The ultimate game day party food! Whether you’re firing up your grill for a pre-game tailgate or hosting friends in the comfort of your home, these Crispy Dr Pepper® Barbecue Wings are the perfect appetizer for all of your festivities this season!
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Dr Pepper® and Dollar General. All opinions are 100% mine.
When football season rolls around, I know that we better be stocked with all of the essentials to make game day parties complete!
In fact, the inspiration for this recipe came from my football-loving husband! When I was trying to come up with a delicious new recipe for the season, I asked him for his favorite football party food. His response? Chicken wings (which I already knew!).
Since Keith also loves to make his own barbecue sauces at home, he gave me some tips for making the special Dr Pepper® Barbecue Sauce as well!
Fortunately for all of us, Dollar General is providing great deals on Dr Pepper®, Hidden Valley, Kingsford and Sparkle® paper towel products to help all moms gear up and clean up this college football season!
I was able to grab all of these great supplies on a recent shopping trip, making this game day appetizer quick and easy!
Are you ready to make some of the crispiest, most delicious wings that you have EVER tasted?! In the recipe below, I have included two different instructions for cooking these wings.
You can use some Kingsford® Charcoal to grill the meat (Keith’s preferred method), or you can turn on your oven and bake the wings (my preferred method!).
I based my oven-baking recipe on a method that was originally developed by the folks at Cook’s Illustrated. And trust me: these wings turn out SO CRISPY that you’ll swear they came straight out of a fryer!
How to Make Dr Pepper Barbecue Wings
After patting the chicken wings dry, shake the wings in a bag with baking powder and salt (to draw out extra moisture and make that skin crispy!), then set them on a wire rack over a foil-lined baking sheet.
While the wings bake, you can make your Dr Pepper® Barbecue Sauce.
Tip: if you’re traveling to a tailgate and planning to grill your wings, you can always prepare the sauce in advance.
When your wings are hot and crispy, baste them with your sauce and dig in!
This is a sweet, tangy, easy and incredibly FUN way to enjoy college football!
How Long does it Take to Grill Wings?
If you are grilling your chicken wings instead of using the oven then don’t sprinkle them with baking soda as it’ll mess up your grill.
Instead, just pat them dry and season with salt and pepper and place on the pre-heated grill. Cook them for around 15-20 minutes turning them occasionally until golden, crispy and cooked through.
Remember to baste them with the barbecue sauce!
What to Serve with Barbecue Wings?
Served with a refreshing Dr Pepper® to quench your thirst and some creamy Hidden Valley® Ranch Dressing for dipping and some crunch celery sticks, these wings will WOW the crowd!
Just be sure that you have plenty of paper towels on hand to clean up the messy boys afterwards!
[Tweet “Get ready for game day with crispy wings slathered in Dr Pepper® Barbecue Sauce!”]
Top Tips and Variations
- Make sure to pat the chicken wings dry with paper towels. This makes them extra crispy and delicious.
- Make sure to preheat your oven or grill before cooking.
- Feel free to add different spices to the sauce such as hot sauce for a spicy kick.
- Extra sauce can be stored in the fridge.
- The chicken wings will keep well in the fridge for 2-3 days or can be frozen.
- Serve with your favorite dips, I like ranch dressing.
More Chicken Wing Recipes You Might Like:
- Jalapeño Pretzel Dogs – Big Game Snacks
- Buffalo Chicken Dip Crescent Ring
- 3-Ingredient Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Crispy Dr Pepper® Barbecue Wings
Ingredients
- 4 lb. chicken wings
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 ¾ teaspoons salt
For the Dr Pepper® Barbecue Sauce:
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 12 ounce cans (or 3 cups) Dr Pepper®
- 1 24 ounce bottle ketchup
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
For serving:
- Hidden Valley® Ranch Dressing
- Celery sticks
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Move one rack to the lower quarter of the oven and one rack to the top quarter of the oven.
- Pat the wings dry with paper towels. Place wings in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add baking powder and salt. Toss the bag to coat the wings.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place a wire rack on top of the aluminum foil and spray rack with cooking spray.
- Place the wings skin-side up on the tray. Bake on the lower oven rack for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, move the baking sheet to the higher rack in the oven and turn up the temperature to 425 degrees F.
- Bake for an additional 40-50 minutes, or until skin is golden brown and crispy.
While the wings are cooking, make the Dr Pepper® Barbecue Sauce:
- Whisk together all sauce ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until thickened (about 45 minutes).
- When wings are finished baking, baste with sauce and serve alongside Ranch dressing for dipping and celery sticks.
- Chicken wing baking method adapted from Cook’s Illustrated.
Alternate Grilling Method:
- Do not coat chicken with baking powder and salt. Instead, pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Prepare grill for medium heat. Grill wings, covered (turning occasionally), until golden brown and crisp, 15–20 minutes. Baste with sauce as directed above.
Notes
- Make sure to pat the chicken wings dry with paper towels. This makes them extra crispy and delicious.
- Make sure to preheat your oven or grill before cooking.
- Feel free to add different spices to the sauce such as hot sauce for a spicy kick.
- Extra sauce can be stored in the fridge.
- The chicken wings will keep well in the fridge for 2-3 days or can be frozen.
- Serve with your favorite dips, I like ranch dressing.
Nutrition
I can almost taste these wings, Blair! They sound SO good! I love your creativity with using Dr. Pepper. What a fantastic meal idea!
Thanks, Gayle!
I’ve got a hubby who would go crazy for that sauce and those wings during game days too! Such a yummy and genius recipe! I’m definitely saving this…I foresee these wings happening really soon! 😉
Thanks, Anna! Your husband would definitely enjoy these little guys!
These wings look so perfect!! I love the fun spin using Dr. Pepper! So clever!
Thanks so much, Annie! They are definitely delicious!!