Rosemary Garlic Potato Salt Chicken Wings with Lemon
For cooks chasing crisp skin rather than sticky glaze, these wings deliver. Rosemary, garlic, lemon and potato-style seasoning cling to the hot surface after grilling, giving you a dry-finished BBQ wing that pairs beautifully with dips, corn, slaw and cold beer.
Ingredients
For the wings
- 1.5 kg chicken wings split into flats and drumettes
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp onion granules
- 1 tsp garlic granules
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp olive oil
For the rosemary garlic potato salt finish
- 1.5 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp garlic granules
- 1 tsp onion granules
- 1 tsp dried rosemary crushed fine
- 0.5 tsp sweet paprika
- 0.5 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
- 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
To serve
- * lemon wedges
- * extra parsley optional
Instructions
Season the wings
- Pat the wings very dry with kitchen paper. In a large bowl, toss them with the baking powder, sea salt, black pepper, onion granules, garlic granules, dried oregano and olive oil.
- Make sure the coating is even and not clumpy. If you have time, place the wings on a rack and chill uncovered for 1 to 2 hours. That extra drying step is brilliant for crisp skin.
Mix the finishing seasoning
- In a small bowl, stir together the sea salt, garlic granules, onion granules, crushed dried rosemary, paprika, dried oregano, lemon zest and chopped parsley.
- Set it aside until the wings are cooked. I like to rub the rosemary between my fingers before adding it so it spreads more evenly.
Set up the BBQ
- Prepare the BBQ for two-zone cooking at around 200 to 220°C. Clean the grates well and oil them lightly if needed.
- Take the wings out of the fridge 15 to 20 minutes before cooking so they’re not ice-cold going onto the grill.
Render the wings slowly
- Place the wings on the cooler side of the BBQ and close the lid. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes, turning every 8 to 10 minutes, until the skin looks dry and the fat underneath has started to render.
- This slower first stage is what gives you crisp wings instead of just dark ones.
Finish over the hotter side
- Move the wings to the hotter side of the grill and cook for 6 to 10 minutes, turning often, until the skin is deeply golden and crisp in places and the internal temperature reaches at least 74°C.
- Because there’s no sugary glaze here, you can push the colour a bit more confidently than with sweeter wing recipes.
Season while hot
- Transfer the wings straight to a large bowl. Sprinkle over the rosemary garlic potato salt finish and toss well while they’re still hot.
- Serve immediately with lemon wedges and a bit of extra parsley if you like.
Notes
The baking powder is there for texture, not flavour. It helps dry out the skin and encourages better browning, which is exactly what I want for this style of wing. Make sure it’s plain baking powder and not bicarbonate of soda on its own. Too much of the wrong thing and the wings can taste metallic, which is not what anybody wants on a BBQ platter.
The potato salt finish is basically a dry seasoning blend inspired by what makes hot roast potatoes and wedges so hard to leave alone. Rosemary is the main note, though it needs crushing finely or it can feel woody on the skin. Lemon zest wants to be added right at the end so it stays fragrant. I use dried oregano in small amounts to keep the whole thing tied into the Greek-style wing theme without turning it into another lemon-oregano page.
Nutrition
Calories: 526kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 36gFat: 41gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 164mgSodium: 980mgPotassium: 408mgFiber: 0.5gVitamin A: 480IUCalcium: 54mgIron: 2mg
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