If you’ve been craving the ultimate Traeger smoked chicken wings, this recipe delivers crispy skin, juicy meat, and bold smoky flavor every time. These easy smoked wings are perfect for game day, tailgating, or anytime you want crowd-pleasing BBQ at home.
FYI — If you’ve been using this recipe for years, it’s the same one you’ve been loving! I gave this page a little face life with new wing photos and an extra sauce idea!
Watch how easy it is to make these crispy smoked chicken wings on the Traeger…
WHY YOU’LL LOVE MY SMOKED CHICKEN WINGS
I love happy hour wings so much, I decided to bring the whole experience to my backyard with the Traeger. Way fewer bar tabs… way more smoky flavor.
What started as a game day experiment has turned into one of my family’s favorite backyard BBQ staples. Perfect by the pool, patio, or crowded in the living room during game day.
Here’s why you’ll love them:
- Easy enough for a Tuesday night, but impressive enough for entertaining.
- Crispy skin with that smoky Traeger flavor.
- Two sauce options—Buffalo and BBQ—so everyone’s happy.
INGREDIENTS
For the smoked wings rub
- 2 lbs chicken wings flats & drums
- ½ tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ½ tbsp cayenne pepper
- 1 ½ tsp salt
For smoked buffalo wings sauce
- 2 tbsp butter melted
- 2 tbsp Frank’s hot sauce buffalo style
For smoked BBQ wings sauce
- 2 tbsp butter melted
- 2 tbsp BBQ Sauce
Serving suggestions
- ½ tbsp cilantro fresh chopped (optional)
- ½ cup blue cheese dressing
- celery sticks
- carrot sticks
POPULAR SUBSTITUTIONS & ADDITIONS
- Sauce swap – Not into buffalo or BBQ? Try garlic parmesan, teriyaki, or even a honey sriracha glaze.
- Spice level – Dial up the cayenne for extra heat, or skip it for kid-friendly wings.
- Dips – Blue cheese is classic, but this jalapeno ranch is also amazing.
- Herbs – Fresh parsley or chives work if you’re not a cilantro fan.
- Veggie sides – Add bell pepper strips or cucumbers alongside the carrots and celery for a bigger platter spread.
Planning an epic game day spread or BBQ menu? Check out more of my easy Traeger recipes.
HOW TO MAKE TRAEGER SMOKED CHICKEN WINGS
Step 7 – Serve. Arrange wings on a platter with blue cheese dressing, celery sticks, carrot sticks, and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro (optional). Serve immediately.
De-licious!
TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST SMOKED WINGS
- Pat them dry – Helps the skin get extra crispy while smoking.
- Use baking powder in the rub – It’s the secret trick for golden, crunchy wings.
- Low and slow, then high heat – Smoke at 180°F first, then finish at 350°F for perfectly cooked wings.
- Sauce at the end – Toss wings in butter + hot sauce or BBQ only after cooking to keep them crispy.
- Serve fresh – They’re best straight from the grill with blue cheese, celery, and carrot sticks for that classic happy hour vibe.
Try more tasty chicken wing recipes from Sip Bite Go
- Garlic parmesan chicken wings
- Lemon pepper chicken wings
- Smoked chicken wings
- Grilled chicken wings
- Baked chicken wings
- Air fryer chicken wings
- Sous vide chicken wings
- And you have to try this homemade blue cheese dressing
- See more chicken wings appetizers
Also try smoked Oreos and these viral buffalo chicken Doritos nachos.
Can’t wait to hear what you think!
I’d love to know how your version turned out! Drop a rating and leave a comment below to help the Sip Bite Go community. And if you snapped any photos, tag me on Instagram—I love sharing reader pics in my Stories!
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The Best Smoked Chicken Wings on the Traeger
Video
Ingredients
For the smoked wings rub
- 2 lbs chicken wings flats & drums
- ½ tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ½ tbsp cayenne pepper
- 1 ½ tsp salt
For smoked buffalo wings sauce
- 2 tbsp butter melted
- 2 tbsp Frank’s hot sauce buffalo style
For smoked BBQ wings sauce
- 2 tbsp butter melted
- 2 tbsp BBQ Sauce
Serving suggestions
- ½ tbsp cilantro fresh chopped (optional)
- ½ cup blue cheese dressing
- celery sticks
- carrot sticks
Instructions
- Season the wings. Pat chicken wings dry with a paper towel and add them to a large bowl or gallon-size plastic bag. Add the smoked wings rub (garlic powder, baking powder, cayenne pepper, and salt). Seal and shake until all wings are coated. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to absorb flavor.
- Preheat the smoker. Set the Traeger (or pellet smoker) to 180°F. Preheating usually takes 15–20 minutes.
- Start smoking low. Place chicken wings directly on the grill grates and smoke for 20 minutes at 180°F.
- Finish smoking at higher heat. Flip wings with tongs, increase the temperature to 350°F, and cook for another 50 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the largest wing reaches 165°F.
- Prepare sauces while wings smoke. In one medium bowl, whisk together 2 tbsp melted butter + Frank’s hot sauce for buffalo wings. In another bowl, whisk together 2 tbsp melted butter + BBQ sauce.
- Coat the wings. Once wings are done, split the batch in half. Toss one half in the buffalo sauce and the other half in the BBQ sauce until evenly coated.
- Serve. Arrange wings on a platter with blue cheese dressing, celery sticks, carrot sticks, and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro (optional). Serve immediately.
Nutrition
YOU MIGHT LIKE THESE
Pro tip: One of my go-to tricks for perfectly cooked food every time is using the right BBQ meat thermometers.
Jessica says
Are these wings spicy with the cayenne pepper? My children don’t love spicy! Thank you!
Cameron says
Great recipe, but for me they are always done 20-25 minutes after turning it up to 350
kubet says
best view i have ever seen !
SGoodrich says
These turned out delicious and super crispy! Wings I had were on the smaller side and they ended up well done/ extra crispy about 20 min early (according to recipe)
Andrew Davis says
Our go to Traeger wing recipe. A huge hit every time we make them. The wings come out so crispy!
Kyle says
After your done with the first 20 minutes, do you take the wings off until the grill gets to 350 or just leave on?
Jenna Passaro says
You can just leave ’em in there!
Amrita says
Wow!! Made these for the first time and we devoured them! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Mario Bejarano says
Amazing wings first time trying this recipe! Yum
Jenna Passaro says
So happy to hear – it’s always great when a new super bowl wings recipe turns out on point!
Phet says
Can I leave the dry rub on the wings overnight?
Jenna Passaro says
Absolutely!!
Pat Moriarty says
Amazing! First time trying a recipe on the Traeger and they were the best wings I’ve ever cooked.
Jenna Passaro says
You know it! I have so many others you need to try ASAP. Turkey, whole chicken, pizza. See my recipe catalog. https://sipbitego.com/smoked-traeger-pizza/