We are going to show you how to make the best homemade air fryer chicken wings dry rub with garlic, onion, paprika, and more! And since we are going to show you how to make the easiest 5-minute dry rub, we are also going to share with you the best air fryer directions for air fryer chicken wings that are a WHOLE LOTTA YUM!
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Air Fryer Wings Dry Rub
One of the best reasons to own an air fryer has been to cook chicken wings. Now that the weather's warming up, BBQ flavors have been on our minds. Instead of using our go-to simple salt and pepper rub for wings, we decided to use our chicken rub to make an air fryer chicken wings dry rub recipe. It was a hit!
Whether you want to cook dry rub chicken wings in an air fryer, grill them, or bake the wings in the oven, the BBQ flavored chicken seasoning will be a great addition to your spice cupboard.
Why You'll Love This!
- Combine, shake, and season - our air fryer wings dry rub is super easy to whip up whether you need a little or a lot.
- With our air fryer chicken wings dry rub you know exactly what you are seasoning your chicken wings with.
- Easily stay within your dietary preferences when you make your own rubs at home! Our air fryer wings rub works for gluten-free and dairy-free lifestyles, and you can easily convert it to low-carb or keto with a quick swap (see below).
- Do you prefer sweet or spicy BBQ dry rubs? Adapt our recipe to fit your preferences!
- While we love this air fryer chicken dry rub for wings, you can also use this BBQ dry rub on thighs, breasts, or whole chickens!
Are you looking to create a complete air fryer dinner to go with your chicken wings? Look no further than our air fryer corn on the cob and air fried baked potatoes.
Looking for more dry rub wings? Try our popular dry rub baked wings with a secret ingredient! Or our lemon pepper wings air fryer recipe, air fryer whole chicken wings, and air fryer boneless wings.
Ingredient Notes
Paprika, garlic, and onion powder, combined with cumin, cayenne, and chili powder, are all going to be balanced out with brown sugar to create the perfect air fryer chicken wings dry rub.
- garlic powder
- ground onion powder
- smoked paprika - or regular paprika
- cumin
- chili powder
- sea salt - coarse kosher salt
- ground black pepper
- brown sugar
- cayenne pepper
- chicken wings
- olive oil
Equipment
An Air Fryer– We used the Cosori 5.8 qt air fryer to make the air fryer wings dry rub recipe.
Diet Adaptions
- Low-carb/Keto - To make your air fryer chicken wings dry rub low-carb and keto compliant simply replace the brown sugar with your favorite low-carb sweetener including golden erythritol, golden monk fruit, or coconut sugar for paleo.
Seasoning for Chicken Wings Recipe
First, we are going to make a quick and easy homemade BBQ rub, then we are going to share an air fryer chicken wing recipe that will help you get dinner in the table in less than 30-minutes.
Assemble Dry Rub
Add the garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder, sea salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl.
Mix the dry rub until the ingredients are well combined.
Store in a 4 oz jar for up to 2-3 years, or until it starts losing flavor.
***Note: The recipe makes 9 Tablespoons of chicken wing dry rub, most recipes will call for 1-2 Tablespoons of dry rub mixture.
Air Fryer Chicken Wings Temperature
Preheat the air fryer for 5-minutes at 400F. While most air fryer models will preheat automatically if yours does not simply set the unit to 400F and allow it to preheat similar to how you preheat your oven.
While the air fryer is preheating make your air fryer chicken wings dry rub.
Pat your chicken wings dry with a paper towel.
In a medium-sized bowl, add your dry chicken wings, olive oil, and 1-2 tablespoons of your homemade chicken wings dry rub. Stir to combine and evenly coat the chicken wings.
Air Fryer Chicken Wings Cooking Time
Lay the air fryer dry rub wings in a single layer and cook them for a total of 17-19 minutes, flipping them after 9 minutes.
Air fryer models can cook differently, check the wings for doneness after 17 minutes total of cooking time and then finish cooking them until they're crisped to your preference.
Recipe Tips
- Be sure to stir or shake your air fryer chicken wings dry rub every time you use it to ensure the ingredients do not settle or separate.
- To ensure your chicken wings come out as crispy as possible, be sure to pat them dry before you season them (the same goes for other chicken pieces or a whole bird).
- It may seem odd, but coating your dried chicken pieces with olive oil will help the skin crisp up and the seasoning to stay on the chicken - don't skimp on this step! 😉
- When air frying meat, preheating your air fryer unit and allowing space between the meat are two essential steps to perfect cooking every time.
Common Questions
Air fryer chicken wings are a super adaptable food that goes with a variety of other sides. Keep things simple with air fryer sides such as corn on the cob and baked potatoes. Stay low-carb with cauliflower mac and cheese and roasted broccoli. Or create an appetizer platter with mozzarella sticks and jalapeno poppers.
While we love this dry rub on chicken wings, it's also great for chicken thighs, chicken breast, and even a whole bird! Plus, this BBQ rub is perfect for pork. Use anytime you are looking to create homemade BBQ whether you are using an air fryer, a grill, or your oven.
You can store your dry chicken rub for 2-3 years in a sealed container.
You sure can! Simply use frozen wings in place of thawed ones and proceed with the recipe, including patting them dry and adding oil. Add 3-4 mins to the cooking time and you will be good to go. Your frozen wings will taste great (and make a super quick dinner!) but they won't be quite as crispy as fresh wings will be.
More Chicken Wing Recipes
Are you looking for more chicken wing recipes?
- Air fryer chicken wings
- Air fryer frozen chicken wings
- Pan fried chicken wings
- Baked dry rub chicken wings
Come connect with us on Instagram! Be sure to tag us (wholelotta.yum) when you make a recipe. You can also find us on Facebook, and Pinterest.
Air Fryer Chicken Wings Dry Rub
An easy and savory homemade dry rub for air fryer chicken wings! Not only is the homemade rub great with oven-baked or grilled wings too, but it's also perfect for any other chicken pieces or with pork ribs and chops.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon ground onion powder
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 tablespoon sea salt or coarse kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1.25 lb chicken wings
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Add the garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder, sea salt, black pepper, brown sugar, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl. Mix the dry rub until the ingredients are well combined.
- Store in a 4 oz jar for up to 2-3 years, or until it starts losing flavor.
- The recipe makes 9 Tablespoons of chicken wing dry rub, most recipes will call for 1-2 Tablespoons of dry rub mixture.
Air Fryer Chicken Wings
- Preheat the air fryer to 400F for 5 minutes.
- Blog the wings dry with paper towels, this helps to get them crispy in the air fryer.
- In a medium sized bowl add the chicken wings, olive oil, and 2 tablespoon chicken wing dry rub. Mix everything together until the wings are evenly coated.
- Lay the air fryer dry rub wings in a single layer and cook them for a total of 17-19 minutes, flipping them after 9 minutes. Air fryer models can cook differently, check the wings for doneness after 17 minutes total of cooking time and then finish cooking them until they're crisped to your preference.
Notes
Do not replace table salt with sea salt or kosher salt, table salt is much stronger and the recipe will taste too salty.
To make a sugar-free version, swap the brown sugar for golden erythritol, golden monk fruit, or coconut sugar.
Don't skip adding the oil to the air fryer dry rub chicken wings recipe, it helps the wing rub to stick to the chicken.
To save (a lot!) of money buying spices, get tiny quantities from the bulk section at the grocery store instead of purchasing entire bottles of each spice.
The chicken dry rub recipe will work with any type of chicken parts and with pork ribs too. Use it in the air fryer, oven, or grilled recipes.
Feel free to cut the recipe in half or you can double it, depending on how often you'll use dry rub for chicken or pork recipes.
David says
These are so good,spicy but not set your lips on fire and mouth
Stephani says
I found hat the dry rub was a lil bit on the spicy side for me n my husband, so next time I make it, I'll use more paprika, n less cumin and black pepper! Other than that, the tenders r great! I used frozen chicken tenders, so I rinsed them off, with room temperature water, B4 I brushed them with olive oil. Then I did a makeshift shake n bake, I put some of the dry rub in a zip lock bag, n added each piece of chicken to it, separately, zip locked the bag, n shook the chicken, making sure it was fully coated with the dry rub.
Here's a tip, tht I learned from a friend.
** Rinsing the chicken with water, helps the seasoning stay on it, so I didn't have to "push it" into the chicken.
Darlene Patton says
Is there a beginner air fry cookbook that has your recipes in it for sale ? How can I get a copy ?
WholeLottaYum says
Hi Darlene! Yes! I do have an air fryer cookbook for beginners! Here's the link to it, it's on sale right now for $9 and includes 50 of our most popular beginner recipes plus printables, and tips for getting the most out of your air fryer. Ignore the first sentence at the top, (it's a special sale for our email list) but I'm giving you that price to. Let me know if you have any questions! Jen https://wholelottayum.com/air-frying-beginner-special-offer