Oven-Baked Smoked Chipotle Chicken Wings
By Victoria Glass
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Easy
Made from ground smoke-dried jalapeños, the chipotle chilli powder adds smoky depth and a subtle sweetness that perfectly balances the moderate crackle of heat. These oven-baked wings can become a regular in your repertoire without the headache (or fear of flames) that comes with deep fat frying.
Adding a sprinkle of bicarbonate of soda to your dry rub will create crispness without any need for hot oil, but be moderate – too much will result in an unpleasantly bitter taste.
With most of the ingredients coming from the store cupboard, these wings are an easy go-to. Perfect as party snacks as an economical way to feed a crowd, these wings also make a very satisfying meal for two; especially if you’re intimate enough not to mind wiping hot sauce off each other’s chins.
Whoever you choose to serve these wings to, whatever you do, don’t scrimp on the paper napkins!
Ingredients for the chicken wings Serves: 2
- 1 kilo of chicken wings
Ingredients for the rub
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 heaped tsp garlic granules
- 2 tsp smoked chipotle powder
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 1/3 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Ingredients for the glaze
- 6 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp smoked chipotle powder
Method for oven-baked smoked chipotle chicken wings
- Preheat the oven to 150°C (130°C fan). In a large bowl, mix together the fine sea salt, ground cumin, ground black pepper, garlic granules, smoked chipotle powder, brown sugar, and bicarbonate of soda (this will help to make the wings crispy).
- Toss the chicken wings into the bowl and massage the dry rub into the meat. Place the wings on a large wire rack set inside a roasting tin lined with baking parchment. The wings should not be touching. Bake for 25 minutes; they will still be very pale. Increase the oven temperature to 240°C (220°C fan) and continue to bake for another 25-30 minutes, turning halfway through cooking, or until crisp and golden.
- In the meantime, make the glaze: put the tomato ketchup, soy sauce, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, maple syrup, ground black pepper, and smoked chipotle powder into a saucepan. Stirring every now and then, simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until the sauce has slightly reduced and deepened in colour.
- Remove the wings from the oven and rest them for 5 minutes, to allow them to crisp up even more. Transfer the wings to a bowl and pour over the glaze, tossing well until evenly coated. Serve immediately, with plenty of paper napkins.
Shop all dried chillies, and try our baked goat's cheese recipe.
About the author
Victoria Glass is a London based writer and recipe developer. She has written six cookbooks, including Too Good To Waste and has contributed to various print and online media including The Sunday Times, Great British Chefs, Delicious. Magazine, Women’s Health and The Evening Standard. She has been featured regularly on regional BBC Radio as a food and drink expert and was Food Writer in Residence at the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre. Victoria once cooked her way through the alphabet in a year for a project called Alphabet Soup, so she certainly knows her artichokes from her elbow.
