Cowboy Butter Chicken Wings

Key Steps in grilling the Perfect Chicken Wings.

Prepping: In this step there are 3 main parts to consider when prepping chicken wings: Drying, Lubing, Seasoning. Each step plays an integral part in the final outcome.

Grill set up: No matter what type of grill you use, set up and heat distribution are vital in achieving the perfectly grilled chicken wings.

Grilling: Time and temperature are important pieces to achieving tender, juicy and crispy grilled chicken wings.

Ingredient list for Cowboy Butter Chicken Wings.

• Chicken wings: for this recipe I went with whole wings. However, party or detached wings will work here as well.

• Olive oil: binder for the seasoning on the wings.

• Seasoning: I used a mix of an all purpose rub and steak rub for the chicken wings.

• Butter: liquid base of the cowboy butter sauce

• Garlic: I used minced garlic to give the cowboy butter sauce a pungent kick.

• Pepper flakes: adds delicate heat levels to the rich and buttery sauce.

• Cayenne pepper: adds heat but also smokiness to the cowboy butter sauce.

• Worcestershire sauce: perfect tangy and savory notes to balance the fatty butter and spicy notes.

• Herbs: freshly chopped herbs for freshness and crunch at the end to breakthrough the richness of the sauce.

How to prep chicken wings

When shopping for ingredients for my Cowboy Butter Chicken Wings recipe, think about the most important ingredient – the wings themselves. For this recipe, I used whole wings. However, party wings are the more popular choice amongst wing lovers. Purchasing them whole and seperating them yourself is the more economical approach, but requires a bit more work.

I have a full blog on How to Grill the Perfect Chicken Wings. I go into all the detail around detaching whole wings, seasoning and the grilling process.

Before you season the wings, make sure they are dry. Remove them from the package and pat them dry with a paper towel. To get the perfectly crispy skin, place them in the fridge for an hour to completely dry.

Next, apply olive oil to the outside of the wings. This will work not only as a binder for the seasoning, but will also get the skin nice and crispy during the grilling phase.

I seasoned the wings with Dad’s All Purpose Rub which adds the classic salt, pepper, paprika and sugar (you always need a little sweet) bbq flavor profile. After they are seasoned, it’s time to fire up the grill.

How to grill the perfect chicken wings

The secret to these Cowboy Butter Chicken Wing or any wings, is a deliciously crispy skin AND a juicy and tender inside. I’ll tell you exactly how to do it.

The easiest way to achieve this is to cook the wings on the indirect heat side of the grill.

Pre-heat the grill to 375-400 degrees and set it for indirect heat. This means that the heat source is not directly below the wings. Place the seasoned chicken wings on the grates and cook for 45-60 minutes or until the wings internal temperature reaches 180 degrees.  Flip the wings half way through to ensure an even cook throughout.

Make a homemade Cowboy Butter sauce

While the chicken wings are on the grill, it’s time to make the cowboy butter sauce. This sauce is different than the more common hot or savory sauces for wings. It’s a mix of rich, buttery and spicy notes.

These grilled cowboy butter chicken wings will be bursting with flavor!

In a saucepan, add a stick of unsalted butter, minced garlic, diced shallot, dry thyme, a dash of cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce and Dad’s steak seasoning. Place the saucepan on the grill next to the wings and cook long enough for the butter to melt and all the ingredients to combine. When the sauce is done, mix in fresh chopped parsley and chives for a pop of freshness and color.

Sauce up the Cowboy Butter Chicken Wings

There are 2 ways to coat these perfectly grilled chicken wings with the cowboy butter sauce. My recommendation is to brush this rich sauce over the wings while they are still on the grill. It will help the sauce tack on the wings. Do this during the last few minutes of cooking.

Another way is to remove the grilled chicken wings from the grill, let them rest and then toss in the sauce. This step is easier with party wings which are smaller and easier to coat with a flip.

Whichever step you take, make sure the rest the wings before serving. This allows the juices inside to redistribute making for not just a crispy and sauce bite, but juicy as well.

Before serving these delicious Cowboy Butter Chicken Wings, sprinkle some freshly chopped parsley over the top for a hint of freshness and enjoy!

What to do with leftover Cowboy Butter sauce

The beauty of working with butter is that it is re-heatable. If you made too much sauce, no problem! Pour the leftovers into a small container and reheat in the microwave or ideally in a sauce pan over the stove top. Over low heat, melt the butter and mix the contents of the sauce until the liquid is clear.

Use the cowboy butter sauce for dipping of any protein or over veggies or baked potatoes. Don’t let this delicious sauce go to waste!

Frequently Asked Questions:

Similar Grilled Chicken Wing Recipes:

Chicken & Turkey

Lemon Garlic Chicken Wings

Chicken & Turkey

Grilled Gochujang Wings

Chicken & Turkey

Sweet and Spicy Wings

Chicken & Turkey

Garlic Parmesan Wings