Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Pat chicken wings dry with paper towels and place in a large resealable bag or bowl.
- Pour Kinder's Original Marinade over the wings, then add olive oil, garlic powder, black pepper, and cayenne if using. Seal and massage the marinade into the wings. Refrigerate for 2–4 hours, or overnight for the best results.
- Preheat grill to medium-high (about 375–400°F). Oil grill grates well.
- Remove wings from marinade, letting excess drip off. Reserve the marinade for basting.
- Place wings on the grill and cook 10–12 minutes per side, turning occasionally.
- During the last 5 minutes, brush wings with reserved marinade.
- Continue grilling until internal temperature reaches 165°F and skin is crispy and caramelized.
- Rest 5 minutes before serving. Serve with ranch or blue cheese and celery sticks.
Nutrition
Notes
- Dry first, then marinade — Pat wings completely dry with paper towels before they go in the bag. Surface moisture is the enemy of crispy skin — it steams instead of searing.
- Overnight is worth the plan — Two hours is the minimum, but 4–8 hours or overnight gives you significantly deeper flavor. The marinade needs time to work into the meat. Put the wings in the fridge the night before and they're ready when you are.
- Use a thermometer, not a timer — Wings need to hit 165°F internal. Check at the thickest part, away from the bone. The skin should be visibly caramelized and pulling back slightly at the tip.
- Add wood chips for smoke — A handful of soaked hickory or apple wood chips over charcoal (or in a smoker box on gas) adds a smoky layer that pairs well with Kinder's savory marinade.
- Oven finish for maximum crispiness — If the wings are cooked through but the skin isn't crisping up, move them to a wire rack on a sheet pan and blast at 425°F for 8–10 minutes. Fixes it every time.
- Wings go in a pile. Stack them on a platter with a bowl of ranch, a bowl of blue cheese, and celery sticks alongside. Let people eat with their hands — that's the point.
- For a full spread, add coleslaw and grilled corn. Both cook on the same grill and fill out the table without turning it into a production. Cold drinks on ice. That's your setup.
- On game day, set these next to loaded nachos and other finger food so people can graze. Wings hold well for 20–30 minutes off the grill, which gives you time to get everything plated before the first snap.
- Store leftover wings in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The salt in the marinade helps them keep, but texture drops once they're exposed to air, so seal them tight.
- To reheat: wire rack on a sheet pan, 400°F oven, 10–15 minutes. The dry circulating heat crisps the skin back up without drying out the meat underneath. Skip the microwave — it turns the skin rubbery and there's no recovering from that.