Our Air Fryer Chicken Wing Dry Rub makes the juiciest meat with no sauce in sight! You just need 6 pantry staple spices for the best homemade dry rub on wings, thighs, legs, or even a roasted whole chicken!
Overview
It’s not a true tailgate spread without crispy chicken wings and hot corn dip. This homemade Air Fryer Chicken Wing Dry Rub is great for making tasty wings without all the sticky sauce.
Make your own dry rub and skip the store-bought stuff packed with sodium!
You just need smoked paprika, dried oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper to make the most flavorful chicken wings ever!
Ingredients to make our dry rub
- Smoked paprika: Made from peppers roasted and dried over an open flame, this seasoning brings the same color of regular paprika with a smokey kick.
- Dried oregano: This earthy spice is perfect with most meat. Oregano isn’t just for pasta sauce and Italian food, I swear.
- Garlic powder: This dehydrated spice brings the same flavors of garlic but a sweeter version. You also don’t have the bitterness of chunky raw garlic!
- Onion powder: If you love onions but hate the pungent smell and taste, you’ll love onion powder!
- Salt: You always need a little salt in your homemade dry rub. It brings out the best in all your other seasonings and the chicken, too!
- Black pepper: I love freshly cracked black pepper because it adds as much to the smell as it does to the taste! If you want your dry rub a little spicier, add some cayenne pepper, too.
how to make the rub
- Measure your smoked paprika, dried oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. You’ll also want a little olive oil to help the homemade dry rub stay on the chicken wings.
- Mix all the spices together in a small bowl.
- Lightly oil your chicken wings (or even a whole chicken). Gently spread the rub over the oiled chicken skin, covering every bit.
- Air fry the chicken wings until they’re completely cooked using our chicken wing or whole chicken recipe.
How to use this Dry Rub
I love using this dry rub on easy chicken wings for tailgates and quick and cheap weeknight dinners.
However, you can use it on any cut of chicken!
Use this rub to make the crispiest chicken thighs in the air fryer! Simply air fry at 400 degrees F for about 9 minutes on each side.
You can even use it on an air fryer whole chicken! Follow the same directions with the oil and spice rub. Put the chicken breast-side down for half an hour to cook first, then flip it to finish another 20 minutes.
If you need more gluten-free dishes for the game day spread, check out these fried pickles!
FAQs
Our dry rub is perfect for chicken thighs, chicken wings, and even whole chickens!
The number of wings you can make in one batch depends on the size of your air fryer. The larger the basket, the more you can cook at once!
As a general rule of thumb with air fryers, you want a single layer of food with space on all sides. You can jigsaw the chicken wings to fit
Air Fryer Chicken Wing Dry Rub
Equipment
- Small bowl
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Measure all the spices and mix together in a small bowl.
- To use dry rub, oil the chicken wings before sprinkling with seasoning blend. Rub into the chicken skin.
- Air fry chicken cuts until at least 165 degrees F.
Notes
Nutrition
Air Fryers can vary greatly. Please take the time to learn your specific air fryer. You may need to adjust times and temperatures based upon your air fryer. All though this website attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, the information should only be considered an estimate. Varying factors such as different product types, different brands, etc. can change nutritional information. It is your responsibility as a consumer to read all labels to make sure the ingredients fit your dietary needs as well as calculate your own nutritional information as a double check.
I doubled this recipe and will now be putting it on everything!
I made a big batch of this to keep on hand for seasoning chicken. It’s delicious!
So glad you love it too!