Zingy, Lightly Spicy, Sweet, and Crispy
In the warm summer months, we grill chicken wings nearly every week. As a result, we’ve been able to perfect our method for grilling super tender chicken wings with perfectly crisp outsides. One of our favorite ways to enjoy this summer tradition is to make Grilled Chicken Wings with Carolina Gold Mustard BBQ Sauce, which offers a bright mustard forward spice, a measure of zingy vinegar, and a pinch of sweetness to balance. I also love that this recipe is so quick to make — grilling these wings should only take you about 20 minutes!
Let’s talk about the Carolina Gold Mustard BBQ Sauce
This Carolina Gold Mustard BBQ Sauce gets its signature golden hue from yellow mustard seasoned with easy pantry ingredients, including apple cider vinegar for a zingy bite, tabasco for a hit of spice, and honey to balance and sweeten. This tasty sauce only takes about 5-minutes to whip up, which makes it easy for dinner dishes like these Carolina Gold wings or drizzled over grilled veggies and salads.
If you are a fan of this Carolina Gold BBQ sauce, make sure to check out these other BBQ sauce recipes:
What side dishes to serve with these Grilled Chicken Wings with Carolina Gold Mustard BBQ Sauce
- Creamy Dijon Dill Potato Salad
- Spicy Cabbage Slaw
- Horseradish Dill Slaw
- Blistered Shishito Peppers
- Pressure Cooker Collard Greens with Smoked Ham Hock
- Creamy Cucumber Radish Salad
- Crunchy Greek Salad with Avocado and Feta
- Strawberry Peach Summer Salad with Basil Walnut Pesto
ZONE GRILLING IS THE KEY TO PERFECTLY CRISP WINGS WITH TENDER INSIDES
My favored method for grilling Carolina Gold chicken wings is to use zone grilling. Though you’re likely to find slight nuances in zone grilling methods, the common thread is that the chicken wings (or other grilled items) cook over low heat or no direct heat on one side of the grill first and then finished over direct high heat. This prevents the wings from drying out as they reach a safe internal temperature and results in perfectly crisp wings.
This is my personal preferred way to zone grill on a gas grill:
- Preheat your grill – Turn all of the burners to high and allow to preheat to 500° F.
- Turn one side of the grill to low heat – Once the grill has reached the correct temperature, turn the burners on one side of the grill down to the lowest heat setting. Some zone grilling methods suggest you turn the burner on one side completely off, but I prefer to instead turn the burner on that side to the lowest setting so it gets just a bit more heat rather than turning it totally off. This is especially helpful if you’re working with wings that are still slightly frozen.
- Grill the chicken wings on the low-heat side first – Add your chicken wings in even rows to the side of the grill that you have lowered the heat, directly opposite of the high-heat side. Allow the wings to cook for 7-8 minutes (depending on how large your chicken wings are) then flip the wings and cook the opposite side for an additional 7-8 minutes. One way to tell if your wings need more time is if they stick to the grill when you go to turn them. If they stick badly, allow them to cook for another minute or so, then try flipping again. I prefer to rearrange the wings so that the wing row that cooks closest to the flame the first 7-8 minutes is switched to be the farthest row away from the flame once flipped to the second side.
- Test the internal temperature of the wings – Using a meat thermometer, test the internal temperature of the wings; They should have reached atleast 165° F.
- Char and baste the wings on the high-heat side to finish – Once the wings have completed their internal cook on the low-heat side of the grill, turn the grill on the low-heat side off and transfer the wings over to the high-heat side of the grill. Grill the first side of the wings for 1 minute, then flip the wings and baste the charred side in Carolina Gold Mustard BBQ Sauce while the opposite side chars for 1 minute. Flip the wings again and baste the opposite side with sauce while the first side chars for 1 minute further. Flip a final time and allow the second basted side to cook for one minute further. When finished, each side of the wings should have received a total of 2 minutes of direct high heat on each side and received some lovely charred grill marks in the process.
* For charcoal grills, you will want to utilize coals on only one side of your grill (your high-heat zone) and leave the opposite side of the grill coal-free (your indirect-heat zone).
What tools do I need to make this recipe?
- A gas or charcoal grill
- Grill tongs
- A meat thermometer
- A basting brush
Are you looking to upgrade to your cooking tools or replenish your pantry? Check out my kitchen tools shop page and pantry staples shop page to find my must-have kitchen tools, pantry items, and other Whip & Wander favorites.
Looking for more grilling and BBQ inspiration?
Love these Grilled Chicken Wings with Carolina Gold Mustard BBQ Sauce? Here are some additional grilling recipes and BBQ recipes I love:
- Grilled Chicken Wings with Chipotle Peach BBQ Sauce
- BBQ Chicken Salad with Buttermilk Jalapeno Ranch
- Grilled Skirt Steak with Avocado Chimichurri Sauce
- Pressure Cooker Boneless Beef Ribs
A note for special diets
These Carolina Gold Wings can easily accommodate grain-free, gluten-free, and dairy-free diets. If you’d like to make this recipe friendly for Paleo or Keto diets, please refer to the substitution notes in the post for the Carolina Gold Mustard BBQ Sauce.
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Grilled Chicken Wings with Carolina Gold Mustard BBQ Sauce
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 pounds 1x
- Category: Mains, Appetizers & Bites
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
These Grilled Chicken Wings with Carolina Gold Mustard BBQ Sauce are bright, zingy, and slightly sweet with a mustard-spiced gold sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken wing sections (drums and flats)
- 8 oz (about 1 cup) Carolina Gold Mustard BBQ Sauce (get recipe at this link)
Instructions
- Turn all of the burners on your gas grill to high and allow to preheat to 500° F.
- Once the grill has reached the correct temperature, turn the burners on one side of the grill down to the lowest heat setting. Some zone grilling methods suggest you turn the burner on one side completely off, but I prefer to instead turn the burner on that side to the lowest setting so it gets just a bit more heat rather than turning it totally off. This is especially helpful if you’re working with wings that are still slightly frozen.
- Add your chicken wings in even rows to the side of the grill that you have lowered the heat, directly opposite of the high-heat side. Allow the wings to cook for 7-8 minutes (depending on how large your chicken wings are) then flip the wings and cook the opposite side for an additional 7-8 minutes. One way to tell if your wings need more time is if they stick to the grill when you go to turn them. If they stick badly, allow them to cook for another minute or so, then try flipping again. I prefer to rearrange the wings so that the wing row that cooks closest to the flame the first 7-8 minutes is switched to be the farthest row away from the flame once flipped to the second side.
- Using a meat thermometer, test the internal temperature of the wings; They should have reached atleast 165° F.
- Once the wings have completed their internal cook on the low-heat side of the grill, turn the grill on the low-heat side off and transfer the wings over to the high-heat side of the grill. Grill the first side of the wings for 1 minute, then flip the wings and baste the charred side in Carolina Gold Mustard BBQ Sauce while the opposite side chars for 1 minute. Flip the wings again and baste the opposite side with sauce while the first side chars for 1 minute further. Flip a final time and allow the second basted side to cook for one minute further. When finished, each side of the wings should have received a total of 2 minutes of direct high heat on each side and received some lovely charred grill marks in the process.
* For charcoal grills, you will want to utilize coals on only one side of your grill (your high-heat zone) and leave the opposite side of the grill coal-free (your indirect-heat zone).
Notes
Nutritional information on Whip & Wander is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 lb
- Calories: 544
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 502 mg
- Fat: 40 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Protein: 44 g
Keywords: Carolina Gold, Chicken Wings
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