• Recipe Box
    • All Recipes
    • Low Carb & Keto
    • Whole30
    • Paleo
    • 30 Minutes or Less
    • Ninja Foodi
    • Air Fryer
    • Copycat Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast & Brunch
    • Desserts
    • Side Dishes
    • Drinks
    • Dips, Salad Dressings & Sauces
  • Shop
    • Get Exclusive Discounts
    • Amazon Favorites
    • 360 Cookware
  • My Keto Blog
    • Keto Guide for Dummies: A Introduction to Keto
    • Recipe Collections
    • Product Reviews & Guides
  • About
    • Work With Dr. Davinah’s Eats
    • Contact

↑

Dr. Davinah's Eats

Keto & Low Carb Recipes for Foodies

  • Recipe Box
    • All Recipes
    • Low Carb & Keto
    • Whole30
    • Paleo
    • 30 Minutes or Less
    • Ninja Foodi
    • Air Fryer
    • Copycat Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast & Brunch
    • Desserts
    • Side Dishes
    • Drinks
    • Dips, Salad Dressings & Sauces
  • Shop
    • Get Exclusive Discounts
    • Amazon Favorites
    • 360 Cookware
  • My Keto Blog
    • Keto Guide for Dummies: A Introduction to Keto
    • Recipe Collections
    • Product Reviews & Guides
  • About
    • Work With Dr. Davinah’s Eats
    • Contact
Home » Recipes » Spicy Dry Rub Chicken Wings Recipe [+Video]

Spicy Dry Rub Chicken Wings Recipe [+Video]

Last Updated April 21, 2020. Published January 11, 2020 By Davinah

2.1Kshares
  • Share
Jump to Recipe
Pinterest image for spicy dry rub wings
Pinterest image for dry rub chicken

This post may contain affiliate links to products I use and highly recommend. You can read my full disclosure .

Spicy Dry Rub Chicken Wings are a low-carb appetizer or dinner you can enjoy at home or bring to any get together. In this post, I share directions to make a dry rub for chicken. Then, I include directions to make these wings in a Ninja Foodi Air Fryer, grill or oven. 

Pinterest image for dry rub chicken

Ingredients in Dry Rub Chicken Wings

Dry rub chicken wings start with the most obvious ingredient: chicken wings. I use fresh, not frozen wings as I find they taste the best and you can avoid the defrosting time.

For the rub, I use a lot of spices you probably already have on hand. The spices include:

  • paprika
  • cayenne pepper
  • chili powder
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • garlic powder
  • onion powder
  • sea salt
  • oregano
  • Thyme

This combination of spices gives you irresistible flavor with minimal added carbs.

Dry Rub Chicken Wings on a plate with ranch dressing, tomatoes, and celery.

How to make dry rub chicken wings

Making dry rub chicken wings is about as easy as using a marinade.

Make the Dry Rub

All you need is to measure out the proper amount of spices and mix them in a small bowl.

Cut the wings (if necessary)

Depending on your store, you may be able to find precut wings. If yours are already cut, then you can skip this step.

Otherwise, you can get whole wings and cut them into pieces yourself. If you take that approach, get a good pair of poultry shears or a sharp knife to cut them right at the joint. 

Remove extra moisture

Before you add the rub to the chicken, give it a good pat down with a paper towel.

You want to remove as much moisture from the chicken as possible to help prevent them from getting soggy.

Don’t skip this! It will help your wings crisp up nicely in the oven.

Add the dry rub to the chicken and allow to marinate

When the spice rub and wings are ready, place the wings into a large zip lock bag. Then pour some of the pre-mixed dry rub into the bag.

Seal the bag and give it a bit of a shake until the mixture has coated the chicken wings evenly.

Once you’ve evenly applied the dry rub to the chicken wings, place the bag in the refrigerator. For best flavor, I marinate the wings overnight. But if you are short on time, you should keep them in the bag for at least a half hour.

Cook the wings in an air fryer, grill or oven

When you are ready to cook the wings, remove them from the refrigerator. Let them come up to room temperature, which takes 20-30 minutes.

For this recipe, I bake the chicken in a preheated oven at 400 degrees. But you could use an air fryer or grill instead if you prefer (see the directions below).

Dry Rub Chicken Wings on a white plate, and one wing being dipped in ranch dressing.

How to make a dry rub for chicken wings

Dry rubs are easy to make. The hardest part is measuring out the ingredients, but that really doesn’t take too long. To make the rub, combine all the ingredients paprika, cayenne pepper, chili powder, freshly ground black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, oregano, and thyme in a small bowl.

You can use a fork or spoon to mix the spices. Just make sure they are well combined before either storing them in a mason jar or adding to the chicken wings.

My dry rub recipe makes about 1/2 cups of dry rub. This is a little extra than what you need. 

How to make dry rub chicken wings in the oven

When you are ready to cook, take the wings from the refrigerator and let them come up to room temperature, which takes about 20-30 minutes.

While the wings warm up, you can preheat the oven to 400 degrees. While the oven heats, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Once lined, add the chicken wings to the pan with the side with the most skin facing up.

When the oven is heated, put the cookie sheet in the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes per side. 

How to make dry rub chicken wings in the air fryer or grill

If you’re short on time, then I’d recommend that you make these in the air fryer or on the grill.

Ninja Foodi Air Fryer Directions

You can also cook dry rubbed chicken wings in an air fryer or on the grill. Similar to the oven, the initial prep involves creating the rub and marinating the chicken wings overnight in the refrigerator. 

Cook the wings at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes per side. 

Grill Directions

If cooking the wings on the grill, set the grill to 400 degrees. Drizzle the wings with a little bit of olive oil to help prevent them from sticking.

Place the wings on the grill over direct heat and cook for about 12-15 minutes per side. Since grills can be different, it’s a good idea to check the wings after a few minutes of cooking to make sure they are not starting to burn.

Difference between these Baked Wings and my Oven Fried Wings

If you’ve checked out my site or perhaps made my oven-fried wings, then you might be wondering what’s the difference.

One of the major differences is that oven-fried wings are crisped using baking powder in the spice mix. The baking powder allows the chicken wing skin to cook faster than the meat & creates the crispy wings that we all love. 

Since spicy dry rubbed wings do not include baking powder, they are also Whole 30 compliant.

Oven Fried Crispy Baked Chicken Wings Recipe

Get the taste & crunch of fried chicken without deep-frying using this Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Wings recipe. Includes a few spices & a lined baking sheet.
Get this Recipe
close-up on crispy baked chicken wings on a sheet pan

Tools for cooking

You don’t need many tools to make dry-rubbed baked chicken wings. You only need:

  • a small bowl to mix the spices
  • a ziplock bag to hold the wings
  • parchment paper 
  • a baking sheet
  • tongs to flip the wings

And if you get whole wings, you’ll need a way to cut the wings, which I would recommend a santoku knife.

Side Dishes for Dry Rub Wings

Spicy dry-rubbed chicken wings pair well with a lot of different dishes. You could serve them alongside your favorite salad or vegetable side dishes.

One of my favorites to make with this baked wing recipe are these Sautéed Green Beans with Garlic. 

If you’d prefer, you can try serving my dry-rubbed wings with coleslaw. One of my favorite coleslaw recipes is this Easy Low Carb & Keto Coleslaw Recipe. 

Easy Low Carb & Keto Coleslaw Recipe

This tangy Low Carb & Keto coleslaw makes the perfect keto side dish to bring to picnics or to serve up with keto barbecue. Includes just 2g net carbs.
Get this Recipe
keto coleslaw in a bowl with a fork

Wing Dips

Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing

A quick recipe for homemade blue cheese dressing that is low carb, clean and keto-friendly. Takes less than 5 minutes & omits ingredients commonly found in store-bought brands like MSG and artificial flavors.
Get this Recipe
close-up of homemade blue cheese dressing in a glass jar

Ranch Seasoning Mix Recipe

Finding a good ranch seasoning mix is quite difficult, but this recipe finds the perfect balance of seasonings without adding sugar! Tips to use this as a keto-friendly meat seasoner and in ranch salad dressing.
Get this Recipe
Ranch Seasoning Mix recipe in a bowl
Dry Rub Chicken Wings on a white plate, and one wing being dipped in ranch dressing.

Spicy Dry-Rubbed Chicken Wings Recipe

Spicy dry-rubbed wings are a low carb appetizer or dinner you can enjoy at home or bring to any get together. Oven baked chicken wings are everything you want in a good wing recipe at home. 
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 50 mins
Ready in: 55 mins
Cuisine: American
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Servings: 6
Calories: 206kcal
Author: Davinah
Pin Rate Print

Use DRDAVINAHS at checkout to save on some equipment & ingredients!

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs Chicken Wings

Spicy Dry Rub Recipe

  • 2 tbsp Smoked Paprika
  • 3 tsp Cayenne Pepper, optional
  • 2 tsp Chili Powder
  • 1 tbsp Black Pepper
  • 1.5 tbsp Garlic Powder
  • 2 tsp Onion Powder
  • 1.5 tbsp Natural Ancient Sea Salt
  • 1.5 tsp Italian Seasoning
  • 1.5 tsp dried thyme

Instructions

To Marinate the Wings:

  • Place chicken in a ziploc bag with 1/4 cup of the spicy dry rub. You can store the rest in a mason jar.
  • Shake the bag so that the mix coats the chicken evenly
  • Store in the refrigerator for at least four hours, ideally overnight

Before cooking:

  • Remove chicken from refrigerator and allow to come near room temperature (30 minutes). Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

For the oven:

  • Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place the chicken wings on the paper and space them evenly
  • Cook for 20-25 minutes per side

For the Ninja Foodi:

  • Place the chicken wings in the air fryer basket
  • Cook for 15 minutes per side

Nutrition Details

Calories: 206kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 1819mg | Potassium: 264mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1901IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 2mg

The nutrition facts come from entering the recipe ingredients into Spoonacular API, a database of food ingredients. They may vary for any recipe based on the exact product used. The keto sweeteners I use have 0g net carbs & are not included because sugar alcohols do not impact most people. This is provided as a courtesy, but you can do your own calculations if you wish!

Share this RecipeIf you enjoy this recipe, share a link to it via email or Facebook, pin it, or leave a rating. Please don't copy/paste the instructions to other websites. Thanks for helping the website grow!

Related Posts

  • close-up on crispy baked chicken wings on a sheet pan
    Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Wings Recipe [+VIDEO]
  • Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings on a plate
    Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings Recipe
  • Crispy & Saucy Keto Chicken Wings Recipes
  • keto chicken dinner recipes pinterest image
    21 No Fuss Keto Chicken Dinners Recipes

Subscribe for Free Recipes, Meal Ideas & Tips!

Join more than 8,000 people who get my top recipes, meal ideas & tips to their inboxes each week.

* indicates required

Filed Under: All Keto Recipes, All Paleo Recipes, Chicken Recipes, Homemade Spice Mixes & Blends, Keto Game Day Recipes, Keto Lunch & Dinner Recipes, Ninja Foodi Recipes, Recipes, Whole30 Recipes

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

close up photo of Davinah - the blogger behind Dr. Davinah\'s Eats welcome text that reads, \"I\'m Davinah\" I'm an educator & hardcore foodie who realized eating "all the things" couldn’t last forever. After getting my PhD in Education, I decided to make eating healthier my next big goal. Here, you'll find my collection of keto, low-carb and whole food comfort food recipes. Read More

Search this Website

Free Keto & Low Carb Recipes Delivered Weekly!

Subscribe for amazing recipes, giveaways, discounts and more.

Spring Favorites

a close up of keto lemon cake with lemons topped with a sugar-free white chocolate glaze on top of a brown cutting board

Keto Lemon Pound Cake [+VIDEO]

double layer low carb strawberry shortcake on a cake stand

Low Carb Strawberry Shortcake [+VIDEO]

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bites on a white plate with lemon slices

Keto Lemon Cheesecake Bites with Blueberry Sauce

Double layer Low Carb Carrot Cake on a white plate with a mint leaf on top

The Best Keto Low Carb Carrot Cake Recipe [+VIDEO]

Most Popular Recipes

keto coleslaw in a bowl with a fork

Easy Low Carb & Keto Coleslaw Recipe

Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings on a plate

Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings Recipe

Shrimp & Scallops with Cauliflower Rice Risotto

Seared Scallops and Cauliflower Rice Risotto

Ninja Foodi salmon in the crisping pan

Ninja Foodi Air Fryer Herbed Salmon Recipe

close-up of Pressure Cooker Pot Roast in a bowl

Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker Pot Roast Recipe

Shrimp Scampi on a plate

Easy Keto Garlic Shrimp Scampi Recipe [+VIDEO]

close-up on crispy baked chicken wings on a sheet pan

Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Wings Recipe [+VIDEO]

Air Fryer Drumsticks on a plate

Ninja Foodi Air Fryer Chicken Legs (Drumsticks) Recipe

a close-up of an air fryer fried chicken wing on a white plate

Ninja Foodi Air Fryer Chicken Wings Recipe [+VIDEO]

a close-up of Keto Bang Bang shrimp in a bowl

Low-Carb Bang Bang Shrimp Recipe (Grain-free, No-Added Sugar)

Menu Planning Ideas

  • Ninja Foodi Recipes
  • 30 Minutes or Less
  • Side Dishes
a close-up of an air fryer fried chicken wing on a white plate

Ninja Foodi Air Fryer Chicken Wings Recipe [+VIDEO]

a close-up of a keto jalapeno popper on a plate

Keto Jalapeno Poppers (Air Fryer or Oven)

a close-up of honey sriracha chicken wings on a plate topped with green onions and sesame seeds

Keto Honey Sriracha Wings [Video Tutorial]

close-up of Pressure Cooker Pot Roast in a bowl

Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker Pot Roast Recipe

turkey breast on a plate with gravy and cranberry sauce

Pressure Cooker Turkey Breast Recipe

Keto Pumpkin Spice Latte in a glass

Keto & Low Carb Pumpkin Spice Latte [+VIDEO]

Cast Iron Grilled Chicken on a plate

Easy Cast Iron Grilled Chicken with Cilantro Lime Sauce

a close-up photo of keto creamed spinach in a pot

Easy Keto Creamed Spinach Recipe [+VIDEO]

keto taco salad in a bowl with avocado, Pico De Gallo, taco meat, cheddar, lettuce, and red onions

Keto Taco Salad Supreme Recipe

Pumpkin Cheesecake dip on a plate with low-carb cinnamon tortillas

No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Dip w/ Low-Carb Cinnamon Sugar Tortillas

a close-up photo of keto creamed spinach in a pot

Easy Keto Creamed Spinach Recipe [+VIDEO]

Air Fryer Roasted Cauliflower Recipe

a close-up of hard boiled eggs on a plate topped with chives and everything bagel seasoning

Air Fryer Hard Boiled Eggs

One bowl of mashed cauliflower topped with melted butter

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Mash

close-up of keto cranberry sauce

Keto Cranberry Sauce

Featured on:

list of magazines and online blogs that feature Dr. Davinah\'s Eats recipes

@DrDavinahs Follow On Instagram

Free Keto & Low Carb Recipes Delivered Weekly!

Subscribe for amazing recipes, giveaways, discounts and more.

By using this website, you agree to our Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, and Disclosures

Browse by Category

Recipes by Course

  • Recipe Index
  • Breakfast
  • Main Course
  • Side Dishes
  • Desserts
  • Drinks
  • Dip, Salad Dressing & Sauces

Recipes by Diet

  • Keto & Low-Carb Recipes
  • Paleo Recipes
  • Whole30 Recipes

About Davinah Policies Work With Us

Search this Website

Copyright ©2021, Dr. Davinah's Eats. All Rights Reserved.
Design by Pixel Me Designs
  • Pin
  • Share

Get my top recipes to your inbox!

Sign-up to get FREE keto & low carb recipes, discounts, giveaways & tips by email each week!