Tunisian Style Chicken Wings

I love chicken wings but have found that my favorite way of eating them is baked crisp with a spicy rub on them rather than a sauce. This way they stay crispy and I don't feel as bad because they're baked...not fried. I love the flavors from Tunisian and Morrocan foods and decided I'd make some wings with some of those flavors...chose Tunisian because they are known for more spicy food than Morrocans. You can use the wet rub/paste on just about anything....and it stays good in the fridge for a week.

Tunisian Style Chicken Wings:
2-3 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
2-3 dried chipotle chiles, stemmed and seeded
2 cups boiling water
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon turmeric

2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoons kosher or sea salt
1 cup olive oil
2-3 pounds whole chicken wings

Start by soaking the chiles in boiling water for about 15 minutes, then remove the chiles and drain on a paper towel. Grind the chiles in a food processor and add the remaining ingredients to the food processor and grind until well blended. This will make your paste or sauce for the chicken wings. Wash and pat dry the chicken wings and in a large bowl toss with the Tunisian Sauce and lay on a baking pan (I line my baking pan with some foil for easy clean up).

I like my wings a little bit salty so I sprinkle just a little more salt on top of the wings (this is optional). Bake the wings on 375 degrees for 40-50 minutes, turning once after 15 minutes, bake for another 15 minutes and then turn back over for 10-20 more minutes or until the wings are cooked all the way through and the skin is nice and crispy. This sauce is spicy so if you don't want the wings to be super spicy you can just brush some sauce on the wings rather than coating them in it, if you do this make sure you sprinkle some salt on the wings so they cook with some flavor. Also...if you don't have or can't find the dried peppers, you can just substitute with more red pepper flakes...and yes...you can use chicken legs, thighs or breasts with this recipe if wings are not your favorite.