Crispy Grilled Ghost Pepper Wings
A recipe for spicy grilled ghost pepper chicken wings that have been rubbed down with a vibrant mix of ghost pepper flakes and other seasonings, then grilled to crispy perfection. Fire up those grills and get cooking. For true spicy food lovers.
These “no sauce” hot wings will keep you at home and will save you a ton of cash, as you won’t need to run out to your local wing joint. Excellent!
Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE running down to one of the many local chicken wing establishments near my home, but there is something special about making them at home, especially when I’m in the back yard, firing up the grill.
FAVORITE THING! I love grilling!
We have a nice backyard that backs up to a pond and it’s rather serene. I can enjoy a nice adult refreshment as I let my chicken wings SIZZLE on the grill grates.
SO GOOD!
Just look at these babies.
The rub is simple – ghost pepper flakes, dry seasonings – but the grilling gets them extra crispy.
Let’s talk about how we make them, shall we? It’s SUPER EASY.
How to Make Crispy Grilled Ghost Pepper Chicken Wings – The Recipe Method
First, pat the chicken wings as dry as possible, then add them to a large mixing bowl. Be sure to remove the wing tips, as those will just burn on the grill.
Next, sprinkle in your seasoning mixture, including ghost pepper chili flakes, chili powder, paprika, garlic, onion powder and salt. Give them a nice toss to make sure all the wings get nicely covered with your dry seasonings.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate the chicken wings for at least 1 hour. This ensures the seasoning intensifies, but also helps the wings dry out even further before grilling them. This the primary secret to “crispy” wings on the grill. Dry chicken skin. The drier the skin, the crispier they will turn out.
When you’re ready for grilling, fire up the grill to medium-high heat. Sprinkle the chicken wings with a bit of olive oil, then set them onto the grill grates. The combination of dry skin, high heat and olive oil will add to the overall crispiness.
Grill the chicken wings for 30-40 minutes, flipping them occasionally, until they are cooked through and the skins are nice and crispy.
I like to blacken my wings, as you’ll see from the photo, but you can lower the heat and cook them a bit more slowly for less char.
Serve them up with a bit of ranch or blue cheese dressing on the side, if desired, or just gobble them up!
How to Get Crispy Chicken Wings on the Grill
There are three main factors in achieving super crispy chicken wings on the grill. They are:
- Very Dry Chicken Skin. Pat the chicken skins as dry as possible with paper towels before grilling them. It helps to sprinkle them with salt afterward and set them into the refrigerator. This helps draw out the moisture from the skins, which you can wipe off again. Baking powder is another secret ingredient that can help draw out the moisture from chicken skins. Additionally, the environment in the refrigerator helps dry the skin out even further. Try leaving them in the fridge overnight, covered, and see how dry they get.
- High Heat. You won’t get as hot as fry oil, but a high temperature in combination with your oil run before grilling will really help crisp up that dry skin.
- Oil. I use an olive oil blend typically, but you can use any neutral oil, such as vegetable oil, peanut oil, or avocado oil. Try them all!
Grilled Ghost Pepper Wings Heat Factor
As with most ghost pepper recipes, you’ll notice a HIGH heat factor that starts off with a mild burn and slowly builds.
Ghost peppers are an original superhot chili pepper, topping 1 Million Scoville Heat Units (SHU), so expect a very respectable level of heat. OH YEAH!
I know you want it.
You probably will only notice a bit of heat with the first couple of wings, but after a good 8 to 10 of them, oh yes! Pleasant heat.
Learn more about the Scoville Heat Scale Here.
Check Out Some of My Other Popular Chicken Wing Recipes
- Crispy Baked BBQ Chicken Wings
- Jalapeno-Cheddar Chicken Wings
- Grilled Ghost Pepper Chicken Wings
- Baked Ghost Pepper Chicken Wings
- Sticky Habanero Glazed Chicken Wings
- One-Pot Sweet and Spicy BBQ Chicken Wings
- Baked Garlic-Parmesan Chicken Wings
- Pressure Cooker Chicken Wings
- Grilled Jerk Chicken Wings
Try Some of My Other Ghost Pepper Recipes
I love cooking with ghost peppers and have a number of spicy ghost pepper recipes to share with you. Here is a list of recipes:
- Sweet and Spicy Ghost Pepper Candied Bacon
- Sweet Ghost Pepper-Pineapple-Pear Hot Sauce
- Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce
- Ghost Pepper Chicken Curry
- Ghost Pepper Chicken Wings
- Pineapple-Mango Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce
- Cedar Plank Salmon with Ghost Pepper-Mango Glaze
- Homemade Ghost Pepper Chili Hot Sauce
- Ghost Pepper Remoulade
- Homemade Chili Powders
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
A recipe for spicy grilled ghost pepper chicken wings that have been rubbed down with a vibrant mix of ghost pepper flakes and other seasonings, then grilled to crispy perfection. Fire up those grills and get cooking. For true spicy food lovers.
- 2 pounds chicken wings
- 1 tablespoon ghost pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
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Add chicken wings to a large mixing bowl and sprinkle them with the ghost pepper flakes and other dry seasonings. Toss until they are well coated.
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Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
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Preheat your grill to medium-high heat. Toss the seasoned chicken wings with olive oil.
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Grill the chicken wings for 30-40 minutes, flipping occasionally, or until they are nicely cooked through.
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Serve!
Heat Factor: HOT. You'll get some excellent level heat from the ghost pepper chili flakes. Reduce the heat by omitting the ghost pepper flakes and focusing on the spicy chili powder.
This recipe was originally posted on 6/6/2014. It was updated on 7/19/2018 to include new photos.
4 comments
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Just made these and they were just the right amount of spicy. Ghost peppers all the way.
Thanks, Joey. Ghost peppers are one of my favorites.
My husband would love these! The hotter the better! Thanks for sharing.
Excellent, Karly!