Grilled Portuguese Chicken Wings

Grilled Portuguese Chicken Wings

These grilled Portuguese chicken wings are packed with citrus, garlic, paprika and plenty of chilli heat. The marinade takes minutes to prepare and only needs about an hour to work its magic. Cooked hot and fast over indirect heat, the result is juicy, flavour-packed wings with beautifully rendered skin and a serious kick.

About These Portuguese Chicken Wings

Portuguese chicken is famous for its combination of smoky, spicy and citrus flavours, and these wings are no exception. The marinade uses fresh garlic, onion, lemon, paprika, chilli and red wine vinegar to create a punchy flavour that works particularly well with chicken.

The chilli brings plenty of heat, but there is enough acidity, garlic and spice in the marinade to make sure the flavour doesn't disappear behind the heat.

Choosing the Chicken Wings

For this recipe, you want whole chicken wings. There is no trimming or separating required, which makes these particularly easy to prepare.

Look for wings with a good amount of meat on them and skin that is intact. Fresh wings are ideal, but frozen wings can also be used if they have been completely thawed and dried thoroughly before marinating.

The Marinade

The marinade is made by blending the ingredients until smooth. This distributes the onion, garlic, chilli and spices throughout the marinade and means you don't end up with large pieces of onion or garlic burning during the high-temperature cook.

The combination of lemon juice and red wine vinegar also provides plenty of acidity, while the olive oil helps carry the flavours across the surface of the chicken.

Because chicken wings are relatively small, they don't need an overnight marinade. Around one hour in the refrigerator is plenty of time for them to pick up plenty of flavour.

BBQ Setup

I'm cooking these on a 57cm (22-inch) Weber kettle fitted with a Kettle Kone/Vortex-style charcoal accessory.

The goal is to cook the wings using high indirect heat at around 240°C (464°F) or higher. The Kettle Kone concentrates the heat in the centre of the kettle while forcing hot air up and around the outside of the cooking area.

If you don't have a Kettle Kone or Vortex, you can use two charcoal baskets pushed together. You'll need approximately a full chimney of briquettes to generate the same high cooking temperature.

How to Make Grilled Portuguese Chicken Wings

Preparation

Make the Marinade

Add the brown onion, garlic cloves, lemon zest, lemon juice, chilli flakes, sweet paprika, cayenne pepper, bay leaf, extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and black pepper to a blender.

Blend until the mixture is smooth and well combined.

Marinate the Chicken

Place the chicken wings into a large zip-lock bag and pour in the marinade.

Squeeze as much excess air from the bag as possible, seal it and give the bag a good massage to make sure every wing is completely coated.

Place the bag in the refrigerator and allow the wings to marinate for approximately one hour.

There's no real benefit to marinating these wings overnight. They are small enough that an hour gives them plenty of time to take on the flavours of the marinade.

The Cook

Prepare the Weber Kettle

Set up your 57cm (22-inch) Weber kettle for high indirect cooking.

Place the Kettle Kone or Vortex in the centre of the charcoal grate and fill it approximately three-quarters full with lit briquettes.

Carefully replace the cooking grate and put the lid on the kettle.

Open the top and bottom vents fully and allow the kettle to preheat for approximately 10 minutes.

You're looking for a cooking temperature of around 240°C (464°F) or higher.

Add the Chicken Wings

Remove the wings from the marinade and allow any excess marinade to drain away.

Arrange the wings around the outside of the cooking grate, skin side up.

The wings should sit over indirect heat rather than directly above the charcoal. This allows the hot air generated by the Kettle Kone to circulate around the chicken while the skin gradually renders and cooks.

Put the lid on the kettle and begin cooking.

Rotate the Lid

There is a hot spot created by the Weber lid vent as air is drawn through the bottom vents, travels around the food and is eventually pulled out through the top vent.

To help even out the cooking, rotate the lid approximately one-third of a turn every 15 minutes.

Continue cooking for approximately 45 minutes, maintaining a kettle temperature of around 240°C (464°F) or higher.

The exact cooking time can vary depending on the size of the wings and how consistently you maintain the kettle temperature, so use the appearance and internal temperature of the chicken as your final guide.

The Payoff

Check the Wings

After around 45 minutes, check the wings.

They should have deeply coloured, rendered skin and be cooked through. For food safety, check the thickest part of the meat with an instant-read thermometer and make sure it has reached at least 74°C (165°F).

If they need a little more colour or cooking time, leave them on the kettle for a few additional minutes.

Garnish and Serve

Transfer the cooked wings to a serving platter.

Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the wings and finish with chopped flat-leaf parsley.

Serve immediately while they're hot.

Be warned: these wings have some serious heat. The lemon juice and fresh parsley help balance that heat, but if you're sensitive to chilli, have something cold to drink nearby.

Ingredients

Chicken

• 1kg (2.2lbs) chicken wings

Portuguese Marinade

• 1 brown onion
• 4 garlic cloves
• Zest of 1 large lemon
• 2 tablespoons (30ml / 1 fl oz) lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons (0.2oz) chilli flakes
• 2 teaspoons (0.2oz) sweet paprika
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• ¼ cup (60ml / 2 fl oz) extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup (60ml / 2 fl oz) red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon (0.2oz) salt flakes
• ½ teaspoon (0.1oz) black pepper

To Serve

• ⅓ cup (20g / 0.7oz) flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 lemon, cut in half

Equipment

• 57cm (22-inch) Weber kettle
• Charcoal Briquettes
• Kettle Kone or Vortex
• Chimney starter
• Large zip-lock bag
• Blender
• Instant-read thermometer

Recipe Steps

1. Add the onion, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, chilli flakes, paprika, cayenne pepper, bay leaf, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and black pepper to a blender.
2. Blend until the marinade is smooth.
3. Place the chicken wings into a large zip-lock bag and pour over the marinade.
4. Remove as much excess air as possible, seal the bag and massage the wings until completely coated.
5. Refrigerate the wings for approximately 1 hour.
6. Set up the Weber kettle with a Kettle Kone or Vortex positioned in the centre of the charcoal grate.
7. Light approximately three-quarters of a chimney of briquettes and place them into the Kettle Kone.
8. Replace the cooking grate and lid, open all vents and allow the kettle to preheat for approximately 10 minutes.
9. Bring the kettle to approximately 240°C (464°F) or higher.
10. Place the marinated wings around the outside of the cooking grate, skin side up, over indirect heat.
11. Cook with the lid on for approximately 45 minutes.
12. Rotate the lid by approximately one-third of a turn every 15 minutes to help even out the cooking.
13. Check that the thickest part of the chicken has reached at least 74°C (165°F).
14. Remove the wings from the kettle and transfer them to a serving platter.
15. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the wings and sprinkle with chopped flat-leaf parsley.
16. Serve immediately.

Tips & Variations

Control the heat: The cayenne pepper and chilli flakes are responsible for much of the heat in these wings. If you want the flavour without quite as much fire, reduce the cayenne or chilli flakes.

Don't over-marinate: An hour is enough for these wings. Because the wings are relatively small and the marinade contains plenty of acidic ingredients, leaving them for a very long time isn't necessary.

Keep the heat high: These wings are designed for a hot indirect cook. Aim for around 240°C (464°F) or higher to help render the skin and develop plenty of colour.

Use a thermometer: Cooking time is a useful guide, but chicken size and kettle temperature can vary. An instant-read thermometer is the best way to confirm they're cooked.

Make them even hotter: If you genuinely enjoy punishing yourself, increase the cayenne pepper or add a hotter chilli to the marinade.

Balance the heat: Don't skip the fresh lemon juice at the end. The acidity cuts through the richness of the chicken and helps balance the chilli.

Recipe Info

• Prep Time: 1 hour, including marinating
• Cook Time: Approximately 45 minutes
• Serves: 2–3
• Effort: Easy
• Course: Appetizer / Main
• Cuisine: Portuguese / Australian
• Cooking Temperature: 240°C (464°F) or higher
• Hydration: 2–4 beers, depending on how quickly you drink them

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means, if you do purchase from one of my links, you pay no extra, but I do make a small amount from each purchase that helps me keep producing content, so thank you for your help.