The common wisdom over chicken wings, at least when you grill them, is to bake them or boil them first. But that's not exactly right, says cookbook author Jess Larson. She stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about her recipe for Grilled Lemon Parmesan chicken wings. Jess told Tonia the best way to handle grilled wings is to...keep them on the grill. Jess says what you do is to light the grill halfway, that is to make sure half the grill has an open flame, whereas the other half is allowed to warm radiantly. She places the wings on the indirect heat and lets them cook internally, then when they're cooked on the inside, put those wings on the open flame and let them get charred. And as for the sauce, coat those wings after they're cooked!
Season the chicken wings. Pat the chicken wings as dry as possible with paper towel, then coat them in a generous dusting of salt, garlic powder, and onion powder.
Prep the lemon parmesan garlic wing sauce by combining oil with lemon zest and juice, fresh garlic, grated parmesan, and a touch of honey for caramelized char. Tip! ⇢ Be sure to use a high smoke point vegetable oil that can stand up to the intense heat of a grill. I like grilling with avocado oil.
Zone 2: Finish the chicken wings over direct heat. Place the saucy wings back on the grill, positioning them directly over the flame. Cook until the wings develop beautiful crispy grill marks. Why? ⇢ The intense heat of the direct zone renders the skin, making it deliciously charred and crispy.
