Two Ways: Grilled Marinated Wings

In Atlanta we have what we call fake fall. It’s late August or early September, and you’ve survived the worst of summer. College football is back, and maybe your team won. You’ve got your sweaters out, you’re ready.

You get one glorious weekend of nice temperatures to lure you into comfort, and then you get wrecked by 2 more weeks of summer.

Here’s a good thing to cook on your false fall weekend, embrace the delusion: grilled wings.

Here are two of my go-to marinades that work beautifully on the grill. I like to leave them whole to make life a little easier but if you’re feeling ambitious and want to cut them apart, go for it. If whole, a little slice in the skin at the joint will help make them a little easier to eat later.

Lemon Pepper Wings

This is my take on the classic lemon pepper flavor, but we’re doing it right with actual lemons and a proper marinade.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs chicken wings, whole
• 1/4 cup neutral high-heat oil (avocado or grapeseed)
• 2 lemons, sliced into rounds
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp coarse salt
• 1 tbsp freshly cracked black pepper
• Fresh parsley for garnish

Method

Toss the wings with oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Nestle the lemon slices in with the wings so they marinate too. Let this sit for at least 2 hours, but overnight is better.

Fire up your grill to medium-high. Place the wings and those marinated lemon slices directly on the grates. The lemons will char and caramelize, which is exactly what we want. Grill for about 20-25 minutes, flipping once halfway through. You’re looking for crispy skin and an internal temp of 165°F.

Hit them with fresh parsley before serving. The charred lemon slices make great garnish and pack serious flavor.

Sticky Fish sauce Wings

These are inspired by Vietnamese flavors but tweaked for the grill. The marinade tenderizes the meat while the glaze caramelizes beautifully over the flames.

Marinade

• 2 lbs chicken wings, whole
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp palm sugar (or brown sugar)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• Juice of 2 limes

Glaze

• 2 shallots, finely sliced and caramelized
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp palm sugar

Garnish

• Fresh cilantro
• Sesame seeds
• Thinly sliced red chilies

Method

Marinate the wings in fish sauce, soy sauce, palm sugar, garlic, and lime juice for at least 4 hours. The fish sauce needs time to work its magic.

For the glaze, slowly caramelize the shallots in a dry pan until they’re deep golden and jammy. Mix in the sesame oil, dark soy, fish sauce, and palm sugar. Keep this warm.

Grill the wings over medium-high heat for 20-25 minutes, flipping once. During the last 10 minutes, brush with the glaze every few minutes. You want multiple layers building up that sticky, glossy coating.

Garnish with cilantro, sesame seeds, and those Thai chilies if you want some heat.

Grill Notes

Both of these benefit from a two-zone setup if you’ve got the space. Start them over direct heat to get the skin going, then move to indirect if they’re browning too fast.