Do you let the degrease evaporate before applying lube?

That would be best practice. Otherwise you dilute the lube with solvent. If the degrease is water based you could
accelerate with heat/ hot sun/ or by a final rinse with such as 91% isopropyl alcohol which will evaporate even faster
than the water. A quart of 91% is under $3 at Walmart.

Also a hand-held leaf blower aimed at the chain/sprockets will speed up the process

I do. A couple hours sitting in the sun is all it takes. If you're in a hurry, compressed air can do the job in less than a minute.