backyard BBQ hero.
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Marinated Teriyaki Wings
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken wings
Marinade
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup pineapple juice
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon grated ginger
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
Teriyaki Sauce
- remaining marinade
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 Tablespoons cool water
Instructions
- Marinate chicken thighs. Combine all ingredients for the marinade in a gallon-sized zip-top bag and mix well to combine. Place all chicken wings in the bag, remove as much air as possible, and seal tightly. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 8 hours.2 pounds chicken wings, 1 cup brown sugar, ¾ cup soy sauce, ½ cup pineapple juice, 2 cloves garlic, 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 Tablespoon grated ginger, 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- Grill chicken. Preheat your grill to 375 degrees F with 2-zones of heat (high heat and low heat). Remove the chicken wings from the marinade and set the marinade aside. Place the chicken thighs on the low heat side of the grill, close the lid, and cook for 5-7 minutes on each side, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reads 145 degrees F.
- Make teriyaki sauce. While the chicken grills preheat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Pour the marinade into the saucepan and bring to a boil. In a small pan, combine the cornstarch and cool water, mixing until there are no chunks of cornstarch left. Pour the cornstarch mixture into the boiling sauce, while whisking. Remove the thickened sauce from the heat and pour about ½ cup of sauce into a separate bowl. Set aside the rest of the sauce for serving with the chicken.remaining marinade, 2 Tablespoons cornstarch, 2 Tablespoons cool water
- Sauce the chicken. Baste each of the chicken wings with ½ cup of reserved teriyaki sauce. Move the wings over to the high heat side of the grill and cook, flipping and basting once more, until the sauce has caramelized on the outside of the wings and the internal temperature reads 175 degrees F.
- Rest and serve. Remove the chicken from the grill to a serving platter and allow it to rest for 5 minutes before serving with reserved teriyaki sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
