Grilled Chicken Wings + Balsamic-Agave + Cilantro Dipping Sauce

This summer try our Grilled Chicken Wings + Balsamic-Agave + Cilantro Dipping Sauce. I’m sure you’ve made BBQ wings before, but this particular recipe calls for grilling your wings in indirect heat, plus a few of our favorite secret ingredients to pull out the flavor in chicken wings. Serve the ultimate grilled chicken wings at your next cook-out, and they are sure to be a winner! 

Grilled Chicken Wings + Balsamic-Agave + Cilantro Dipping Sauce

With our delicious Grilled Chicken Wings + Balsamic-Agave + Cilantro Dipping Sauce, you will be the king or queen of any backyard barbecue get-together. Our recipe is incredibly easy to pull off, but we are also going to show you one of the best tricks for grilling flawless chicken wings.

Grilling to thrillin’ is the only way to treat your chicken wings!

And when we say grill we’re talking charcoal grilling. No gas grill cook-out over this way! Talk to the hand! Because in our humble opinion, charcoal and hardwood grilling is the only legit grillin’ there is. Imparting the charcoal and wood smoke flavor deep into the grilled meat is ultimate in summertime food fare. And no worries, we are showing you how to do it! Plus, we’re serving up our incredibly YUMVILLE Balsamic-Agave + Cilantro Dipping Sauce!

Here are a few other chicken wings recipes to check out:

Instant Pot Chicken Wings

Copy Cat Thai Chicken Wings From Houlihan’s

Game Day Chicken Wings Grazing Board

Potato Chip Buffalo Wings 

Ingredients:

• 1 large package of chicken wings, rinsed and patted dry
• 2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil

Seasonings:

• 4 Tbsps McCormick Grill Mates Montreal Chicken Seasoning
• 1/2 tbsp McCormick Lemon Pepper
• 1/2 tbsp Old Bay Seasoning
• 1 tsp McCormick Chipotle Sea Salt

Directions:

1. After rinsing and patting dry, place chicken wings into a large mixing bowl.
2. Toss the wings with extra virgin olive oil.
3. Combine the seasonings and mix well, then evenly apply, covering both sides of the chicken wings. Place a large kitchen towel over the bowl and set aside or if you are not grilling the chicken wings immediately (within 10-15 minutes), place them in the fridge.

Now, let’s get the fire going!

The real key to any successful barbecuing chicken wings is cooking them using indirect heat. That’s right because cooking your wings directly over high heat will often result in one of the following:

• cooking the meat too fast,
• burnt meat
• or meat that is tough and dried out

Placing a fistful hardwood like hickory over the hot coals is a great way to get rich, smoky flavor into your grilled chicken wings

Placing the chicken wings about 6-8 inches away from the heat source is known as indirect heat, perfect technique for this recipe

So, here’s how it’s done. Place the charcoal briskets you are using to one side of your grill, douse them with lighter fluid but don’t light them right away, let the charcoal absorb the lighter fluid for about 5-10 minutes. Or if you are using matchless lump briquets then naturally skip this step. Now, light the charcoal briquets and make sure they are lit, they should burn bright orange then smolder and take on a grayish-white appearance. Place the grates over the charcoal and close the lid. Let the charcoal get nice and hot, about 15 – 20 minutes. Hopefully, your grill has a thermometer. Ideally, you want a medium temperature between  315 to 375 °F, this is the sweet spot for cooking meats using the indirect or reflective heat method. The heat will radiate towards the center of the grill.

And for me, I don’t want to dig into my favorite wings without my favorite El Yucateco hot sauce!

Before placing any food on the grill make sure your grill is clean. Once the grill is hot use a sturdy wire brush to dislodge any food debris from the grates. I also recommend, brushing the grates you will be using with a cooking oil: vegetable, canola, olive oil all work well.

1. Remove the chicken wings from the fridge and allow them to come to room temperature, about 15 minutes. Using a pair of tongs place the chicken wings 8 to 10 inches away from the charcoal. You want the meat to cook thoroughly and to brown evenly. Indirect allows you to do that without cooking the chicken wings too fast on the outside and leaving the inside raw. And remember, cooking chicken thoroughly reduces the likelihood of being exposed to bacteria and preventing food poisoning.
2. Place the chicken wings on the grate and cook for roughly 20-25 minutes per side. When the wings are done, the juices will run clear, and you will have an internal temperature of 165 °F. If you are applying a barbecue sauce, the last ten minutes is the perfect time to brush it on, turn it over and brush the opposite side with sauce. 
3. FYI. Always use a pair of clean tongs, if using the same pair of tongs you used to place the raw chicken wings on the grill make sure you clean them with warm soapy water and rinse them before using them on any cooked food. When in doubt clean again.
4. Now, remove the chicken wings from the grill and let them rest for ten (10) minutes.
5. Grab your favorite hot sauce and let’s dig in.
6. Serve.

How to make the  Cilantro Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 tbsp blue agave nectar

Directions:

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. 
2. Serve. 

Serve our Grilled Chicken Wings + Balsamic-Agave + Cilantro Dipping Sauce with a cocktail!

Here are a few ideas below:

Lemon & Cucumber Lemonade

Summer Strawberry Blood Orange Soda

The Guava Watermelon Margarita

Or you could serve it with a Founder’s Sumatra Moutain Brown Beer:

Making wings for game day? Here are over 20 Chicken Wings for game day recipes to try!