Hickory-Fired Honey Buffalo Wings
This Hickory-Fired Honey Buffalo Wings recipe is a winner!
Jump to RecipeLet me set the scene. It’s Super Bowl Sunday, Rams v. Bengals, and I’m not a fan of either team so I needed something to get excited about. The game-time snacks were the obvious answer. I ran to the grocery store that morning to see what kind of snacks I could scrounge up, but as I walked by the meat department I noticed pretty much everything was completely cleaned out. This disappointed me, though I could only blame myself for not planning ahead.
But then, like a gift from above, I noticed one last pack of fresh chicken wings on the rack! After a close inspection they didn’t look suspect so I decided to roll the dice. Maybe it was a coincidence, but I prefer to think it was destiny. I snatched the wings up quick and went home to make what would end up being some of the best chicken wings I’ve ever had.
For this chicken wing recipe, I fired up my Traeger Pro 780 Pellet Smoker with hickory pellets. But, if you don’t have a Traeger, don’t worry! You can get similar results with pretty much any other grill or pellet smoker. And if you don’t have the luxury of any type of outdoor cooking unit, you can even get good results in the oven.
My Opinion on Traeger
That being said, I cannot overstate how much I LOVE my Traeger. I have no affiliation with them, I simply love their products, from their line of spices, rubs, and sauces, right down to their cleaning products and accessories. And for the naysayers who argue you can’t grill on a Traeger, I can assure you that many steaks, sausages, wings, burgers, thighs, chops, and hotdogs have graced my grill and come out with beautiful grill marks. Perhaps I will review my Traeger in another post so you can really see what it’s all about.
Okay let’s get down to business. Check out the recipe card below and take a swing at these surprisingly easy, and absolutely mouth-watering Hickory-Fired Honey Buffalo Wings.
Hickory-Fired Honey Buffalo Wings
Equipment
- 1 Traeger Grill (any other grill or oven will work just fine too)
- 1 Medium Sauce Pan
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl
- 1 Meauring Cup
- 1 Set of Measuring Spoons (or you can wing it ;))
Ingredients
- 3-4 lbs Chicken wings (whole or divided)
- 1 cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce
- ¼ cup Mustard (your choice, I prefer brown or stone ground)
- â…“ cup Honey
- 4 tbsp Butter
- 1 tsp Red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 cup Corn starch
- 1 tbsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Garlic powder
- 1 tsp Chili powder
- 1 tsp Cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp Ground black pepper
Instructions
- Pat chicken wings dry with a paper towel and carefully divide them at the joints (or leave them whole if you prefer).
- In a large bowl, mix together corn starch, salt, garlic powder, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and black pepper. Add chicken wings to dry ingredients and thoroughly coat wings on all sides.
- Lay chicken wings on a wire rack or baking sheet in a single layer, making sure they don't overlap. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours to allow them to dry out. (Preferably leave them overnight if you have the time to prep ahead).
- Pre-heat your grill or oven to 400° (I'm using my Traeger Pro 780 with hickory wood pellets). Once pre-heated put your wings directly on the grill grate (or a wire rack if using the oven).
- Cook wings for 20 minutes and then flip and cook for another 15-20 minutes, or until the internal temp has reached 190°.
- While the wings are cooking, make your sauce on the stovetop. In a medium sauce pan, combine Frank's Red Hot Sauce, mustard, honey, red pepper flakes, and butter. Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter is completely melted and all ingredients have blended together.
- When the wings have hit 190° internal, pull them off and place them in a large mixing bowl. Add the honey buffalo sauce and toss until wings are thoroughly coated. Make sure to save the leftover sauce.
- Throw the wings back on the grill for an additional 5 minutes to let the sauce set. Pull them off (at this point they will be around 200° internal), let them cool for 5 minutes, douse them with the remaining wing sauce, and DIG IN!
Video
Not a fan of honey buffalo? Feel free to experiment with whatever sauces or rubs you’d like to suit your desires. Once you learn the principles of how to cook a super crispy and tender chicken wing, the creative possibilities are endless. So give it a try and let me know what you come up with!
Make sure to check us out on YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram as well where we have a bunch more content that we think you’ll love.
Enjoy the wings!
Cody
Thistle Downs Farm