Grilled Korean BBQ Chicken Wings are tender, juicy, and covered in mouthwatering sweet heat sauce after being perfectly grilled with indirect heat! This delicious appetizer was developed in partnership with Shaw’s® and takes just 5 minutes to prep!
With summertime finally arriving, it’s time to pull out all those deliciously grilled and smoked recipes just like this one!
Spice up your next cookout, game day, or friend’s night by serving up these Grilled Korean BBQ Chicken Wings! The fall-off-the-bone chicken is smothered in a homemade sauce that delivers just the right amount of sweetness and spice to your taste buds!
In the summer, it’s easy for me to fall into the same old hamburgers and hot dogs routine. I know summers can be busy but that shouldn’t be an excuse for boring food!
If you love Korean-inspired dishes, try this Gochujang Salmon, too, and maybe round out your meal with a Korean Lunchbox Cake!
Ingredient Notes
Making these Gochujang Wings starts with the chicken! I grabbed a package of Shaw’s® exclusive Signature Farms® Chicken wings, bone-in with skin on. Any cook knows that to accomplish the best taste and flavor in a dish you want quality ingredients!
Therefore, I always head to Shaw’s® to shop their line of exclusive O Organics® and Signature SELECT® products!
Before cooking the wings, they’re coated with a combination of avocado oil, chili powder, salt, and ground black pepper. The wings then grill up to crisp, juicy perfection before they meet the Korean BBQ Sauce!
To make the sauce the following dry ingredients are needed: light brown sugar, chili powder, sea salt, and red pepper flakes. These are then mixed with gochujang, honey, low-sodium soy sauce, tomato paste, avocado oil, sesame oil, both garlic and ginger paste, and lemon juice.
After the wings have cooked, they get tossed in the sweet and spicy sauce, then they can be garnished! I use sesame seeds and sliced green onions.
Though the sauce is sweet with a kick, the spice really isn’t overpowering. However, if you love spice, you can increase the heat with additional chili powder or gochujang sauce.
How To Make Korean Chicken Wings
Prepare The Chicken
- Rub a thin layer of avocado oil onto your preheated grill.
- Combine avocado oil, chili powder, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and set aside. Then, pat the wings dry with paper towels and then add them to a large bowl, drizzle on the oil mixture, and toss to coat.
- Grill chicken using indirect heat, making sure to turn them frequently.
- Transfer the wings from the indirect heat to the high heat area of the grill. Continue cooking them to crisp up the chicken skin.
Make The Korean BBQ Sauce
- Add all of the sauce ingredients to a saucepan.
- Simmer the sauce mixture on the stovetop.
- Remove from heat until it’s time to coat the wings.
Coat The Wings
- Place the cooked wings in a large bowl and pour the homemade sauce over them.
- Toss to coat.
- Garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds. Serve and enjoy!
How To Store Leftover Korean BBQ Wings To Enjoy Later!
These wings have always gone quick when I make them! But, in the slim chance that you have leftovers to store, there are options!
You can place leftovers in the fridge using an airtight container. They can then be enjoyed for up to 3 to 4 days.
You could also place leftovers in the freezer for up to 3 months. To do so, first, freeze them on a baking sheet in a single layer. Afterward, remove and transfer them to a Ziploc bag. This way they don’t freeze stuck together in one big clump!
To reheat them they’ll need to be thawed if frozen. Afterward, you can either microwave them or pop them in the oven. For the oven just bake them at 350 degrees F until they’re heated up. I recommend lining your baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking and for easier cleanup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Just Save Time And Add The Sauce To The Wings While They Cook?
I don’t recommend it. Since the sauce has a high sugar content it would cause them to burn. Not to mention they’d stick to the grill and make a huge mess!
What Temperature Should My Grill Be At While Cooking The Wings?
You’ll want the inside temperature of the grill to be between 400 and 500 degrees. Try to avoid opening the lid of the grill too often so the indirect heat stays in better.
Why Is It Important That The Wings Are Cooked With Indirect Heat?
Since chicken wings are very fatty the indirect heat allows the fat to cook off them without charring. This process allows the meat to cook through without burning the outside and yields an overall better texture.
For charcoal grills, you can just start the wings at the furthest edge from the flame.
What Internal Temperature Should The Wings Be When They’re Done Cooking?
You can safely eat chicken when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. However, for wings, 175 degrees is best, that way the chicken falls right off the bone. Higher than 175 is okay, too. Some of your wings may get to 195 but, as long as you watch them so they don’t burn, they will still be delicious and tender.
How Many Spicy Korean Chicken Wings Does This Recipe Make?
I used 3lbs of wings in this recipe, yielding 20 wings. However, the sauce recipe as written will coat about 40 wings. So, make it a backyard celebration and invite your friends!
Is There Something Else I Can Use Besides Avocado Oil?
I find avocado oil works best when grilling since it has a very high smoking point of 520 degrees F. If you don’t have any on hand you can just use vegetable oil, but you will need to keep a closer eye on the wings while cooking since vegetable oil starts smoking around 400 degrees F.
If you need to, you can also replace the avocado oil in the sauce with vegetable oil as well.
What Do You Recommend Pairing With These Gochujang Chicken Wings To Make A Complete Meal?
Most people enjoy them with a starch like rice or noodles, and a vegetable or a salad. Other tasty sides could be crab rangoons, egg rolls, or potstickers.
Can I Use The Sauce In This Chicken Recipe On Other Cuts Of Chicken?
Yes! You can use the sauce on chicken thighs, chicken breasts, or even on beef! You could also use it on deep-fried chicken wings to make Korean Fried Chicken!
Let’s Connect!
If you’ve tried this recipe, please let me know how you liked it in the comments below and leave a review. I love hearing from you!
Don’t forget to tag me – @sugarandsoulco – on Instagram and Pinterest with your photos or join our Sugar & Soul Show-offs Community and share them there, where you can join our recipe challenges!
Grilled Korean BBQ Chicken Wings
Ingredients
Chicken
- 3 lbs Signature Farms® chicken wings bone-in, skin on
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon O Organics® ground black pepper
Sauce
- ¼ cup gochujang
- ¼ cup Signature SELECT® less sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup O Organics® light brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste or ketchup
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1½ tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons garlic paste
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Garnish
- sesame seeds
- green onions sliced
Instructions
Chicken
- Preheat the grill and rub with a thin layer of avocado oil. It is best to heat one section of your grill to high heat and another section to the lowest setting for more of an indirect cook.
- Pat down the chicken wings with a towel and add them to a large bowl.3 lbs Signature Farms® chicken wings
- Add avocado oil, chili powder, salt, and pepper to the chicken and toss until evenly coated.2 tablespoons avocado oil, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon O Organics® ground black pepper
- Place the chicken wings close together on the indirect heat section of the grill and cook for about 1 hour, turning every 10 minutes. Keeping the wings close together on the grill creates steam that helps keep the wings tender and juicy instead of drying out.
- Once the wings reach an internal temperature of 165°F, transfer the wings to the high heat area of the grill and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, turning every minute or so to crisp them up. The internal temperature when removed from the grill should be at least 175°F.
Sauce
- While the wings are cooking, add the sauce ingredients to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Then remove from heat until ready to use.¼ cup gochujang, ¼ cup Signature SELECT® less sodium soy sauce, ¼ cup O Organics® light brown sugar, ¼ cup honey, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 2 tablespoons avocado oil, 1½ tablespoons sesame oil, 2 tablespoons garlic paste, 1 tablespoon ginger paste, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon sea salt, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Add cooked wings to a bowl and pour on the sauce and toss to coat.
- Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onions before serving.sesame seeds, green onions
Notes
- This sauce as written will coat up to 40 or so wings.
- Chicken wings are very fatty. Allowing them to cook at low or indirect heat will allow the fat to cook off without them charring. This ensures that the inside cooks through and the outside doesn’t burn.
- While chicken is safe to eat at 165 degrees, for wings it’s best to cook them to at least 175 degrees because at this point the meat should pull right off the bone.
- The last few minutes of high heat cooking means crispy skin.
- You don’t want to add sauce to the wings while cooking because it has a high sugar content and will cause them to burn and stick as well as make a huge mess of the grill.
- This is a sweet and spicy sauce, however, it’s not too hot. You can increase the heat with additional chili powder or gochujang sauce if desired.
- You want to oil both the grill and the chicken when cooking wings to help prevent sticking.
- Avocado oil is the best option to use when grilling because it has a very high smoking point. If you don’t have any, vegetable oil will also work just keep a closer eye on the wings while cooking. Vegetable oil can also be used in the sauce in place of avocado oil.
- If you’re working with a charcoal grill or a grill that doesn’t have independently heated sections, start your wings at the furthest edge from the flame.
- For most of the cooking period, the temperature inside your grill will be between 400 and 500 degrees.
- Don’t open the lid of the grill too often or the heat won’t be able to properly cook the chicken indirectly.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
Don’t forget to share it with me on Instagram @sugarandsoulco and follow on Tiktok @sugarandsoulco and Pinterest @sugarandsoulco for more!
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Shaw’s®.
Comments & Reviews
Hyun says
Great recipe