Grilled Garlic Parmesan Wings with Cilantro

These Garlic Parmesan Wings are grilled to perfection, tossed in finger-licking sauce made from butter, garlic and smoked paprika and topped with shredded Parmesan cheese and cilantro. Easy to make and the perfect appetizer!

Today’s grilled chicken wings recipe is sponsored by my friends at Char-Griller. All opinions expressed are my own. Thank you so much for supporting the brands that make Isabel Eats possible!

Hands up if you love Garlic Parmesan Wings! What’s not to love about buttery, garlicky, cheesy wings, am I right? Well hold onto your hats because these aren’t your regular fried or baked wings – they’re grilled!

Grilled wings have it all – a delicious smoky flavor, beautiful and flavorful grill marks with those delicious charred pieces, all without the excess oil of frying!

These wings are quick-brined for 30 minutes in a simple solution of salt, sugar and water to achieve that juicy tender inside and crispy crunchy outside. Then they’re tossed in a generous mixture of melted butter infused with garlic, Parmesan, smoked paprika, black pepper and salt.

Top the wings with some freshly chopped cilantro to add some bright Mexican-inspired flavors and voila! Grab some napkins and dig in.

If you haven’t done much grilling before or are intimidated by it, I know how you feel. I felt the same way before I made it my mission this summer to get outside and become more comfortable on the barbecue.

Now that I’ve got some grilling experience under my belt, I’m super excited to be partnering with Char-Griller this summer to bring you easy to make grilling recipes that even the total beginner can master.

For this recipe, I’m using the gas grill side of my Char-Griller Texas Trio Gas & Charcoal Grill. Grilling with gas is super convenient, requires minimal cleanup and is super simple. Just lift up the lid, turn on the gas and ignite the burners.

I’ll be talking more about grilling with charcoal and how to light a charcoal grill in future posts, but for now, let’s get started with the gas side of the grill with step-by-step instructions. (If you have a charcoal grill, you can totally make this recipe as well!)

How to Make Garlic Parmesan Wings

First things first, make a quick brine by combining water, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Stir it all together until the sugar and salt have completely dissolved. (photo 1)

Then add the chicken wings in the bowl, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. (photo 2)

After 30 minutes, remove the chicken wings from the fridge and drain and discard the brining solution by pouring the wings into a large colander. At this point, preheat your grill to medium-high heat, about 400°F-450°F. I turned on all my burners to prepare for direct-heat grilling.

While your grill is preheating, pat your wings completely dry with a kitchen towel or several paper towels. You want them to be as dry as possible. Place them in a bowl and toss them with olive oil to coat.

Grease the grill grates by wiping them down with a paper towel soaked in oil, and place the wings directly on the grill. (photo 3)

Close the lid and grill the wings for about 8 minutes. (photo 4)

Flip wings over, rearrange them if you notice some are cooking faster than others, cover and cook for 8 more minutes. (photo 5)

Remove the wings from the grill and check to make sure they’re cooked completely through. An instant-read thermometer should register at least 165°F, or you can cut a large wing down to the bone to make sure the meat is no longer pink. (photo 6)

Once the wings are grilled to beautiful perfection, it’s time to make the garlic Parmesan wing sauce! A word of warning – this sauce is so freaking delicious, you’re going to want to drink it. Just a heads up.

First, melt a stick of butter in a small pot over medium heat.

Add in a healthy serving of freshly minced garlic and saute for about 30 seconds, until the garlic is super fragrant. Believe me, you’ll smell it. (photo 7)

Sprinkle in the smoked paprika, 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese, ground black pepper and salt. Mix to combine and that’s it! (photo 8)

And now the moment we’ve all been waiting for – pour half of the garlic Parmesan sauce onto the grilled wings and toss to combine. (photos 9-10)

I garnished my grilled chicken wings with some shredded parm and chopped cilantro for that little Mexican touch. Pour the remaining wing sauce in a ramekin and dig in!

Tips for the Best Grilled Chicken Wings

• Don’t skip the quick brine. Brining the wings in a concentrated salt-water-sugar solution helps keep the meat juicy and tender, cuts down on cooking time and, helps to brown the skin during grilling.
• If you notice a lot of smoke (more than usual) coming up from your grill, open the lid and check to make sure the wings aren’t caught in any flare ups. Flare ups can happen if there’s excess fat or skin on a piece of poultry. If a flare up does happen, reduce the heat on that side of the grill and move the food away from the flame until it’s back to normal.
• If you notice some wings are cooking faster than others, rearrange the wings on the grill and swap the places of the ones that are cooking fast with the ones that are cooking slow.

More Recipes

• Easy Mexican Street Corn (Elotes)
• Juicy Grilled Chicken Kabobs
• Grilled Garlic Herb Shrimp Skewers