Coca-Cola Grilled BBQ Chicken Wings Recipe
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These Coca-Cola grilled BBQ chicken wings are the ultimate game day recipe! Marinating chicken wings in Coke and soy sauce creates incredibly tender, flavorful wings! These are perfect for tailgating, summer BBQs, or any gathering. Coca-Cola acts as a tenderizer while adding a subtle sweetness that pairs perfectly with smoky BBQ sauce. Plus the Coca-Cola in BBQ sauce adds an extra sweetness.
This easy grilled chicken wings recipe takes just 25 minutes of active cooking time (plus marinating time), making it perfect for busy weekends. Whether you’re hosting a backyard BBQ, watching the game, or just craving delicious grilled wings, this recipe delivers restaurant-quality results every time. Plus, the marinade is simple – just 4 everyday pantry ingredients!
Coca-Cola Grilled Chicken Wings Ingredients (Only 4!)
- Chicken Wings-We used a party pack with wings and drummettes.
- BBQ Sauce– You can use any BBQ sauce. I used Honey and Hickory Smoke for our wings.
- Coca-Cola
- Soy Sauce
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How To Make Coca-Cola Grilled Wings (Step-By-Step)
Put wings in a bowl or a bag, then add soy sauce and a can of Coke to the wings.
Place the bag or bowl in the fridge so the chicken wings in the Coke marinade can marinate for a couple of hours. I marinated mine for about 3 hours.
When ready to cook, grab a Coke and head to the grill to get started! Spray your grill with nonstick spray and allow it to heat up.
Once your grill is ready, use tongs to carefully remove the wings from the marinade and place them on the grill.
Allow your wings to cook, and flip them over as needed.
Once the wings are mostly cooked, use a pastry brush to coat them with BBQ sauce. Allow them to finish cooking. I flip mine and coat both sides with bbq sauce.
Watch how they cook so the sauce doesn’t burn, and be sure to use a food thermometer to make sure the food is cooked properly. (Chicken needs to be cooked to 165 degrees.)
Serve with a cold Coke!!!
Recipes Using Coca-Cola
- Coca-Cola BBQ Grilled Wings
- Coke Zero BBQ Crock Pot Chicken
- Pulled Coca-Cola Pulled Pork Sandwiches
- Coke Zero BBQ Crock Pot Wings
- Coca-Cola Butt BBQ Chicken
- Crock Pot Coca-Cola Ham
- Brine With Coca-Cola
- Coca-Cola Slow Cooker BBQ Kielbasa
- Coca-Cola Slow Cooker Ribs
- Coke Zero BBQ Chicken Sliders
Who would you share a Coke with?? What is your favorite grilling food?
Frequently Asked Questions About Coca-Cola Grilled Wings
- Why use Coca-Cola to marinate chicken wings? Coca-Cola contains acids and sugars that help to tenderize the chicken and add sweetness. The carbonation allows the marinade to penetrate the meat to make for juicy and flavorful wings.
- Can I use Diet Coke or Coke Zero? Yes! Diet Coke, Coke Zero, or any cola works. If you wanted Root Beer, or Dr. Pepper can be swapped in to it.
- How long should I marinate the wings? Marinate for at least 2-3 hours, or up to overnight for maximum flavor. Do not pass the 24-hour mark, as it will break down the chicken wings too much.
- Can I bake these instead of grilling? Yes! Bake at 400°F for 40-45 minutes, flipping halfway through. Brush with BBQ sauce in the last 10 minutes of cooking.
- What temperature should chicken wings be cooked to? Just like all chicken, chicken wings must reach an internal temperature of 165°F to be safe to eat. Use a meat thermometer to check.
- Can I make these in the air fryer? Absolutely! Air fry at 400°F for 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway. Add BBQ sauce in the last 5 minutes of cooking.
Jenny’s Tips For Perfect Grilled Coca-Cola Wings
- Make extra sauce, in my opinion, the more saucy the better
- Don’t skip the marinade, it adds so much flavor
- Use medium heat to prevent the sugar in the BBQ sauce from burning
- Add the sauce at the end
- Use a meat thermometer to verify they are done. These are cooked to temp of 165, not time.
Coca-Cola Grilled Wings Variations
Changing up sauces or adding in other ingredients can change the taste of the flavor
- Spicy wings-Add to the marinade a hot sauce or cayenne
- Asian-style– Swap out BBQ Sauce for teriyaki sauce
- Honey BBQ– Add honey to the BBQ sauce for extra sweetness
- Smoky-Add in liquid smoke to the marinade or cook on a pellet grill
- Buffalo style: Toss cooked wings in buffalo sauce instead of BBQ
- Dry rub: Skip the BBQ sauce and use your favorite dry rub
What To Serve With Grilled Coca-Cola Wings
These wings pair perfectly with classic BBQ sides, but almost anything can be made with these wings.
- Coleslaw
- Potato salad
- Corn on the cob
- Baked beans
- French fries
- Onion rings
- Ranch or blue cheese dressing for dipping, with celery and carrot sticks
- Pasta Salad
More Appetizer Recipes
As I’ve said, I love my crockpot! I use it all the time for dinners, soups, and tailgating! You can check out my collection of recipes -> here! Trust me; you need to try the beans!
Coke Grilled BBQ Wings Recipe
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Ingredients
Instructions
- Put wings in a bowl or in a bag then add soy sauce and a can of Coke to the wings.
- Place the bag or bowl in the fridge so the wings can marinate for a couple hours. I marinated mine for about 3 hours.
- When ready to cook grab a Coke and head on out to the grill to get started! Spray your grill with nonstick spray and allow it to heat up.
- Once your grill is ready to use, use tongs to pull the wings out of the marinade and place them on the grill.
- Allow your wings to cook and flip them over as needed.
- Once wings are mostly cooked use a pastry brush to coat on the bbq sauce. Allow them to finish cook, I flip mine and coat both sides with bbq sauce.
- Watch how they cook so the sauce doesn’t burn and be sure to use a food thermometer to make sure the food is cooked properly.
- Serve with a cold Coke!!!
Wow! Now that looks like a yummy meal. I am trying to eat as clean as I can so am staying away from pop but those bbq wings sure look tasty! I will share this with my best friend as she loves coke and bbq wings! Awesome post and great photos! Thanks for sharing!!
In Korea, chicken and beer when together in a meal is a huge trend for foodies. These are great comfort food we enjoy anytime. Coke bbq wings really intrigues me. How would that taste like? That’s such a creative recipe we have yet to try.
This grilled BBQ makes me hungry right now. That is perfect combination for coke, love this idea. I wishI could grab these from my screen lol.
Coke really is my downfall, I drink far too much of the stuff but it’s SO refreshing and tasty isn’t it? I would love a BBQ right now, if only the sun would shine. I need to pick up some cans of Coke in the shop tomorrow, you’ve given me a craving for it now 🙂
This is an awesome way to use Coke. I love the whole share a coke campaign, it is fun and brings people together. I will be trying your recipe tomorrow at dinner, I have everything needed. My kids are going to love this!
These look absolutely delicious and this recipe has been on my list to do! I wish I could come through the screen right now and try them
I’d love to share a Coke with my sister. I moved to Denmark 5 years ago and have only been back to the States once and it’s been over 4 years since I last saw her. It’s hard to ‘go home’ when I’ve got Europe at my doorstep!
As for my favorite grilling food, I’m a vegetarian and have never met a grilled vegetable I didn’t like, but my newest discovery is halloumi, a mediterranean cheese that can be grilled. It’s delicious!
I would have never thought about using Coke as a marinating ingredient for chicken wings. I usually just slather mine in the the hottest hot sauce I can find and cook them up. Your recipe sounds even better and might get me off the coach and in front of the grill earlier than I expected this summer. Luckily, I have a Sam’s Club membership so I can stock up on the Coke since I plan to make this several times this summer!
My mother always makes a Coke glazed ham at Thanksgiving, but for some reason I have never thought about the flavor transferring well to chicken. I think I’m going to have to force my hubs to make a batch of these soon. I’ll have to renew my Sam’s membership first though so we will have plenty of Coke!
What a fun recipe! I love sweet ingredients mixed with savory so I bet this would be right up our alley. And it’s easy enough that the kids could help make it too. Bonus!
i have seeing a lot of grilling posts lately + it is making me miss eating grilled food. I do not have my own griller so we only get to enjoy grilled stuff when we dine out. i think it is about time i get me a griller and grill as much as i can.
i did not know Coke can be used for cooking!
These look amazing- I love wings so much but I never really tried making them. I cannot wait to give these a shot!
This looks amazing. My hubs is a coca cola lover, so I cant wait to try it!
What a unique and lish-looking recipe! I don’t usually buy Coke, but this might be a good reason to! Thanks!
–G
These look sooooo good! And just as I am getting ready to pull the grill out, looks like I have a new recipe to try!