Crispy Baked Ranch Chicken Wings

The best appetizer for watching the game. No “real” recipe needed.

Kick up roasted potatoes several notches — easy, peasy with ranch dressing mix, a little oil, and a shake or two of black pepper.

Now, for those of you who are purists and want to make a homemade buttermilk ranch dressing mix, I’ve got a yummy base mix.

Ranch dressing mix is blended with seasonings, cheese, and bread crumbs. Then, chicken thighs are brushed with mayonnaise before dredging into the flavorful crumb mixture, producing chicken that’s golden, crisp, and moist.

Ingredients and Instructions

1. Just whisk a generous cup or so of bottled ranch salad dressing with a couple shakes of garlic powder and pepper, black or red depending on what heat level you like.
2. Pour over a couple dozen chicken wings (separate the first and second joint). Marinate several hours or overnight in refrigerator.
3. Drain in colander to remove excess marinade.
4. Spray baking sheet and place wings in single layer.
5. Roast in a 375-degree F oven until done, or 170-degree F internal temperature is reached, about 30 minutes.
6. Serve with blue cheese dressing and buffalo wing sauce as dippers. And don’t forget celery sticks and plenty of napkins!

Four Ingredients Ranch Roasted Potatoes

Makes a nice side dish.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds small potatoes, red or Yukon gold, quartered
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• Dried ranch dressing mix, to taste — start with a generous tablespoon or so and go from there. (To test, cook a piece of potato in microwave.)
• Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Toss potatoes with olive oil.
3. Sprinkle ranch dressing and pepper over potatoes and mix until potatoes are thoroughly coated.
4. Roast in single layer on sprayed baking sheet for 30 minutes or so until potatoes are crispy and brown.

Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix

This basic seasoning mix is a subjective recipe, so you do your thing with it, flavor-wise.

This recipe yields about 6 ounces dry mix. Divide in half for a smaller batch.

Ingredients

• 2 /3 cup dry buttermilk powder
• 1/4 cup granulated garlic powder (see tip)
• 2 tablespoons onion powder
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
• 1 tablespoon dried dill weed
• 1 scant tablespoon dried chives
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
• 3/4 to 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Whisk everything together. Store in refrigerator up to 6 months.
2. To sub in for store-bought ranch dressing mix: Use 2 generous tablespoons or 1-ounce homemade ranch seasoning to replace 1 packet store bought. Go to taste and add more if you like.
3. Let flavors develop for a couple hours (at least) in refrigerator before using.

Tips

Granulated garlic vs garlic powder — what’s the diff?

Granulated garlic is just that — “bumpier” than garlic powder, which is ground fine. To sub in garlic powder for granulated, use half the amount, since garlic powder is stronger.

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Rita Heikenfeld comes from a family of wise women in tune with nature. She’s a certified modern herbalist, culinary educator, author, and national media personality. Most importantly, she’s a wife, mom, and grandma. Rita lives on a little patch of heaven overlooking the East Fork River in Clermont County, Ohio. She’s a former adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati, where she developed a comprehensive herbal course. Abouteating.com column: Rita@CommunityPress.com

Originally published in the August/September 2024 issue of Backyard Poultry and regularly vetted for accuracy.