The best dry rub for chicken wings is simple to make and includes a secret ingredient that makes those wings super crispy and delicious.
My favorite chicken wing recipe gets a serious upgrade, thanks to this smoky dry rub that adds tons of flavor to every bite. These flavor-packed dry rub wings may just become your new favorite.
Scroll down to read more about how it all comes together or click here to jump straight down to the recipe.
Using Baking Powder In Dry Rubs
One of my favorite tricks to making the crispiest baked chicken wings is to lightly dust them with baking powder before putting them in the oven. Why do I do that?
Baking powder changes the pH level of the chicken skin, which helps it get SUPER crispy. Whenever I serve them, people are shocked to find out that they weren’t deep fried!
A lot of people have asked if you can add anything else along with the baking powder. Yes, you can. Using baking powder in a dry rub for wings is an excellent way to make sure the skin comes out nice and crispy while also giving your wings tons of flavor. You can still add sauce if you want to, but it definitely isn’t necessary with these dry rub chicken wings.
Ingredients For Chicken Wing Dry Rub
Dry rubs are all about FLAVOR. To make the best dry rub, you’ll want a combination of baking powder, to keep the skin crispy, and robust spices. And a little heat never hurts anything either, if you ask me.
For this chicken wing spice rub, I use:
- Baking powder to help them crisp
- Smoked paprika to give the wings a sharp, smoky flavor that tastes like they’ve been grilled
- Chili powder for a touch of heat
- Garlic powder
- Salt
Want more heat? Add a bit of cayenne pepper too. You could also add extra seasonings like onion powder and black pepper to customize it for your taste but the version I’m giving you is my favorite.
How To Make The Best Dry Rub For Chicken Wings
This recipe makes enough rub to cover 10 wings that have been cut into drums and flats (to equal 20 pieces). If you won’t be using the rub right away, this can be pre-mixed and stored in an air-tight glass or ceramic container in a cool, dry place for up to three months. It can also be doubled or tripled.
If you’ll be mixing it to use immediately, mix the ingredients and then transfer the rub mixture to a gallon zipper bag. Add the raw chicken wings, seal the bag, and then shake vigorously to coat the chicken. Then, cook the wings according to the desired recipe.
The added spices will toast in the oven, so the outside of the wings will look a little darker than wings without the rub when they come out of the oven. The toasted spices add so much flavor and the skin is crispy perfection every time.
How To Cook Your Dry Rub Wings
You can use your preferred cooking method for these wings, but I love to bake chicken wings. So easy and convenient. Other great options are grilling chicken wings or cooking chicken wings in the air fryer.
Serving Chicken Wings
Like I mentioned earlier, these wings have great flavor from the dry rub already, so they are delicious on their own. But if you’re like me, it’s nice to have the option of a dipping sauce.
Try Ranch Dressing or Blue Cheese for a creamy contrast to the smoky, spicy wings. BBQ sauce or classic Buffalo sauce are also options if you want to build on the flavors in the spice blend.
Add some celery and carrots to your plate and let’s dig in!
Podcast Episode About Making Dry Rub For Chicken Wings
Listen to me explain briefly about how to make this recipe, with some great tips along the way, by clicking the play button below:
Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.
Dry Rub for Chicken Wings Recipe
Note: We retested and updated this recipe in August 2022.
This recipe makes enough for 10 chicken wings, cut into drums and flats (20 wing pieces). We like to use this method for cooking.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 Tbsp. 1x
- Category: Spice Blend
- Method: Mix
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. baking powder
- 1 and 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 and 1/2 tsp. chili powder
- 3/4 tsp. smoked paprika
- 3/4 tsp. garlic powder
Instructions
- In a small bowl stir together baking powder, salt, chili powder, smoked paprika, and garlic powder until well combined.
- Transfer mixture to a non-porous container, like glass or ceramic. Cover and store in a cool, dry place until ready to use.
- If using immediately, transfer rub mixture to a gallon zipper bag. Add raw chicken wings. Seal bag and shake vigorously to coat chicken. Cook wings according to desired recipe.
Love this recipe? I’d appreciate it if you could scroll down and add a *5 star rating* to help others know they’ll love it as well!
This post originally appeared in December 2020 and was revised and republished in January 2024.
I hate the people who say, “Oh, this was perfect, but I did these 9000 things to the recipe.” And now, I am those people. I added about 1/2 cup of dried parsley leaves to the rub to make it even MORE fabulous. Thank you!
Haha, well that’s only one thing, Rebecca! Though I am curious about the amount, the recipe only makes about 2 Tbsp. of rub so adding 1/2 cup would be a lot. Was this for a large batch or was it 1/2 Tbsp of parsley?
do you recommend using this dry rub for chicken drumsticks?
MaryAnn, this dry rub should work well on chicken drumsticks. I just want to say one thing though. The results of using baking powder to crisp up drumstick and thigh skin have not been consistent. I’ve tried it and found that it didn’t do much. Readers have tried it and some love it and others say it doesn’t work. So, it is possible that the baking powder won’t have a crisping effect. However, it won’t hurt anything, and the rest of the seasonings taste great together on chicken.
I’m a bit confused. re: this recipe and your Crispy oven-baked recipe. In this one you say to use 1 Tbsp. Kosher salt and in the Oven baked you say to use 1/2 tsp, with 1 Tbsp. aluminum-free baking powder(Crispy-Oven recipe) and 1/2 tsp. baking powder (Dry Rub recipe). This is where my confusion lies…if I want to use the Dry Rub with the Oven Baked How Much Baking Powder Do I Use! Also, Can I use the same oven temps for the Dry rub recipe as was in the Oven Baked because there were NO temps listed or bake time on the Dry Rub recipe. Thank you.
Donna, the author of this recipe is no longer on our team. We are therefore going to re-test this and solve these issues for you. In the meantime, I can tell you what I’m going to test first since I think it will work well.
Use 10 whole wings cut into wing segments (so 20 wing pieces).
Mix together 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon table salt, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder.
Toss that mixture with the wings to coat evenly.
Then follow the baking instructions in the other recipe, which is here https://thecookful.com/bake-chicken-wings-crispy/
You’ll be putting the wings onto a rack set over a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 250F for 30 minutes and then increase heat to 425F and bake until crisp, about 40-50 minutes.
If you try it before I re-test it, be sure to come back and tell us what you think. And sorry for the confusion!
I just wanted to let you know, Donna, that we did retest this. The adjusted recipe is now in the recipe card above. Enjoy!
These were by far THE best chicken wings… Highly recommend this dry rub, absolutely delicious! I will definitely be making these again. TOMORROW!
That’s wonderful, Shelley! Enjoy!