Name: Roasted Spice-Rubbed Chicken Wings
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Ingredients: 2 dried New Mexican chiles , stemmed, seeded, and torn into ½-inch pieces; 4 teaspoons cumin seeds; 4 teaspoons coriander seeds; ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes; ½ teaspoon black peppercorns; 1 tablespoon sugar; 1 tablespoon paprika; ¼ teaspoon ground cloves; 1 tablespoon kosher salt; ½ teaspoon onion powder; ½ teaspoon garlic powder; 3 pounds chicken wings , cut at joints, wingtips discarded; 1 tablespoon vegetable oil; 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

Why This Recipe Works

Using a deep fryer to cook chicken wings is the standard, but we wanted to find a way to make them just as good using the oven. First off, we noted that cutting the whole wings down into drums and flats (saving the wing tips for another use) simplified the cooking time and made the wings easier to handle. Spreading the wings out onto a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil made clean-up easy, and spraying the foil with vegetable oil helped prevent the wings from sticking. In terms of flavor, we liked the fresh, punchy flavor of a homemade spice rub made with a combination of whole toasted spices. Roasting the wings for over an hour in a 375-degree oven ensured that the meat was tender, the skin was rendered, and the spice rub had mellowed into a flavorful coating.

Before You Begin

For a spicy rub, substitute 2 dried chipotle chiles for the New Mexican chiles. Serve with Buttermilk Ranch Dressing.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with vegetable oil spray.

Toast chiles, cumin, coriander, pepper flakes, and peppercorns in 10-inch skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until just beginning to smoke, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to plate to cool, about 5 minutes. Grind spices using spice grinder or mortar and pestle until coarsely ground. Transfer spices to bowl and stir in sugar, paprika, cloves, salt, onion powder, and garlic powder.

Pat wings dry with paper towels and toss with oil. Sprinkle with half of spice mixture and toss to coat. Sprinkle with remaining spice rub and toss to coat. Arrange wings in single layer, fatty side up, on prepared sheet. Bake until evenly well browned, about 1 hour 5 minutes. Transfer wings to platter, sprinkle with cilantro, and serve.