Grilled chicken wings that even taste just like summer sunshine! Super easy to make using basic ingredients, with fall-off-the-bone tender preparation and grilling methods that anyone can make, that will have you the envy of the neighborhood! You might want to make a double batch. Just saying.
Bless the man who loves to eat (his wife’s food!) And brags about it for days to everyone! Yep. I have trained him well.
No. Seriously though, he said that these were by FAR the best wings I’ve ever made and that he’s ever tasted!
And it all started with an excessive amount of lemonade that needed to be used before it went bad. Who knew?
Yep. Who knew that some regular ole lemonade could be the base flavor for some of the tastiest wings ever?!
Not only is it in the marinade, which was phenomenal if you don’t mind me saying. But I also made a separate basting and dipping sauce using more of it that had me greedily dipping and slurping those wings down right along with him!
I double-cook these babies for maximum tenderness starting them in the oven first.
I bake them for a total of 45 minutes,
and THEN put them onto the grill.
I’m afraid if they were cooked solely on the grill, by the time that they actually got fully cooked, until the meat is fall-off-the-bone tender,
that they would burn beyond recognition and be so dry I’d rather each beach sand!
So, this is the cooking method that I mostly use for grilling wings.
With all that said though, be sure to get SOME charring! I swear to you, THOSE were the ones we about fought over! That charring is incredibly DELICIOUS!!
All we had with these was a little bit of salad. That’s really all you need. But you can have even more veggies with them if you’d like. Grill up some asparagus and be sure to slather some of that basting/dipping sauce on them while grilling!
With summer in full swing, and lots of holidays coming up such as Father’s Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day, you’ll definitely want to save this recipe to your Pinterest boards for safe keeping. Because, OMG, these Kickin’ Lemonade Chicken Wings truly were PHENOMENAL.
Stay safe everybody! That nasty virus is still out these, just waiting for us to let our guard down. Don’t let it outsmart you! Social distancing and wearing masks is still a MUST. Take care and enjoy the summer sunshine!

Kickin' Lemonade Chicken Wings
Ingredients
For Marinade:
- 3 cups lemonade, I used Simply Lemonade
- 1/4 cup, packed, brown sugar
- 1 Tbl. garlic powder
- 1 Tbl. worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp. regular table salt
- 1/2 tsp. regular black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. chipotle powder
- 1 giant or 2 regular-sized dried bay leaves
- 12 - 16 mixed chicken wings and drumettes
For Basting/Dipping Sauce:
- 2 Tbl. butter, melted
- 1 cup lemonade
- 1 Tbl. regular white sugar
- 1/2 tsp. regular table salt
- 1/4 tsp. each: regular black pepper, garlic powder, chipotle powder, and cajun seasoning* (*I used Slap Ya Mama)
Instructions
In ziplock baggie, add marinade ingredients. Whisk or squish around to mix well. Add chicken pieces, remove excess air from baggie, squish around again to coat all the pieces of chicken, *and place into a bowl. (*I like to place the baggie into a bowl because sometimes those baggies do leak.) Marinate for at least 6 hours or overnight, turning now and then.
Preheat oven to 350º F. Remove chicken pieces with tongs, place into a shallow, sprayed, baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes, uncovered. (Discard marinade.)
Preheat grill to about 375º F. While grill is preheating, nuke butter to melt in a small glass measuring pitcher. Add rest of basting/dipping sauce ingredients, and whisk to mix. Pour out about half into finger bowls (small dipping bowls).
When grill is hot, place chicken pieces onto oiled grill grates. Baste frequently, turning pieces as needed, until lightly charred and fully done. About 20 - 30 minutes depending on the size of the wings. *Don't worry about the charring, more is BETTER!! Those were the ones we about fought over!
Enjoy! And don't forget to dip the fall-off-the-bone-tender meat into more of the dipping sauce! SO good!
Stephanie
Saturday 6th of May 2023
These were amazing! The Marinade....going on a post it on the cupboard! SOOOO Good! Do not have a grill, so just broiled in the oven for a couple minutes and turned after 2-4 minutes. Did not use a glass pan, just a foil lined sheet pan.