Transform your chicken dinner with 5 easy & flavorful dry rub recipes that only take 5 minutes to make. These chicken spice rubs are great on sheet pan dinners, roasted or grilled veggies, meat and seafood.
The Best Dry Rubs for Chicken
To tell you have been excited about this post is an understatement. I honestly, don’t have anything like it on my website. But, as I got to thinking about fun new posts for you guys I thought of one of the most popular recipes on JHE, it’s my Grilled Chicken with a homemade Spice Rub.
The reason people love it so much is because:
- Chicken is a HUGE. It’s a great lean protein that is commonly eaten in most homes so it’s highly searched on my site.
- The SPICE RUB. People want flavor without the calories and this spice rub gives it to them! It has a 5 star review so if you haven’t made it yet, make sure you do!
Today I am giving you not only ONE but FIVE dynamite dry rub recipes for chicken, but they can also be used on other things like veggies, seafood and some beef.
Let’s get started shall we.
What is a dry rub?
Dry rub is any mixture of ground spices, herbs and similar dry ingredients that is rubbed on the surface of food (usually raw meat) before the food is cooked to add flavor. The dry rub forms a tasty coating on the food and therefore a crust on the surface once it is grilled or broiled. Dry rubs can be prepared from any combination of ingredients depending on the flavor you are desiring.
Can you use rub as a seasoning?
A dry rub is very much like a seasoning, it just sometimes has larger pieces of dried herbs and spices in it. Using a rub is a great way to add flavor and surface texture to your meat and the best way to make a flavorful crust on the surface. Just think of things like smoked brisket or pork, all of those have a rub on them. Rubs are usually coarser than seasonings and are applied much more liberally. So yes, you could use a rub as a seasoning, I just would not apply as much.
What equipment will you need to make these dry rubs?
- some measuring spoons and a small bowl to mix the dry rubs in
- a couple 4-5 oz spice jars
- a funnel to get your spices from the bowl into the jar would be useful
- Spices! All of these spices are pantry staples and can be found at your grocery store!
Ok now, let’s move on to the good stuff – these 5 Dry Rub Recipes for Chicken!
1. The Basic Dry Rub
I absolutely love this spice blend! This Basic Dry Rub is a pantry staple in our house. If I’m wanting to add a little more flavor than just salt and pepper I grab this Simple Dry Rub. It adds so much flavor to your chicken or anything you add it to. To really get a nice ‘coat’ or ‘crust’ around the chicken, add 2 tablespoons of the dry rub to a bowl along with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, stir to make a paste and then rub it onto your chicken. Holy Yum! I guarantee you’ll be obsessed!
Try this Basic Dry Rub on:
- Avocado Mango Grilled Chicken Salad
- grilled potatoes or veggies
- Pesto Chicken Zoodles with Burst Tomatoes
2. Smoky Chipotle Dry Rub
If you know anything about me by now, you know that I love all things chipotle flavored because I’m a tex-mex aholic! (if there is such a thing) This Smoky Chipotle Dry Rub stays true to it’s name – it is smoky, spicy and deep with flavor. Spices like smoked paprika, cumin and ancho chili powder take this spice rub over the top! It’s great to use on BBQ Chicken before the sauce or you could even put it on Ribs!
Try this Smoky Chipotle Dry Rub on:
- grilled shrimp or salmon
- ribeye steak salad – to add an element of spice and smokiness
- chipotle apricot grilled chicken thighs – rub the chicken thighs with this spice blend before glazed them with the sauce
3. Mediterranean Dry Rub
A flavorful rub that I’ve used already multiple times! Filled with savory flavor from garlic and onion powder countered with the classic herby flavor from Greek cooking like dried basil, oregano and dill. I’ve used this Mediterranean Dry Rub on chicken, veggies and most recently steak! This rub hasn’t met an ingredient it didn’t like! Pro Tip: the herbs in this recipe like to stick together, make sure you shake it up a bit so the herbs & powders separate and you get the full effect!
Try this Mediterranean Dry Rub on:
- Greek Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Tzatziki
- Sautéed or Grilled Fish, any kind of fish is great but white fish like cod or tilapia would be the best
- a Whole Chicken, rub on the outside and stuff with halved lemons to keep the meat moist
4. Lemon Pepper Dry Rub
This one was tricky to make but luckily I had my Le Cordon Bleu mom of a chef (no really, she graduated from Le Cordon Bleu). The KEY to making this dry rub is zesting the lemon first and then spreading it out on parchment paper so the zest completely dries out. Pro Tip: If the lemon zest has any moisture in it, it will mold the rub. So make sure the lemon zest is dry before mixing! This Lemon Pepper Dry Rub is light, bright and refreshing to anything you add it to. It’s perfect for summer grilling or an easy sheet pan dinner!
Try this Lemon Pepper Dry Rub on:
- baked salmon, rub on the flesh and finish with squeezed lemon right before serving
- grilled or roasted zucchini, asparagus or yellow squash
- oven roasted chicken with lemon garlic butter
5. Buffalo Dry Rub
I saved the best for last, this Buffalo Dry Rub is my pride and joy. My husband is a huge Buffalo Chicken Wing lover and this Buffalo Dry Rub is a game changer for us. This rub adds all the same flavors without the sauce! Packed with heat from cayenne pepper, chili powder and chipotle chili powder this spice rub will blow your mind. The flavor you first get when taking a bit is sweet from the brown sugar, depth from the cumin, garlic powder and onion powder and then you’re hit with the heat. You’ll be absolutely addicted!
Try this Buffalo Dry Rub on:
- Beer Can Chicken – rub the chicken down with the dry rub and place the chicken on top of a beer can and roast in the oven. The most flavorful chicken you’ll ever have
- Buffalo Chicken Salad – instead of the buffalo sauce in this recipe, add this easy dry rub
- crispy baked chicken wings, use my basic baking instructions but add this dry rub instead of the regular seasoning
These simple dry rub recipes use all classic easy to find spice that you can buy at your local grocery store and take minutes to make. Whip them all up in 10 minutes and enjoy throughout the summer.
How to Store Dry Rubs?
The best way to store your homemade dry rubs is in a air tight container (I used small spice jars I found at World Market) or in a ziplock bag. The dry rubs will last for 6 months. As a note, dry rubs do not “go bad” but they do lose their potency which is why you want to use them within 6 months.
Honestly though once you try these dry rubs you’ll be using them non stop! Tell me which one you’re going to try first and how’ll you’ll use it!
Bon Appetit friends!
** This post does contain affiliate links. Thanks for supporting Joyful Healthy Eats.**
Print
5 of the BEST Dry Rub Recipes for Chicken – Best Spice Blends
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 0 min
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: As Needed
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Rub
- Cuisine: American
Description
Transform your dinner recipes with five easy flavorful dry rub recipes that only take 5 minutes to make. These chicken spice rubs are absolute perfect to mix up flavors for the week and great for meal prep.
Ingredients
BASIC SPICE BLEND:
- 1 tablespoon of garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon of ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground coriander
- 1/2 tablespoon of smoked paprika
- 1/2 tablespoon of sea salt
- 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper
SMOKY CHIPOTLE SPICE BLEND:
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
MEDITERRANEAN SPICE BLEND:
- 1 tablespoon basil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons oregano
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
- 1/2 tablespoon dill
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
LEMON PEPPER SPICE BLEND:
- zest from 3–4 lemons (about 2 tablespoons), be sure it is dry
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dry thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
BUFFALO SPICE RUB:
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon ground dry mustard
- 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- For BASIC SPICE BLEND: to a small bowl add garlic powder, ground cumin, ground coriander, smoked paprika, sea salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine. Pour spice blend into a sealable glass jar or ziplock bag. Use as needed.
- For SMOKY CHIPOTLE SPICE BLEND: to a small bowl add cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, chipotle chili powder, smoked paprika, sea salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine. Pour spice blend into a sealable glass jar or ziplock bag. Use as needed.
- For MEDITERRANEAN SPICE BLEND: to a small bowl add basil, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, dill, red pepper flakes, sea salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine. Pour spice blend into a sealable glass jar or ziplock bag. Use as needed.
- For LEMON PEPPER SPICE BLEND: to a small bowl add lemon zest, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, dry thyme and sea salt. Stir to combine. Pour spice blend into a sealable glass jar or ziplock bag. Use as needed.
- For BUFFALO SPICE BLEND: to a small bowl add garlic powder, smoked paprika, cumin, brown sugar, dry mustard, chili powder, black pepper, chipotle chili powder, sea salt and cayenne pepper. Stir to combine. Pour spice blend into a sealable glass jar or ziplock bag. Use as needed.
Filed Under:
