Dry Rub Chicken Wings

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Hear me out: Chicken wings are the most crowd-pleasing entre of all time and these Dry Rub Chicken Wings are no exception. When someone first said, “Winner, winner! Chicken dinner!” I am certain they were talking about these chicken wings. I mean, who doesn’t love a pile of herby, savory wings?!

If you don’t know about the enormous bag of frozen chicken wings in the Costco freezer section, now you do! It’s one of my hacks for how to feed a crowd of teenagers, what to do when we didn’t remember to thaw the Thanksgiving turkey (true story), and when we need to use up some of our one million fridge condiments. No one is unhappy about wing night.

Overhead image of finished product: golden brown Dry Rub Chicken Wings topped with chopped Italian parsley. The Wings are on a white oval platter with red trim; a small jar of cranberry sauce is placed just to the right of the platter.

The Story Behind ‘Dry Rub Chicken Wings’ (AKA Thanksgiving Chicken Wings)

A couple of years ago, our little family of three ended up unexpectedly staying home for the Thanksgiving holiday due to weather challenges. Early winter storms have a way of derailing even the best laid plans. I hadn’t thawed a turkey (which takes multiple days, BTW) and honestly, we don’t really love the big bird anyway. What we did have was a ten-pound-bag of chicken wings and all the things to season them like a traditional turkey. I served them up on a pretty platter surrounded by the sides we love. 

These Dry Rub Chicken Wings involves seasoning the wings with a classic poultry seasoning, making it feel as traditional as any turkey dinner we’d had in years passed and we honestly didn’t miss the turkey. Not one bit. Also, have you ever dipped a chicken wing into scratch-made cranberry sauce? WHOA. You are in for one sweet and savory treat, my friend.

Close up overhead image of Dry Rub Chicken Wings with a side of Simple Homemade Cranberry Sauce.

It was one of our most memorable holidays, all because we pivoted away from something we didn’t need or want and leaned into something we all enjoy: a serious stack of finger-licking wings. 

Each year I try to revisit our holiday traditions and take stock of what is working and what no longer serves us. As silly as it may sound, these chicken wings are kind of a symbolic reminder to pause and assess: are we doing this just because “we’re supposed to”? And, if so, let’s not. Let’s do what brings us joy and serves our lives right where we’re at.

Holiday Spiced Thanksgiving Chicken Wings

Everything you love about Thanksgiving turkey without the fuss of a giant bird. It's a crowd-pleasing stack of perfectly festive wings, herby and delicious served with your favorite traditional holiday sides.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 8 People

Equipment

  • Large mixing bowl
  • Tongs
  • Parchment paper
  • 2 Large Baking Sheets

Ingredients
  

  • 4 pounds Chicken wings, thawed
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons Olive oil
  • 2 Tablespoons 21 Seasoning Salute (Trader Joes), or Back of the Yards Seasoning (Spice House) Or your favorite poultry seasoning
  • 1 1/5 teaspoons Kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon Black pepper Freshly cracked
  • 1/4 cup Italian flat leaf parsley Fresh, chopped

Instructions
 

  • Pre-heat the oven to 375 F. Line your baking sheets with parchment.
  • Add your thawed chicken wings to a large mixing bowl. Add olive oil, salt, pepper, and 21 Seasoning Salute (or your favorite poultry seasoning blend).
  • Mix together (hands are your best tool here, tongs will work as well) and make sure all the wings are coated in the oil and spices.
  • Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes, or in the fridge overnight if preparing ahead to allow the spices to absorb into the wings.
  • Place the chicken wings on the lined baking sheets and spread out evenly, giving a bit of space between them to allow them to really cook and brown. If they are too crowded, they will steam and it will be tough to get them to brown.
  • Bake for 35-40 minutes, then remove from the oven to turn each wing for even browning.
  • Return to the oven for an additional 20 minutes or until golden brown.
  • For a crispier skin, finish with a ~2 minute broil on high.
  • Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving. Finish with chopped herbs, such as Italian flat leaf parsley for some color if you like!
Keyword Chicken Wings, Game Day, Thanksgiving, Turkey, Wings

Amber Dawn

Fresh Mango Salsa

Amber Dawn | The Host Notes
This pico-style salsa is sweet and savory which means it has depth in flavor that plays well with your favorite grilled seafood or tacos, or maybe even a lovely addition to a 7-layer-dip. Spice it up or tone it down - it's versatile and delectable however you serve it up. The best part? Even the mango naysayers seem to love it. Take along as a side dish to your next cookout or bunko night and add some color and zip to the table.
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Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine American, Mexican
Servings 6 people

Equipment

  • Medium mixing bowl
  • Cutting board or butcher block
  • Chef's knife
  • Paring knife
  • Microplane or zester
  • Handheld juicer
  • Bench scraper
  • Measuring cups & spoons
  • Wooden spoon or rubber spatula

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Mango large, ripe
  • 3-4 Tomatoes Roma
  • 1 Red onion medium
  • 1 Serrano OR jalapeno pepper for less spice remove seeds to decrease spice level
  • 1 Cup Cilantro chopped
  • 1 Clove Garlic grated
  • 3-4 Limes medium, juiced (about ½ cup)
  • 1 teaspoon Chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon Cumin
  • 1 teaspoon Red pepper flakes
  • ½ teaspoon Kosher salt or to taste

Instructions
 

  • Wash your produce well and set aside to dry, pat dry with a clean kitchen towel to speed up the process.
  • Using your chef’s knife, hold the mango carefully with the stem up on the cutting board. Apply enough pressure to hold it steady while you slice into the mango on all sides, removing as much fruit as possible while avoiding the pit. Keep the peel on for now and focus on getting all the mango you can get.
  • Using your paring knife, take the pieces of mango w/ peel on and slice them in to ½ inch strips. Then, score them into cubes, slicing the fruit but without slicing through the skin. Using your paring knife, carefully remove the skin from the mango, salvaging as much of the fruit as you can and discarding the skin. Add the cubes to your bowl.
  • Quarter your Roma tomatoes and remove the juicy pockets and seeds. This will make your salsa less watered down and allow the flavors to shine.
  • Dice the tomatoes into ¼ inch cubes and add to the large mixing bowl and set aside.
  • Dice the onion into ¼ inch cubes and add to your bowl.
  • Wearing gloves, slice your serrano or jalapeno in half lengthwise. At this point, you can remove the seeds by using a small spoon to scrape them out. If you’d like a spicy salsa, leave the seeds in. Half the peppers once more so you are left with four long strips. Line them up and dice into ¼ inch pieces. Add to your bowl.
  • Rough chop the cilantro to the consistency you like. It can be fine or super rough and using the stems is fine, if you like them.
  • Peel and grate the garlic and add to the bowl.
  • Juice the limes until you have about ½ cup of fresh lime juice. Add to your bowl.
  • Add the chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, and salt.
  • Give the salsa a good stir, incorporating all the ingredients until well combined.
  • Serve cold or at room temperature with tortilla chips, over grilled fish or meat, or on your favorite tacos.
  • Mango Salsa will store in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Notes

Mango is a pretty fibrous fruit and requires sharp knives to avoid smashing the fruit when chopping. It can also be difficult to get into tiny pieces without smashing, so I’m flexible on the size of the chop.
Grating garlic: This produces a fine paste-like result that opens up the essence of the garlic and lets the flavor really come through. I find I need less garlic in recipes when I use this method. You can use pre-pressed garlic or store-bought paste but it won’t yield the same pure garlic flavor.
Up the pepper ratio (red pepper flakes, serrano peppers) if you want to take this salsa up a few levels on the spicy front. Omit all three if you’d like to keep it mild.
Try serving this over grilled fish or combined with your favorite ceviche for a sweet and savory dish.
Or… try it on your carne asada or chicken adobo tacos.
Keyword Dip, Salsa

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