Crispy Citrus Rubbed Wings With Feta Cream are succulent and juicy inside with super flavorful, crispy skin outside. Serve with cool, creamy feta sauce for a main dish your family will ask for again and again!
“I don’t know what you put on this chicken but these are the best wings yet!” and “You need to make them like this every time from now on!”
Statements like that are the way to my heart ❤️ (and insurance that I will be making whatever it is again and again) ! They’re also the reaction I got from my wing-loving sons (who can be difficult to impress) when I made these citrus rubbed wings for the first time a few nights ago.
I mean, how good do these look?????
The Flavor Is In The Rub
Between gathering your spices, zesting your fruit and mixing it all up, this rub takes about ten minutes. Make it a few days ahead or right before you want to use it.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Kosher Salt
- Coconut Sugar or Brown Sugar
- Zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange
- Coriander
- Paprika
- Garlic and Onion Powder
- Italian Seasoning
- Cracked Black pepper
The recipe makes 3/4 cup of rub, which may be more than you need (depending on how many wings you’re making). I’ve given you more ways to use it in the Sweet & Savory Citrus Dry Rub post if you want to check it out.
If not, everything you need to know for this recipe is included in the recipe card, below 🙂
Rethinking Wings
If you’re reading this it’s probably a given that you already love chicken wings. I mean when you think about it, what’s not to love? They’re easy (and fun) to eat. The tasty-skin-to-juicy-meat-ratio is unbeatable. And they’re like a hybrid of white and dark meat so they tend to please everyone.
But I have to tell you about something new I discovered recently…
Last week when I stopped into Keller meats at The Exchange Market after delivering muffins to the bakery next door, the owner, Kayleigh, gave me a sample of a new cut of chicken they’re offering to see what I thought.
They’re called Wangs™ (think “Aint no thang like a chicken waaang”) and I’ve gotta tell you…I’m probably not buying regular chicken wings again as long as these are an option!
Keller’s Wangs™ are cut from the leg and come in bone-in (my favorite) and boneless. Because they’re all dark meat they have SO MUCH FLAVOR, but they also stay really juicy even when cooked to super crispy. Once cooked, they eat like a wing…but there’s just one bone and no gristle. If you look at the above photo you’ll notice they are literally double the size of a regular wing (I’m a nerd and weighed them to be sure) and that weight is mostly meat (3 times the meat). I could go on and on about how much *I* loved them…but my boys reaction was all I needed to be convinced that even die-hard-traditional-wing-fans will be impressed.
If you live near Keller’s give them a try! But PLEASE know that you can absolutely use regular chicken wings here! I’ve done both and promise that either will be fabulous!
Tips For Success & Prepping Ahead
Sometimes it’s the end of the work day and you’re just starting to think about dinner. We’ve all been there! And if that’s the situation when you decide to make these wings, you can absolutely get them in the oven with 30 minutes of prep (that’s enough time to make the rub and let wings sit for 15 minutes while your oven heats up).
BUT. If you’re planning a little farther ahead? I’ve got a few tips that will make these wings even better and your pre-dinner routine even easier!
How To Make Your Pre-dinner Routine Easier
- Make the rub and feta cream sauce several days before, so they’re ready when you are
- Season the wings ahead, even if it’s just a couple hours. And if you can season them the night before? Even better! When you season ahead let them chill uncovered in the fridge (this makes for extra crispy skin)!
Use A Rack For Even Cooking And Crispy Skin
Once your wings are seasoned and your oven is fully preheated, you’re ready to cook!
I love to cook wings on an ovenproof rack nestled into a sheet pan (line the pan with parchment for easier clean up). If you don’t have one that’s ok, your wings will still be great! But using a rack has several benefits:
- Because the food is lifted the hot air hits all sides of your chicken, making for better browning and faster, more even cooking
- The fat drips away from the wings so that the bottoms aren’t sitting in drippings getting soggy.
Give Them Space!
Whether you’re cooking wings or wangs™ preheat your oven to 400°f. Spray the rack (if you’re using one) with nonstick spray, I like Chosen Foods Avocado Oil Spray (you can find a great price on it at Costco).
Arrange your wings on the rack leaving space between them so that all the sides can get crispy. If you have a lot of wings, use two sheets instead of crowding them onto one.
*note: the wings in the pictures above are too close together for cooking, but it’s fine to have them close while the seasoning does it’s thing*
Cook your wings between 45 minutes and 1 hour, depending on their size and how crispy you like them. Flip them halfway through if you’re not using a rack. I prefer mine crispy and fairly well done so I lean towards the one hour mark, but every oven is different, so keep an eye on them!
Make The Feta Cream
Do you dip your wings? You can always stick with traditional blue cheese dressing but I love this creamy feta sauce (and I use it on lots of different things). You could always substitute blue cheese or goat cheese (yum!) for the feta. You do you!
Here’s what’s in it:
- Greek Yogurt
- Crumbled Feta
- Lemon Juice
- Minced Garlic
- Sweet and Savory Citrus Rub
All you need to do is throw everything into a blender and whirl it until it’s smooth! Done 🙂
What To Serve Along Side
For a super easy dinner just serve with raw veggies (and dip them in the feta cream!). If you have more time here are a few delicious ideas:
Garden Bean Salad With Citrus Vinaigrette
Julienned Zucchini Tomato Salad
As always, I love to hear how my recipes turn out for you and I especially love to see your pictures! Tag me on IG or FB @breathingandcooking with your creations!
And don’t forget to breath, trust yourself…and enjoy the process!
Crispy Citrus Rubbed Wings With Feta Cream
Ingredients
- 6 lbs Chicken wings (this is enough for 4-6 hungry people as a main dish, feel free to scale up or down)
Sweet and Savory Citrus Rub
- 1/4 cup Diamond Kosher Salt
- Finely grated zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp paprkia
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp cracked pepper
Feta Cream Sauce
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 6 ounces feta cheese
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp sweet and savory citrus wing rub
Instructions
- Pat wings dry and place in a large bowl.
- Place all ingredients for sweet and savory citrus wing rub in a separate bowl and work zest into spices with your fingers until well combined.
- Sprinkle desired amount of rub over wings and work rub into all sides of meat very well. You'll use 1-2 Tbsp of rub for every pound of wings (I like a lot of seasoning, you may prefer less). Let seasoned wings stand at least 15 minutes, preferably 2 hours or up to overnight. If seasoning an hour or more ahead, store uncovered in the refrigerator until ready to cook.
- Preheat oven to 400°f. Place an ovenproof wire rack over a rimmed sheet pan (it should fit inside) and spray with non-stick pan spray. Arrange seasoned wings on rack, leaving room between wings so that they aren't crowded. You may need more than one pan if you have a lot of wings.
- Cook wings for 45-60 minutes, until crispy outside and cooked through inside. Internal temp needs to be 165°ff (I prefer wings a little more done at 175°f- they'll still be very moist).
Make Feta Cream Sauce (can be made ahead)
- Combine all ingredients in a blender and whirl until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. If it's too thick add a little more lemon juice. Chill until ready to serve.
Serve wings with feta cream sauce and enjoy!
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