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    Home » Dinner » Dry Rubbed Baked Chicken Wings

    Published: July 10, 2020 · Last Modified: July 19, 2021 · posted by Amanda Gajdosik · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads 7 Comments

    Dry Rubbed Baked Chicken Wings

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    Dry Rubbed Baked Chicken Wings are what dreams are made of. They’re crispy, smoky, spicy, and so easy! Plus, they’re not deep fried or coated in a sticky sauce, making them a healthier option for chicken wing dining.

    A dry rubbed chicken wing paddle sits on a piece of parchment paper surrounded by other chicken wings and a small bowl of blue cheese dressing.

    I am all about eating appetizers as a full meal. Like grilled shrimp cocktail. Or maybe mozzarella sticks? And onion rings! But, to me, the clear front runner in "Apps as Meals" is a crispy chicken wing! With lots of celery and carrots on the side and blue cheese and ranch to dip all the aforementioned into!

    So, it’s no surprise that when I nailed the recipe for these oven baked (not fried!) crispy chicken wings we ate them for dinner twice in one week!

    A hand reaches in from the bottom left hand corner of the screen to pick up a dry rubbed chicken wing from a silver tray lined with parchment paper. There are carrot sticks and celery sticks on the tray along with bowls of blue cheese and ranch dressing. Everything is resting on a blue and white swirled background.

    The Best Dry Rub

    Unlike fried wings, these oven baked wings are coated with a delicious dry rub before being baked. This rub infuses a ton of flavor into the wings and helps them to get crispy and crunchy in the oven. Here’s what you’ll need for the delicious rub:

    • Brown Sugar
    • Kosher & Seasoned Salt
    • Baking Powder (this helps the wings crisp up!)
    • Black Pepper
    • Garlic & Onion Powder
    • Paprika
    • Chili Powder
    • Cumin
    • Coriander
    • Cayenne Pepper
    A clear glass bowl full of dry rub for chicken wings sits on a blue and white swirled backdrop. There is a whisk in the bowl.

    How to Trim a Chicken Wing

    To get the traditional paddle and drumette pieces in your baked chicken wing recipe, we’re going to have to do a little butchering. Don’t fret! It’s actually incredible easy!

    1. Grab a whole wing – this will have the drumette, paddle, and tip all together.
    2. With your fingers, feel where the tip and the paddle connect, there will be a soft spot that’s connective tissue and not bone. Work your knife in and around this area in a circle. Voila! The tip should pop right off. (The tips can either be discarded or saved to create chicken stock, which I highly recommend.)
    3. Now do the same thing where the paddle and drumette connect. Find the soft spot of connective tissue and cut down into and around it. It takes practice, but eventually you’ll get the feel of it. Also! If your knife is sharp enough, it will slice right through the bones no problem, but I try not to put my knives through the extra strain if I can help it.
    • Cut off the wing tip.
    • Separate the drumette and paddle.

    Now you’ll have all your paddles and drumettes separated for classic chicken wing goodness! This can even be done a day ahead of time, if desired, to get dinner on the table even quicker.

    Secrets for the best dry rubbed baked chicken wings ever

    Everyone wants their wings to be crispy and flavorful. And now it can be done without frying!  

    • Bare bones. Toss the chicken wings (now separated) with the rub and only the rub. There’s no need to add oil or coat the chicken wings in anything to get the rub to stick. The wings themselves will have enough moisture that the seasoning will stick to the skin without much coaxing.
    • Rack ‘em up. Setting a cooling rack over a pan will allow the air to circulate under the wings. This ensures that all sides of the wings will get fully cooked and the skin will get crispy. Yum, yum!
    • Some like it hot. These wings go into a screaming hot oven – 425 degrees to be exact. Cooking the chicken at this high temperature will cause the skin to crisp (without frying!) but won’t overcook the chicken and leave you with dry wings.
    • Sprinkle wings with dry rub.
    • Toss well to coat.
    • Place on cooling rack for even cooking!

    While these wings are perfect by themselves (and naturally gluten-free!), I love to serve carrot and celery sticks on the side. They are great for adding a little vegetal goodness to your meal, giving some textural contrast, and provide a vehicle for any extra blue cheese or ranch dressing.

    A white banner with black lettering and the Instagram camera icon showing readers where to follow on Instagram.
    A hand dips a dry rubbed chicken wing into a small dish of blue cheese dressing. There are small pieces of celery in the bottom right hand side of the photograph.

    Here’s to “winging” it at dinner time!

    A white banner with black lettering and stars asking readers to leave a recipe rating or comment.
    A dry rubbed chicken wing paddle sits on a piece of parchment paper surrounded by other chicken wings and a small bowl of blue cheese dressing.
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    4.46 from 33 votes

    Dry Rubbed Baked Chicken Wings

    A flavorful, spicy, and smoky dry rub coats these crispy and delicious oven baked chicken wings that are a healthier option for dinner or snack time!
    Prep Time15 mins
    Cook Time35 mins
    Total Time50 mins
    Course: Appetizer
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Appetizer, Chicken, Dinner, Football Food
    Servings: 4 people
    Calories: 469kcal
    Author: Amanda Gajdosik

    Equipment

    • Cooling Rack

    Ingredients

    • 3 pounds chicken wings separated into drumettes and paddles, if desired

    For the dry rub:

    • 3 tablespoon brown sugar
    • 1 ½ tablespoon kosher salt
    • ½ tsp. baking powder
    • ½ tsp. freshly cracked black pepper
    • 1 ½ tsp. garlic powder
    • 1 ½ tsp. onion powder
    • 1 ½ tsp. paprika
    • 1 ½ tsp. seasoned salt
    • 1 tsp. chili powder
    • ½ tsp. cayenne pepper (more or less depending on spice preferences)
    • ½ tsp. cumin
    • ½ tsp. coriander

    For serving:

    • Carrot Sticks
    • Celery Sticks
    • Ranch Dressing
    • Blue Cheese Dressing

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with tinfoil and set a metal cool rack inside the lined baking sheet.
    • Trim off the tip of the wing from the paddle by finding the soft spot of connective tissue and slicing into it with a knife and removing. Repeat the process for the connective tissue between the paddle and the drumette. Place separated chicken wings into a large glass bowl while preparing the rub.
    • In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients for the dry rub until combined.
    • Sprinkle the rub over the wings and toss, stirring to coat.
    • Lay wings out into a single layer on cooling rack and bake in preheated oven for 35 – 40 minutes, or until chicken reaches 160 degrees internally.
    • Serve chicken wings with carrot and celery sticks, blue cheese, and ranch dressing.

    Notes

    • Leftover wings can be stored, covered, in the fridge for up to three days.
    • Chicken wings are cooked through when no longer pink inside and juices from the chicken run clear. An instant read thermometer is also great for checking internal temperature.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 0.75pounds | Calories: 469kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 141mg | Sodium: 3560mg | Potassium: 428mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1844IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 3mg
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Seth says

      August 30, 2021 at 1:01 am

      5 stars
      Best. Wings. Ever! The dry rub has so much flavor and baking them makes the wings so crispy.

      Reply
    2. Amanda Krueger says

      October 16, 2021 at 10:05 pm

      5 stars
      I really enjoyed this recipe. Next time i will skip the cumin. I think i just dont like that spice at all. Every time that flavor came thru, I was sad I put it there :/ The sweet and heat was perfect tho. Will use again, thank you.

      Reply
      • Amanda says

        October 19, 2021 at 12:34 pm

        It's all about finding what you like and making it your own. I totally agree on the sweet and heat - it's a perfect combo in these crispy wings. Thanks for rating and reviewing, Amanda! 🙂

        Reply
    3. Marjolein says

      April 08, 2022 at 7:07 pm

      5 stars
      this rub is a keeper 👍 thank you for sharing 😘

      Reply
      • Amanda Gajdosik says

        April 09, 2022 at 2:55 pm

        Marjolein I LOVE to hear that! Thanks for rating and reviewing 🙂 Enjoy your chicken wings!

        Reply

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    Hi! I'm Amanda, and I believe in good food for good people. I hope you enjoy the homemade recipes you'll find on my site.

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