Comfort food often makes people think of mac and cheese, ice cream, or chicken pot pie. While those answers are certainly not wrong, what pops into my mind is a platter of piping hot chicken wings. If I knew the exact time I was going to die, I’d almost certainly make my last meal a messy plate of wings. A lot of recipes have been deemed “favorites”, but these spicy blackened dry rub chicken wings may just be the best thing I’ve ever made.

I’ve never met a chicken wing I didn’t like, but I can definitely say that I’m a sauced wing LOVER. If given the choice, I’d choose them 90% of the time. However, when making sauced wings at home, I’m always a little disappointed. It may be that they don’t have quite the same fried texture for the sauce to hold on to. So when made at home, they just end up a little slippery, and all the sauce falls to the bottom of the plate. When I’m making wings at home, I opt for dry rub. The seasoning crust acts as a strong barrier to seal in the natural juices, leaving you with a perfectly succulent wing, and a ton of flavor.

Chicken Drumettes

You’ll notice I use drummettes for this recipe. Drumettes are the upper arm part of the whole chicken wing, so to speak. They’re the ultimate cut and perfect for wings at home, and here’s why. Drumettes have a great meat to bone ratio; they’re small, but won’t leave you wanting for more meat. Additionally, because of their size, you can fit a lot of them in a small cooking space. Especially if you alternate the big side and smaller bone side! It’s like they were meant to be cooked together that way. Know that you can use other cuts for this recipe, but cooking time may vary.

Cooking Method

The ultimate way to cook these is in the airfryer (although I did include oven baked instructions). They’re still great in an oven, but nothing gets things crispy, crusty quite like the airfryer… To simulate an airfryer, bake your wings on a baking sheet topped with an oven safe cooling tray. This will ensure even airflow around the wings, and will prevent them from steaming.

When I first got an airfryer I felt a little pressured into it. Multiple people told me I needed it, but I wasn’t so convinced. The thing is bulky, and I couldn’t imagine using it for much more than fries. Boy was I so wrong. Not only does it cook things in half, sometimes less than half the time, it really does crisp things like a traditional oil fryer. I have the Cuisinart AFR-25 model, and I really love it. It can fit a whole batch of wings in one go! Although it takes up some storage space, it’s worth it for not having to make so many batches. Just as reference, it can hold 2 large chicken breasts, or 4 chicken thighs, or around 8 strips of bacon– it’s a great size, especially if you’re cooking for more than one person.

To Serve

Since these guys are pretty hot, ranch is a great dipping sauce to keep on the side with these spicy dry rub chicken wings. And, of course, the classic celery and carrots are a delightful fresh crunch to serve with them. As something a little different, I like to make a small bowl of my Green Apple Slaw. The creamy coleslaw is a perfect pallet cooler after a hot bite of wing!

Please ask my any questions about the airfryer below! I have also added it to my new SHOP page, featuring all of the kitchen gadgets that I love.

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