These smoke fried wings are the perfect combination of crispy skin and delicious smoke flavor. They’re brined, smoked, and finished with a quick fry for the best game day snack. Pair with your favorite dipping sauces or hot sauce and enjoy!
Two of Marrekus’ favorite things are ribs and chicken wings. These “smoke-a-fried” wings, as he likes to call them, are the best of both worlds because they are smoked and fried.
One of my favorite sauces to pair these wings with is homemade pineapple mango habanero. Other times we have them plain. Every time they are 10/10 recommend!
One thing you’ll want to do is a salt water brine of at least 4 hours up to overnight. We’ve included steps for this below. A brine is recommended because it will infuse your smoked fried wings with a flavor and help retain moisture during cooking.
Instead of skipping the brine, at least do 30 minutes to an hour if possible. Otherwise, add a little kosher salt to your seasoning mixture for flavor.
Finally, you don’t have to fry these wings if you prefer not to. Try our smoked chicken wings instead!
What you’ll love about this recipe:
Ingredients
- Chicken wings: Whole chicken wings are perfect for smoking and frying. You can substitute with drumettes or flats if preferred.
- Granulated garlic: Garlic powder can be used as an alternative.
- Granulated onion: Onion powder is a suitable substitute.
- Ground black pepper
- Oil for frying (vegetable or canola oil): Essential for deep frying the wings.
- Your favorite wing sauce (optional, for tossing): Adds an extra layer of flavor and can be customized to your taste; BBQ sauce, buffalo sauce, or honey mustard are great options.
- Wood for smoke: Infuses the smoked wings with a rich, smoky flavor; use pecan, apple, oak, or cherry wood.
Chicken Wing Brine (Recommended)
- 4 cups water
- 1/4 cup Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 4 cups ice
Special Equipment and Tools
- Large Pot: To prepare the brine.
- Large Bowl, Container, or Resealable Plastic Bag: For brining.
- Meat Thermometer: To check the internal temperature of the chicken while smoking.
- Deep Fryer: For frying. A heavy bottomed pot like a Dutch oven or even a cast iron skillet will work fine.
- Slotted Spoon: For removing chicken from the hot oil.
- Smoker: We used a pellet smoker, but any type of smoker or even a charcoal grill can be used.
Smoke Fried Chicken Wings Recipe
- Season and Smoke: Rinse and pat dry the brined chicken wings, season them with granulated garlic, onion, and black pepper, then smoke them at 275°F with your choice of wood for about 1.5 to 2 hours.
- Prepare for Frying: Let the smoked wings rest for a few minutes while you heat oil in a deep fryer, cast iron skillet, or Dutch oven to 350°F.
- Fry and Serve: Fry smoked chicken wings in batches until crispy and golden brown, drain on paper towels, and toss in your favorite sauce or serve plain with dipping sauces.
Using a Charcoal Grill
If you don’t have a smoker, you can use a charcoal grill set up for indirect cooking. Arrange the coals on one side of the grill. Add wood chunks to the coals for smoke. Place chicken wings on the grill grate over the cool side (indirect heat), cover, and maintain a temperature of around 275°F. Smoke wings until they reach an internal temperature of 160-165°F, then proceed with frying as directed.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Brine Overnight: For even juicier smoke fried wings, brine them overnight to ensure they absorb more flavor and stay moist during cooking.
- Use a Thermometer: To avoid undercooking or overcooking, use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the wings. They should reach 160-165°F (71-74°C) during smoking.
- Check Oil Temperature: Use a kitchen thermometer to make sure your frying oil is at 350°F (190°C) before adding the wings. This ensures they cook evenly and get crispy.
- Do Not Overcrowd the Fryer: Fry wings in small batches to keep the oil temperature consistent and to ensure they cook evenly and crisp up nicely.
How to Store Leftover Smoke Fried Wings
Store leftover wings in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat them in the oven to retain crispiness.
What to Serve with Chicken Wings
- Celery Sticks and Carrot Sticks
- Blue Cheese or Ranch Dressing: Perfect for dipping both the wings and the veggies.
- Coleslaw: A delicious BBQ coleslaw recipe.
- Macaroni and Cheese: A creamy, cheesy side that pairs well with wings. Try our gouda mac and cheese or Southern mac and cheese.
- Baked Beans: Doctored up; made with canned beans and ground beef.
- Southern Potato Salad: Our recipe has a creamy texture and tangy flavor, with ingredients like mayo, mustard, pickle relish, and seasonings.
- Fried Pickles: Made with thick dill pickle spears and a crunchy panko coating.
- French Fries
More Chicken Wings Recipes
- Garlic Parmesan Boneless Wings
- Lemon Pepper Wings
- Hot Honey Old Bay Chicken Wings
- Smoked Chicken Wings w/ Raspberry Chipotle Sauce
Summary
Smoke fried wings check both boxes: mouthwatering smoky flavor and a perfectly crispy skin. It’s a must try for wing aficionados and the best wing recipe for your next big game day!
Smoke Fried Wings
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken wings whole wings
- 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
- 2 teaspoons granulated onion
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- Oil for frying vegetable or canola oil
- Your favorite wing sauce optional, for tossing
- Wood for smoke
- Chicken Wing Brine Recommended
- 4 cups water
- 1/4 cup Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 4 cups ice
Instructions
Brine:
- Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a pot.
- In the same pot, add 1/4 cup kosher salt and 1/4 cup sugar to the boiling water. Stir until completely dissolved.
- Remove the pot from heat and let the brine cool slightly.
- Add 4 cups ice to the pot, stirring until the ice is mostly melted, and the brine reaches room temperature.
- Place wings in a large bowl, container, or resealable plastic bag.
- Pour the brine over chicken, ensuring they are fully submerged. If using a bag, remove excess air before sealing.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight for maximum flavor absorption.
- Remove wings from the brine, rinse, and pat dry with paper towels, Then, proceed with smoking wings.
Smoke Fried Wings:
- Prepare Chicken Wings: Rinse chicken wings under cold water and pat them dry with paper towels. Place them in a large bowl.
- Season Wings: In a small bowl, mix granulated garlic, granulated onion, and black pepper. Sprinkle the seasoning mixture over chicken wings and toss until they are evenly coated.
- Smoke Wings: Preheat your smoker to 275°F (107°C). Use wood like pecan, apple, oak, or cherry for a nice smoky flavor.
- Place the seasoned wings on the smoker grates in a single layer, making sure they are not overcrowded.
- Smoke chicken wings for about 1.5 to 2 hours, or until they reach an internal temperature of 160-165°F.
- Prepare for Deep Frying: After smoking, remove smoked wings from the smoker and let them rest for about 5 minutes.
- Fry Wings: Heat oil in a large deep fryer or heavy-bottomed pot to 350°F (190°C).
- Carefully add the smoked wings to the hot oil in batches, ensuring not to overcrowd the pot. Fry them for 4-5 minutes or until they are crispy and golden brown.
- Remove wings with a slotted spoon and place them on a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil.
- Serve: If desired, toss smoke fried wings in your favorite sauce or serve naked wings.
I used whole chicken wings, as recommended, and they came out great! That crispy skin was just perfect. We will be serving these again thank you.