Grilled Beer Marinated Chicken Wings

Grilled Beer Marinated Chicken Wings are juicy and flavorful, making them the only way you’ll want to cook wings from now until forever. The simple beer marinade is easy-to-make and pairs with almost any BBQ sauce you can think of! You’ll find that beer is the key to all the happiness (as if you already didn’t know that) when grilling 😉

Disclosure: This post has been sponsored by Traeger. As always, all opinions expressed are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Cake ‘n Knife!

Wings are on of the things that I LOVE to cook throughout the year, particularly on the grill. I have a handful of recipes (such as the recipes I’ll add above the recipe card for your wing exploration) that I adore. However all of those are really specific in flavor with homemade sauces and spice mixtures.

Of course, there are times when I just want to be a little lazier. So I will use spice rubs that are already made!

Not to mention flavorful BBQ sauces that I can simply toss the wings in.

That is exactly the magic of this grilled beer marinated chicken wings recipe.

The marinade is very adaptable and light, making it easy to use a variety of beers for it. Also it can pair with so many different sauces depending on the mood that you are in.

Not only is the marinade easy, actually grilling the wings is unbelievably easy and that’s because of one thing… That thing is Traeger grills.

I have been obsessed with Traeger for such a long time. I remember when my mom first got her Traeger grill, and all of a sudden I was showing up to grill and smoke all the things I could possibly get my hands on every single week.

So when Traeger offered to have me try out their Traeger Pro Series 34 Pellet Grill, I jumped up and down like a little girl, running around the house screaming “I AM GOING TO GRILL AND SMOKE AND ROAST AND BAKE ALL. THE. THINGS!!!!”

More wings recipes: Spicy Miso Glazed Chicken Wings / Dry Rub Wings / Grilled Honey Sriracha Wings / Grilled Cajun Wings

ingredients

chicken wings. You can buy your chicken wings already broken down into flats (wingettes) and drummettes, but we like to purchase the whole wings to break them down ourselves! They are super easy to break down and end up being cheaper this way. Plus you can reserve the wing tips to make stock later!

cornstarch. Cornstarch helps the wings stay crispy when added to the grill!

chicken rub. You can use your favorite chicken rub for this recipe! We are using Traeger’s Fin and Feather Rub, but any chicken rub will work (a garlic rub is always a good idea!).

beer. Use either a pale ale, lager or lighter IPA. The stronger the flavor of the beer, the more it will come through in the marinade.

soy sauce. You can select either low sodium soy sauce or regular soy sauce.

honey. The honey brings a mild sweetness to the marinade to balance out the flavors in the beer! You can also use maple syrup or agave.

spices. You will need a combination of onion powder, smoked paprika, and chili powder for the marinade.

hot sauce. Any hot sauce works, but we really like the heat level and flavor of Frank’s Red Hot Sauce.

vinegar. Use a mild vinegar for the marinade! We recommend a rice wine vinegar, but you could also substitute white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar. Do not use white vinegar as it is too strong in flavor.

bbq sauce. Choose your favorite BBQ sauce!

Why are you so excited about a grill tho?

I am so glad you want to know. Traeger grills are not simple ordinary grills. It isn’t charcoal and it isn’t propane – isn’t it’s a wood fired grill that doesn’t simply grill.

You get the ease of use of a gas grill, with incredible flavor from the wood pellets it uses. Even if you aren’t smoking a dish in the grill, you still get just the right amount of smoke flavor in each bite.

The flavor of those pellets (of which Traeger has so many incredible flavors – two of my favorites in particular are Cherry and Hickory) really enhances the flavor of the food that you cook with this incredible machine.

It grills, it smokes, it roasts, it bakes, and it does so much more. The dang grill does everything that I need it to and it completely rocks my world.

For this particular recipe, I cooked the wings on High and they cooked in a flash with a ton of flavor.

Then I toss the wings in Traeger’s Sweet and Tangy Apricot BBQ Sauce. The flavor is incredibly powerful. You will not be able to resist getting sticky and messy with every single bite you take of this incredible grilled beer marinated chicken wings recipe.

I’m going to be sharing a couple more recipes featuring this grill! That’s because I can’t fit ALL of my thoughts on the grill into one post. So, GET EXCITED.

here’s how to make beer marinated chicken wings

marinade wings

Rinse and dry the wings well. Toss the wings together in a large bowl with cornstarch and chicken rub until evenly coated.

In a separate bowl, whisk together beer, soy sauce, honey, spices, hot sauce, and vinegar. Add the wings and toss to coat.

Marinate for at least 30 minutes, covered, in the refrigerator.

grill

When ready to grill, preheat the grill to high heat. Prep the grates by coating in oil, whether it is avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil.

Grill wings in a single layer skin side up, covered, for about 20 minutes.

coat and serve

Brush the wings with BBQ sauce. Grill for another 5 minutes until cooked through and reach an internal temperature of 165˚F.

Add remaining BBQ sauce to a large bowl and toss the cooked wings in the sauce until coated. Serve with a sprinkle of fresh herbs like parsley. You can also garnish with green onion.

this recipe’s must haves

I am going to load you up with all of the things that you need to make this KILLER recipe below. If you don’t happen to have a Traeger grill, be sure to check out their Traeger Pro Series 34 Pellet Grill because it is AMAZING. For all the other juicy items AND ingredients you need, check out the list below!

My favorite pellets to use for this recipe are these Traeger Grills Hickory 100% All-Natural Hardwood Pellets.

Traeger Signature Spices Fin & Feather Rub is the rub that I used for the wings, and the Traeger Grills Sweet & Tangy Apricot BBQ Sauce is the ideal fruity, tangy pairing!

Be sure to grab a pair of heavy-duty Traeger BBQ Tongs to make flipping the wings on the grill that much easier. We like to use a baking sheet for prep, but you can also use grill prep trays!

A Traeger Silicone Basting Brush is a must for getting that juicy sauce all up in those wings.

our grilling favorites

grill prep and serve trays

Buy Now →

grill tongs

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Traeger grill

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Traeger grill signature pellets

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Traeger brush

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grill cleaner

Buy Now →

Can I marinade these wings for longer than 30 minutes?

Yes you can! If you want, you can marinade these wings for up to 8 hours. That makes them ideal for making ahead of your upcoming party!

Don’t forget your favorite side dish recipe!

Finally, if you make this beer marinated wings recipe, please be sure to give this recipe a star recipe rating on the recipe card and/or leave a comment! I love to hear when you all make recipes, and I do take the time to respond to every single comment.

Feel free to drop questions below too, if you have them!

Oh and be sure to tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest if you make the recipe! I love being able to see these recipes come to life in your homes – it’s my favorite thing to look through those photos. It really means the world to me!

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