Dry Rub Chicken Wings

Quick and Easy is the theme of these Dry Rub Chicken Wings. Appetizing party food doesn’t have to be complicated to be delicious. These wings are so easy; coat with the dry rub, marinate for 30 minutes, and then bake! Sometimes, easy equals delicious!

Sometimes wings need to be drenched in a sticky sauce, and sometimes, they don’t – take these Dry Rub Chicken Wings, for example. I like to eat wings of all flavours and styles, and I don’t discriminate over one or the other. Chicken wings are simply a fun food. Not usually served as a main, but every party or function should have them!

CREATING A DRY RUB

When working with dry rubs, it’s important to assemble the right blend. You want a blend of spices and herbs that compliment each other, but create contrast as well. You want the rub to be balanced, but offer a difference between the distinct flavours as well.

Dry Rub Chicken Wings has all of those things. The dry rub has a sweet factor from the brown sugar. This helps to caramelize the wings during the baking process. The brown sugar also helps to crisp the skin on the wings.

The chili powder and the chipotle powder brings the spiciness and the heat level. It’s really not overpowering though. If you want more heat, you can increase the chipotle powder from one teaspoon to two or even three teaspoons. Just know your heat tolerance level; chipotle powder can be quite hot!

Oregano and dry mustard helps to tone out the sweet and the heat by adding an earthiness. It’s subtle, but you can certainly taste what I like to call “homemade” flavour.

KNOW WHAT’S IN SEASONING BLENDS BEFORE YOU USE THEM

The seasoning salt has a few different spices that combine well to make an all-in-one spice blend. There’s paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and sometimes, a little bit of ground red pepper. I only add a little bit of the seasoning salt, because I didn’t to over salt the chicken wings.

BAKING WINGS ON RACKS

Science comes in to play when baking wings at high temperatures on a wire cooling rack. The wire rack keeps the wings elevated so that heat can get all the way around each and every wing. That, coupled with the high temperature, helps to render out the fat in the skin. This also helps to make the wings crispy without the need for frying.

When these chicken wings come out of the oven, you have two options. You can eat them just as they are, or you can pair them with a dip. I personally love a Buttermilk Dill Ranch Dressing with baked chicken wings. That is, if they’re not coating in sauce! Blue cheese dressing is also really good with these. It adds a blast of flavour to the already delicious wings.

On this particular day, I wasn’t feeling like adding a dipping sauce. The wings were baked perfectly. The skin was crispy and the inside was super moist. The dry rub had seasoned the chicken wings right though, and not just on the skin. With all of that flavour and texture, a dressing to dip the wings into was just not needed. Simple is sometimes best.

TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE

Following recipe directions precisely is not something many people do. We make substitutions, leave things out completely, or add more or less of the ingredients we like or dislike. That’s all good and fine, but there’s just one step in this recipe that you cannot skip.

If you want full-on, maximum flavour and tenderness, you must let the wings rest in the dry rub before baking. It’s the only absolute. Now, here’s the recipe. I know you’re going to love this one, Dear Reader!

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