If you love grilling as much as I do, you’re going to love my Grilled Dry Rub Chicken Wings! I especially love those extra charred bits…. sigh.
One of my great joys in life is cooking and making other people happy with the dishes I prepare. I can honestly say that these wings were so good that I finished that whole platterful on my own.
Of course, they were the first batch. I made more for my guests to enjoy and they left nothing behind but a pile full of chicken bones.
What do I need to make Dry Rub Chicken Wings?
The list of ingredients isn’t really long and you may even have most of the spices already in your cabinet.
I always like to gather my ingredients before cooking any dish in my kitchen. It makes the process go more smoothly and ensures I have everything I need to make the dish. Here you see the split chicken wings and bowls of the spices needed for the dry rub.
How do I split Chicken Wings?
Let’s talk about safety first.
Always use a cutting board to cut meats, seafood or vegetables. That being said, always make sure your cutting board has been properly cleaned and sanitized between uses. Use your favorite household cleaner and always wash the board twice.
*You can also place the once cleaned cutting board into your dishwasher for a really good cleaning. This is super important when cutting any meat or seafood.
Cutting chicken wings is really simple. All you need to do is locate the joint and cut through it.
Hold one end firmly and securely while cutting through the joint carefully. I leave the wing tips on for some of the wing dishes I create, but feel free to chop off the wing tip if you prefer. (If you do remove the wingtip, save them in a ziplock bag in the freezer for the next time you make chicken soup)
Chef Dennis Tip: If you keep the knife down low (directly on the joint) you’ll have less chance of cutting yourself.
How do I decide what spices to use for Dry Rub Chicken Wings?
A lot of what I do is my take on foods I’ve seen or eaten on my travels. These wings were recreated from a dishful of deliciousness I enjoyed on a recent adventure. I simply pulled out a few spices from my cabinet and started blending until I got the flavor profile just right.
Cooking is rocket science and lots of times it comes down to using ingredients that you like, rather than exactly what the recipe calls for. I went through a few variations of spice combinations to come up with the one I eventually used for my dry rub and hope you enjoy them as much as I did.
If you’re not sure about the flavors, make half a batch my way and try your own seasoning blend on the other half. Who knows maybe you’ll find a tasty compromise or enjoy them as is.
Pat the seasoning into the wing to a get an overall coverage of the wings with the seasoning. Feel free to use less seasoning, I like mine bursting with flavor!
The next step is placing them on your preheated grill (medium-high heat) and cook for about 20 minutes. Turn the wings often to avoid burning them. The brown sugar in the seasoning mixture will caramelize and burn faster than you think.
That being said I love the charred parts as you’ll find most men do. Just serve green vegetables or a big salad along with them to add as a detox for the charring. Here’s a good article to read about foods that help detoxify the body.
You can reduce charing by placing a doubled sheet of tinfoil on the grill. This can be used as early in the process as you like, but I would recommend getting a little color on them before placing them on the foil.
*You will still need to turn the wings often, even on the foil.
Can I cook Dry Rub Wings in the oven?
You certainly can. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and place the prepared wings on a cookie sheet. Place the cookie sheet on an oven rack placed in the top third of the oven. After 7-10 minutes turn the wings over and return to the oven. Turn the oven down to 350 and cook for another 10-12 minutes or until the wings have good color and the internal temperature of the chicken is at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
More Chicken Wing Recipes You’ll Love!
- Dry Rub Lemon Pepper Wings
- Most Ah-Mazing Buffalo Chicken Wings
- Garlic Ginger Chicken Wings
- Drunken Chicken Wings
- Chinese Sticky Wings
Dry Rub Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken wings split at first joint. *remove wing tip if desired
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 ½ tsp granulated onion
- 1 ½ tsp granulated garlic
- 1 ½ tsp chili powder
- 1 ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Measure all ingredients into a small mixing bowl and thoroughly mix to fully incorporate spices.
- Rub the chicken wings on all sides with a generous amount of the dry rub.
- Preheat the grill to medium high heat (350º-400ºF)
- Place dry-rubbed wings on the grill allowing to cook for 6-8 minutes. Turn wings occasionally to crisp them all over. They can cook longer if they don’t look crisp enough.
- *Be careful not to burn in the wings, the sugar in the dry rub can cause the wings to burn.
- Move the chicken wings to indirect heat and continue to cook with the lid closed for another 8-10 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Colleen
I only like dry rubs for chicken wings – and this was an interesting combination with the brown sugar which does add a bit of ‘wet’ but also serves to give the ‘grilled’ effect. I made mine in the oven, and they took about 45 minutes at 400 – but I swear my new oven has a problem with the thermostat. I ended up turning it to broil for less than 5 minutes at the end – and got the charred look from the brown sugar. The wings were moist and flavourful – without a lot of heat – which I liked because I could taste all the flavours of the spices along with the chicken. This is an excellent recipe and I have tried a few. This one will become my staple. Thank you Chef Dennis.
Stephanie
I cooked these once in the oven as directed. Delicious but they took quite a bit more time than you indicate to get crispy.
E
Top notch
Joe
This is now my go to dry rub for poultry, so good!
Jeanne
These are so easy and delicious! I have made these several times and family and friends love them!
Kathy Rogers
Made these tonight. OMG the best! Thanks for sharing your recipe.
John weimerskirk
5 out of 5 stars highly recommend this recipe heat and sweat squirt with a lime wedge bursting with flavor.
Tina
Hi Dennis, these look fabulous – could you please divulge the sauce you are dipping them in – or is it just a mayo?
Chef Dennis Littley
hi Tina
that was honey mustard. Mayo, mustard and honey. My videographer made that as a dip, I love using bleu cheese dressing
Teri
These wings were amazing. I followed the recipe to a T. I put coals on only one half of my grill and got a good char on them before moving to the cool side. Put the grill top back on and let them finish baking for about 20 minutes. Everyone loved them.
Chef Dennis Littley
I’m very happy to hear you enjoyed the wings. We love them at our house!
Angie Taylor
Best Wings I have ever had let alone made myself! Can’t thank you enough for this rub recipe!
Chef Dennis Littley
you’re very welcome Angie, and thanks for the great review!
Stephanie T.
This recipe is perfect as is. My family loves these wings. Thank you!
SBTx
This dry rub on wings was yummy. So easy and delicious.
Angela galloway
Very good wing recipe!!!
Ingelise
I made this and my partner about 2 weeks ago and he ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT and raved about it.
So tonight I’m making it again 😊
Thank you for creating and sharing this dish – it will now be a regular treat for him (I don’t like chicken, but happy to cook it for him).
Chef Dennis Littley
I’m happy to hear your partner enjoyed the dry rub wings! Thanks for the great review and comment!
Pattycake
I baked rather than grilled! Yummy! 😋 has everything in Munich cabinet already!!! Only had to purchase the chicken wings!
Aline
Oh my word! I love me some grilled wings and these look amazing! Trying’em this weekend while it’s still summer in California!
Cathleen @ A Taste of Madness
I WISH I could grill! I have sadly never owned a grill in my adult life. Maybe I’ll get a discounted one when grilling season is over 😉
Jo
I can’t resist chicken wings any time of the day. With dry spice rub, it’s even more amazing. The flavors are perfect. Can’t wait to try this chicken wings soon.
Daniela
Whoa these chicken wings def do look OMG! Drooling! Thanks so much for sharing :)!
Amy
These look delicious! I love a good dry rub and this rub looks so full of flavor and I love the spice! I cannot wait to try out these wings!
Lauren
Grilled chicken wings are a favorite in this house! The spice rub on these wings is so flavorful yet not overpowering!
Kate
I love those little charred bits on the wings, that’s the best part! And I appreciated that you added in directions for the oven, it’s about to get cold where I live so I will definitely want to make these inside! 🙂
Jenni LeBaron
You’re totally right about tinkering with spice rubs until you get them just right. I love the idea of making half a batch one way and half a batch another so you can really fine-tune the seasoning fast! This dry rub sounds excellent and I love a good wing recipe! These will be perfect for fall get-togethers!
Denise
Dry rubs are amazing. This one sounds like it could be used well with other things too!
Paula Montenegro
The charred bits are everything! These wings sound sensational and the perfect way to spend a weekend grilling outside and enjoying every seasoned inch of them! Thanks for sharing Chef.
Kelly Anthony
I also love to feed people too and sit around the table and enjoy what I’ve made. It fills my heart with so much joy!
Nikka Shae
My hubby loves chicken wings and your recipe looks amazing too! I will have to try it!!
Amy H
Oh my! Those chicken look delicious! I haven’t tried using rubs with my chicken.
Catalina
I am drooling over these wings. Now I know what I will make for dinner tonight!
Kelli A
Dry rub chicken wings are my hubby’s favorite way to eat wings. Wings are his favorite to begin with, but this recipe is right up his ally! Will definitely show him!
Lisa Favre
My husband would be oh-so grateful if I made these wings for him. He absolutely adores wings and this recipe looks top notch!
Lynndee
We love chicken wings, but we haven’t tried them grilled yet. But we do love grilling and we’re enjoying the remaining of the grilling season as much as we can. We have to try your recipe soon!
Jeni Hawkins
This is so easy to prepare. It is something I’d prepare for some special occasions in our house. Looks like it has explosive flavors and taste.
Ruth I
Oh I love this recipe! I think wing is one of the tastiest part, so excited to try this!
Pam
These look so good! I love a good dry rub, and chicken wings are always delicious.
Rena
Yum! I usually prefer a wet sauce but this past summer had some dry rub ribs in Charleston. They were the best I’ve ever eaten! When it gets closer to Thanksgiving will do a post on brining the turkey. Can’t decide if I should or shouldn’t.
Victoria
Those look delicious. We love grilling and chicken so it’s the perfect combo. I’m going to share the recipe with my SO, though, because he does all the grilling lol.
Rachel
I have never made chicken wings. This looks like a doable recipe.
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
YES….dry rub wings are the best. Even better when they are cooked on the grill. These are perfect as part of the Game Day menu. I think hubby will be grilling these all winter long.
Amber Myers
Oh my gosh, yes. I just love wings. These look incredible! I’ll have to make them during our next Netflix show marathon.
Tasheena
My son is a huge fan of wings. I know he would love this recipe. Looking forward to giving it a try.
Sarah Bailey
OK now these look like they would taste absolutely amazing! I love a good meal of chicken wings and this rub sounds incredible – adding some really amazing flavours to the meal.
Kelly Moran
Wings are my son’s absolute favorite! His birthday is in a few weeks and I will definitely be giving this dry rub a try! Sounds delicious!
Lian
These wings look fabulous! I love eating dry rub wings. They would be amazing to eat on Game Day!
Alli Smith
I always put together a dry rub when I grill ribs or smoke a Boston Butt. I’ve never thought to use a dry rub for chicken wings. I’m looking forward to trying your recipe. Yum!
robin rue
Those chicken wings sound SO good. I am going to have to try this dry rub! My fam will love it.
Barbara Lappala
I made these on the the grill last night Loved Them! Definitly a show stopper
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