Chicken Wing Seasoning Dry Rub
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This chicken wing seasoning dry rub is the secret to getting dinner on the table fast on your busiest nights. Mix up a batch ahead of time and keep it in your pantry, so all that’s left to do on a hectic weeknight is shake it on and cook. Your family will love this smoky, no-sugar blend on everything from chicken to roasted vegetables.
Dry rubs are perfect for chicken wings because they draw moisture out of the chicken skin. This means a more concentrated flavor and a crispy, flavorful skin once cooked.
The spices in this easy homemade mix form a coating that locks in the chicken’s natural juices during cooking for an extra juicy chicken wing you’ll want to make week after week.
Why This Recipe is a Family Favorite
Rubs are time-saving! It only takes a handful of minutes to mix up and use. I like to keep our favorites stored in glass spice jars. Also, you don’t have to wait around for your meat to marinate to infuse flavor into your dish.
Learn how to cook anything in your air fryer with our free cook time chart!
Making your own seasoning blend gives you full control over the ingredients! No sugar or additives like corn starch or maltodextrin like you’ll find in store-bought rubs.
Use this rub on air fryer chicken wings or air fryer grilled chicken for extra flavor. It’s also delicious sprinkled over roasted vegetables and burger bites.
Happy Kitchen Secrets
Here are my important mom-tested cooking tips for making this recipe! I’ve made this countless times, so I can save you from a failed attempt.
- Make the mix directly in a jar so there’s no extra bowl to clean up! Just shake it up, throw on the lid and store it for later. These are my favorite spice jars.
- Double the recipe so this tasty seasoning mix is ready to go for multiple meals.
Ingredients
The best thing about this dry rub for chicken is that you probably already have all of the individual spices:
If you don’t have smoked paprika you could substitute hot paprika or regular paprika. Use what you have on hand!
If you want a kick of heat, add some cayenne pepper. Just remember, you can always add more spice, but you can’t take it out!
How to Make Chicken Wing Seasoning Dry Rub
You won’t believe how simple it is to make your own seasoning mix!
This is a summary of the steps. For the full instructions, see the recipe card! ⬇️
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- To start, throw all of the spices into a bowl.
- Stir up the spices until they are fully combined. Now it’s ready to use!
How to Use Your Dry Rub
- To use as a rub, simply pat the meat dry with some paper towels.
- Sprinkle on lots of the seasoning and rub it into the meat to coat the entire surface.
- Let it sit for 5 minutes or so and you’ll see the meat start to glisten and “sweat”. That means it’s ready to cook!
- Now you can throw it in the air fryer or on the grill and cook as directed.
Chicken Wing Seasoning FAQs
For the best taste, use chicken wing seasoning within a year, unless the expiration date on any of the individual spices comes before that. I typically use mine up faster than that!
Transfer the seasoning blend to an airtight container or Ziplock bag. It’s best to store spices in a cool, dark place away from heat like your pantry or kitchen cabinet.
I like to keep my spice mixes in small mason jars labeled with the date I made it.
Other Uses for Chicken Wing Seasoning
This seasoning mix is just as delicious on pork, beef, seafood and veggies!
I love to add this dry rub to air fryer tilapia or blackened salmon. You can even sprinkle it over shrimp.
Season your favorite air fryer veggies, like air fryer green beans or air fryer broccoli, to give them some extra flavor.
After you make this recipe, please give it a star rating below and comment to let me know how it went!
Chicken Wing Seasoning Dry Rub
Equipment
- Wide Mouth Mason Jar
Ingredients
- 1½ teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional, depending on how spicy you want it
Instructions
- Measure each ingredient (1½ teaspoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, and ¼ teaspoon swerve) and add to a small dish. Use a spoon to mix together well, until fully combined.
- Transfer the mixture to an airtight container and store at room temperature until you're ready to use it.
