Chimichurri Chicken Wings w/ Ranch Dressing

I hope you don’t mind me combining two of my all-time favorite recipes from the blog together in one, slapping them on some chicken wings, and calling it a new recipe. Because that’s exactly what’s happening right now. But this is, as they say, “my party”, (and I’ll ~~cry~~ combine chimichurri chicken wings + homemade ranch if I want to).

Ok, but seriously. Why I never thought to combine these two sauces together is beyond me. They just seemed…too competing? Too different? I don’t know. Until I saw chicken wings + chimichurri and ranch dressing on a restaurant menu and was like HOLY EFF WHERE HAS THIS BEEN ALL MY LIFE…and why did I not think of it sooner? The girl who has (at least tried to) put chimichurri or ranch on almost every savory recipe on her blog to date?

You guys remember my total ranch obsession the past couple months, between the Buffalo Ranch Sweet Potato Fries, to the Sriracha Ranch Chicken Cobb Salad, to Bacon & Buffalo Roasted Cauliflower with Ranch, to the totally addictive Buffalo Chicken, Bacon & Ranch Skillet. The obsession is real. But before that, chimichurri was my sauce obsession of choice. I put it on everything from roasted veggies, to eggs, to Fried Plantains with Chimichurri, Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Chimichurri, Delicata Squash Pancakes, Pulled Pork… the list goes on.

You get it. I’m obsessed with sauces. Specifically, these two sauces. So obviously, I had to try out this seemingly ridiculous combination for myself at home. Because the version in the restaurant had some sneaky hidden gluten and I couldn’t eat them (story of my life, whomp whomp).

This must’ve been what the guy (or gal) who discovered the magic of peanut butter + chocolate or chocolate + sea salt must’ve felt like, the first time they tasted that combination. The heavens opened up, the sun shined down on them, and their taste buds started dancing all over their mouths. You think I exaggerate? Wait til you try this recipe for yourself. Just do it, like nike says.

Pro tip: the marinating time here is optional, but if you really want the flavors of the chimichurri to get all up in the chicken, I highly recommend it! Oh, and I totally wouldn’t fault you for putting some buffalo or hot sauce on top of the chimichurri + ranch.

Warning: seriously addicting. Just sayin’.

Chimichurri Chicken Wings with Ranch Dressing

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

50 mins

Total time

1 hour

Dana: Real Food with Dana

Serves: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

2 lbs chicken wings or drumsticks
for the chimichurri sauce
1 bunch parsley or cilantro, thick parts of the stems removed
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp minced garlic
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

For serving:

homemade ranch dressing
Optional: hot sauce

Directions

First, make the chimichurri sauce: combine the parsley, garlic, vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a food processor, until the parsley is completely chopped. Blend in the olive oil until all the ingredients are well incorporated. Reserve ¼ cup of the chimichurri and refrigerate this for later.
Pat the chicken dry and place it in a large bowl. Pour the remaining chimichurri over the chicken, and mix it in with your hands.
If you’re making this in advance and want to marinate the chicken, place it in a large sealable container or ziplock bag. Marinate in the refrigerator for an hour, or up to a whole day.
Once you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven to 375. Bake for 45 minutes for wings, or 50-55 minutes for drumsticks, until cooked through. Broil on high for a few minutes, to get some crispy skin!
Serve hot. Top with the extra chimichurri sauce, ranch dressing and hot sauce, if you dare!