Sometimes it’s all about the sauce when it comes to chicken wings and sometimes it’s all in the rub! This dry rub chicken wing recipe has lots of spicy, sweet seasoning that makes these very memorable wings!

What Are Dry Rub Chicken Wings?

Dry rub chicken wings are coated in a spice mixture instead of a sauce mixture like these Memphis BBQ Wings and these Sticky Stout Baked Chicken Wings.  

Both styles of wings are baked and both are finger licking good.  Dry rub wings have a caramelized, spiced exterior that is a nice change from saucy wings.

WHERE IS THE DRY RUB CHICKEN WING RECIPE?

If you’d rather skip cooking tips, suggestions, handy substitutions, related recipe ideas – and get straight to the Dry Rub Chicken Wing Recipe– simply scroll to the bottom of the page where you can find the printable recipe card.

 How To Make Dry Rub Chicken Wings

For this recipe, I use bagged, frozen  (and thawed) wing and drummette pieces that have been rinsed and patted dry with a paper towel.  I drizzle the naked wings with a little vegetable oil before I smother them with my seasoning blend.  

For the rub, I combine a heap of spices like paprika, chili powder, onion powder, cumin, rosemary, garlic powder, salt, and brown sugar.  

You have to have brown sugar! For one thing, it will balance out the heat from the spices, but also the sugar will caramelize the rub to give you the perfect wing coating!

Place all your ingredients in a large bowl and toss until the wings are completely coated!

Dry Rub Chicken Wings In The Oven

Place the wing on a foil-lined baking sheet and place a baking rack over top of the foil.  Spray your baking rack an arrange the chicken pieces in a single layer.  The baking rack will allow the chicken to cook all over and the foil will catch any spills or drips.  The wings will take about 45 minutes total to bake.

 You could still serve these with your favorite wing sauce on the side but it is NOT necessary!

Dry Rub Wing Tips and Tricks

Make sure your wings have thawed completely and that you pat them dry. This will prevent a wet wing, the seasoning will stick to the skin much better if the wings are dry, to begin with.

Feel free to substitute or add more or different seasoning.  Cayenne pepper or white pepper would add more spice and would blend nicely.  Oregano and basil can be added as well.

Make sure you do not crowd the baking pan.  An even layer of wings will ensure that they all cook evenly.  The wings will need to be turned only once during baking.

Dry Rub Chicken Wings In A Crockpot

If you are looking for more of a fix it and forget it dry rub wing, then you can certainly use the crockpot for this recipe! I would take the time to brown the chicken wings in a skillet after rubbing them with the seasoning. This will ensure the wings have a nice exterior and flavor!

This recipe will also work with an air-fryer or as deep fried wings!

What To Serve With Dry Rub Chicken Wings?

These chicken wings pair beautifully with dips like this Parmesan Ranch Dip and this Blue Cheese Dip.  Both are creamy and cool; they are the perfect backdrop to the seasoning in these wings.

These baconwrapped roasted potatoesand the spiced aioli served on the side would be a perfect partner to these wings!  

How To Reheat Dry Rub Chicken Wings

While you can certainly microwave these dry rub wings (or any wing really), I find the best method is to reheat the wings in the oven. Arrange your leftover wings on a foil lined baking sheet and reheat at 350 for about 15 minutes.

If you are looking a different dry rub combination, you could try a Cajun Rub, a Smokehouse rub, your favorite BBQ rub, a peppery rub, a coffee-based rub, a poultry rub, a Moroccan style rub or even a Greek-style rub.  

Use the same method with any of these rubs!

What You Will Need For This Recipe:

• Paper towels
• Large bowl
• Baking rack
• Large baking or sheet pan
• Tongs

Just a reminder to be sure to wash your hands when touching raw poultry.

Make your game day (or any occasion) great with these easy wings! You and your guests are going to love the flavor of these wings! They really do fit the expression, “finger licking good”.  I hope you enjoy!

Want more chicken wing recipe ideas?  Try these Cajun Dry Rub Chicken Wings, Crispy Baked Chicken Wings, Honey Garlic Chicken Wings, Lemon Pepper Dry Rub Chicken Wings, Garlic Parmesan Wings, Thai Spice Chicken Wings, and these oven-baked Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wings!

Dry Rub Chicken Wing

Yield: 25

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Sometimes it's all about the sauce when it comes to chicken wings and sometimes it's all in the rub! This dry rub chicken wing recipe has lots of spicy, sweet seasoning that makes these very memorable wings!

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Ingredients

• 1 64 oz package frozen, thawed drumettes
• 1 64 oz package frozen thawed chicken wings
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and baking rack over top.
2. In a small bowl, combine the dried seasoning; stir.
3. Rinse and pat chicken pieces dry. Place the wings in a large bowl and drizzle with oil, tossing each piece so that they all get coated.
4. Sprinkle rub over chicken and rub the seasoning into each piece. Arrange wings on the prepared baking sheet. Bake wings for 30 minutes, turn and bake an additional 10-15 minutes.

Nutrition Information

Yield 24 Serving Size 1
Amount Per ServingCalories 464 Total Fat 32g Saturated Fat 10g Trans Fat 0g Unsaturated Fat 19g Cholesterol 169mg Sodium 480mg Carbohydrates 12g Fiber 1g Sugar 4g Protein 31g