Zimmy's Nook Grilled, Whole Chicken Wings & Veggie Platter

A large platter of chicken wings and a variety of vegetables and dip. — Grilled, Whole Chicken Wings & Veggie Platter

Chicken wings, veggies and dip… not a bad platter for game day!
What's your favourite game day snack?

Ingredients

3-4 pounds whole chicken wings
3 tablespoons dry rub (your fav or mix below **)
1 cup BBQ sauce of choice
for wings: freshly chopped chives, chopped chilies, pepper flakes, ranch or blue cheese dressing
selection of freshly cut carrots, celery, peppers, cucumbers, green onions, snap peas, broccoli
hummus (quality store bought or homemade)

Preparation

Firstly, dry rub the wings. Place wings on a wire rack over a sheet pan and coat both sides with the dry rub. Place sheet pan in the fridge (uncovered) for 4 hours so that the wings dry out.

Preheat the grill. If using a gas grill, light the burners on one half of your grill to their highest setting. If using a charcoal grill, light your charcoal & distribute it to one side of the grill to create a high heat zone on one side. The grill should be between 375°F – 450°F.

Grill the wings over indirect heat: Once the grill is hot, place the chicken wings on the side of the grill opposite the heat source. Cook for 12-14 minutes, then flip and cook for 12-14 more. Wings will register about 160°F-165°F with a meat thermometer.

Meanwhile while the wings cook, arrange vegetables on a tray, platter or board with hummus.

Char the wings over direct heat: Arrange the cooked wings over the direct heat and char, about 2 minutes per side.

Sauce Wings: Toss wings in your favourite BBQ sauce then return to grill for a minute or two to let sauce set. The sugars in the BBQ sauce will burn quickly, so remove as soon as you get some ice crispy bits.

Serve immediately, with a sprinkling of chopped chives, chopped chilies or pepper flake, extra BBQ sauce, hot sauce, and ranch or bleu cheese dressing for dipping as desired.

Optional oven cooking method

Preheat oven to 400°F (380°F convection). Place sheet pan with wings still on wire rack in middle of oven. Cook for 8-10 minutes and then lift wings up to ensure that they are not sticking to wire rack. Cook for 20 minutes more, then coat with BBQ sauce, return to rack and cook for 5- 7 minutes more to let sauce set crispy bits begin to form. Wings should register 165°F with a meat thermometer.