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These simple dry rub chicken wings are oven-baked to crispy perfection and flavored with an easy blend of spices. They pack in all the spicy taste without any messy sauce!
I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of trying out new keto wing recipes. I just love experimenting with different seasonings and spices.
This time, I went with something a little different. My usual sauces are delicious, but they can also be messy.
These low carb dry rub wings are the perfect alternative. They’re crispy, super flavorful, and so easy to make!
All you have to do is apply the dry rub and bake. You’ll be amazed how simple this recipe is.
Whenever I make these chicken wings for my family or friends, they are always a huge hit. Everyone loves them! They’re the perfect easy dish to make for a quick appetizer or a game day party.
What are dry rub wings
This recipe is different from my other wing recipes because it doesn’t use a sauce.
Instead, you’ll make a dry rub for chicken wings by mixing together common spices. This mix is then rubbed into the skin, which is where the name comes from.
This gives you a perfectly crispy and flavorful batch of wings!
I like to use a regular baking rack to lift the chicken pieces off the pan. This allows them to really crisp up in the oven. Putting them directly on a pan can cause sticking as well as some softness.
I also turn on the broiler for the last 10 minutes of baking to really help them get crispy!
How to make dry rub chicken wings in the oven
Making chicken wings with a dry rub is so easy. There’s no sauce to make, so all you have to do is prep and put them in the oven.
We’ll start by getting the wings ready:
- Dry the wings with paper towels to remove excess liquid, then place them into a large bowl.
- Coat the wings with olive oil, taking your time to rub it into the skin of each one.
- Combine all of the seasonings in a wide shallow bowl.
- Sprinkle half of the season mix onto the chicken wings, then rub the spices into the skin of each one.
- Flip the wings, sprinkle with the remaining half of the spice mix and rub into the skin.
Next, all you have to do is bake the wings until crispy:
- Line a shallow baking pan with tin foil (for easy cleanup later), then place a baking rack on top.
- Transfer the seasoned wings to the baking rack.
- Bake the wings in the oven at 350°F for 20 minutes. Flip each wing, then bake for an additional 10 minutes.
- Turn the oven broiler on low and broil for 10 minutes.
- Remove the wings from the oven.
Your wings are ready to enjoy! Serve with celery and blue cheese dressing if desired.
How to cook in the air fryer
This dry rub wings recipe also works with an air fryer!
Follow the preparation steps of drying the wings and rubbing them with olive oil followed by the spice mix.
Then, follow these simple steps:
- Place the wings in a single layer in the air fryer basket.
- Cook at 360°F for 25 minutes.
- Flip the wings over.
- Increase the temperature to 400°F, and cook for 4 more minutes.
That’s it!
Getting the rub stay on wings
There are two very important steps to making sure the rub stays on your wings.
The first is using paper towels to dry the wings before rubbing them with olive oil. If there is too much moisture in the skin, they won’t absorb the olive oil. And the oil is what makes the dry rub stick.
Second, make sure you massage both the oil and the rub into the skin of the wings. If you just sprinkle it on, a lot will fall off when you transfer the wings to the baking rack.
How much rub to use
I recommend using as much of the dry rub as you can. Since we aren’t using a sauce, all of the flavor comes from the chicken wings dry rub.
If you have spice mix leftover after you’ve rubbed as much as you can into the wings, that’s okay. Just be sure each one has been generously seasoned.
More ideas for cooking wings
You can do so much with different flavors! Some of my favorite versions are teriyaki wings, salt and vinegar wings, and air fryer buffalo wings.
Other recipes to try
Looking for more easy keto appetizers? Check out a few of these other delicious bites:
- Keto Sausage Balls are dairy free, gluten free, and low carb for an appetizer that anyone can enjoy!
- Taco Salad Dip made with ground beef makes a delicious dip and can be served with low carb tortilla chips.
- Keto Bacon Wrapped Chicken are super juicy and flavorful for irresistible finger food!
- Low Carb Spinach Dip is a delicious hot appetizer that’s always a hit with any crowd.
- Cauliflower Bread Sticks are easy to make for a cheesy finger food to serve at parties or to whip up for a satisfying snack!
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Dry Rub Chicken Wings (Oven or Air Fryer)
Recipe Video (Click on Image to Play)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken wings about 20 wingettes & drumettes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper more for hotter wings
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
Instructions
- Dry wing pieces with paper towels to remove excess liquid.
- Place wings in a large bowl and rub olive oil evenly into each piece.
- Combine all seasonings in a bowl.
- Sprinkle half of the season mix onto the chicken wings and rub in. Flip wings and sprinkle remaining half onto wings and rub in.
- Place rack over shallow baking pan with sides (line pan with foil for easy cleanup). Place seasoned wings on rack.
- Bake at 350 degrees °F for 20 minutes, flip each wing, then bake for an additional 10 minutes.
- Turn oven broiler on low and broil for another 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven. Serve with celery and blue cheese dressing if desired.
Notes
Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart
Nutrition
Additional Info
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Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Unauthorized use of this material without written permission from Lisa MarcAurele is strictly prohibited unless for personal offline purposes.
Single photos may be used, provided that full credit is given to LowCarbYum.com along with a link back to the original content.
Originally Published: January 16, 2015… Last Published: May 6, 2020
Christine Doxsee
Can heavy whipping cream be substituted fo unsweetened almond milk
Lisa MarcAurele
Are you asking for another recipe? There’s no almond milk in this recipe. But generally, you can use heavy cream or cream diluted with water instead.
Susan Armstrong
Excellent recipe! I had to halve the hotter spices for my snowflake husband and they were still spicy enough for me. Because I have a gas oven, I had to broil the wings for almost twice as long, because I have to dance the pan all over the oven to have them all come in contact with the broiling element. Will make again, happily!!
Marg
Hi Lisa, you mention steaming to get them crispier. Do you mean like steaming vegetables on the top of the stove with a vegetable steamer basket and water?
Lisa MarcAurele
Yes, it’s just like steaming vegetables. You place the wings in the steamer basket with boiling water underneath.
Dan
These turned out great. I smoked mine for about an hour @180. Then, cranked up the heat to 350 and cooked each side for 15-20 mins. Shifting every 10 mins or so.
To get a good crisp and texture. First, I rinsed the wings in a bowl and laid them out on paper towels and patted down the tops. Rinsed the bowl and dried with paper towels. Wings back in the bowl and dumped in the spices (I did not have cumin or chilli powder. I omitted the olive oil.) and tossed them around trying to coat each one evenly. Lastly, I placed them on a drying rack and placed them in the fridge for 2-3 hours before they went on my pellet grill. Absolutely perfect.
Thank you.
Lee
I will be trying this recipe tomorrow on the smoker. I usually order Classic wings at places and need to make these with slightly less heat for my wife. How Hot is this recipe?
Looking forward to making these!
Lisa MarcAurele
It depends on the cayenne spice used. If you prefer them less hot, I’d recommend using half or less of cayenne.
Lee
Smoked wings for 2 hours at 180 then cranked up the Heat to finish them off. These came out great!
Lisa MarcAurele
Sounds awesome Lee!
Lynn
Absolutely gorgeous, best ever wings I have ever had!
Mom
Have you ever made these ahead? Would you need or want to reheat them? If so how do you suggest doing that? Thanks for help
Lisa MarcAurele
You can make them ahead and reheat in a low temperature oven. The microwave works too if in a rush, just make sure it’s only 50% power.
Karhy
These were fantastic!
I used less cayenne & added baking powder on fresh wings
Better than restaurant wings.
Thank you for the recipe
Kelly
How much baking powder did you use?
Rebecca
Has anyone tried this on boneless wings.? Just want to know if they worked out or if I have to add some flour?
Lisa MarcAurele
I have and it works out. Just make sure you adjust the cayenne amount down if you don’t like them too spicy.
Robert F.
Absolutely delicious! Just the right amount of heat for me. I am going to add some Frank’s Red Hot ‘Buffalo’ spice to the next batch to try and get that a little more of that authentic Buffalo wing experience. Happy New Year!
Lisa MarcAurele
A little extra spice is always nice for me! Best wishes to you in the New Year!
John Helsel
This recipe is awesome. Easy and delicious.
Lisa MarcAurele
I’m so glad you enjoyed the wings John!
Fatima Attia
Just made this recipe. My super carnivor husband said it was the best chicken he’s ever had, and asked me to add it to my recipe book, and add it to our rotation! They were absolutely incredible and 100% Keto for me ??????. We love all your recipes, but this one was just amazing!!
Lisa MarcAurele
Sounds like a big win! My husband loves these too but I need to tone down the spice for him as he doesn’t like spicy food as much as I do.
Rose
Very yummy and easy! I used the steaming because my chicken was frozen and they turned out crispy and flavorful.
Jplashka
Was on a cleanse, needed a hotwing that was gluten free, sugar free, and fermented sauce free. Found the recipe and thought I’ll give it a go for Grey cup Sunday. The flavor was unreal…cleanse or not, I’ll be doing this rub time and again. Gonna apply this on a beer can chicken this weekend….thankyou!!!!
Lisa MarcAurele
So glad the rub worked out well for you! Hope it works on the beer can chicken too.
Pete
I’ll be using this rub for wings tomorrow night. One trick for crispier wings is to steam them for about 30 minutes, then cooling and drying them in the fridge before staring the recipe. Steaming them renders some of the fat, yielding a crispier wing.
Lisa
Great tip! I’ve added that to the recipe notes.
Michaela
Yum! This is a good recipe, although I felt the rub was missing a little. I played with herbs and added rosemary, thyme, and celery seed, and then just the smallest touch of brown sugar to round it all out. They were the favorite of the party!
Lisa
Thanks for sharing your version! The touch of sweetness is a good way to enhance the flavor.
Bruce Parkinson
Excellent rub…thank you.
Lisa
You’re welcome Bruce! Enjoy!
Andrew
I made these in our Actifry, using the snack basket. They turned out great! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Lisa
Thanks for sharing. I’ll be trying them in the air fryer next time.
Ryan
Absolutely awesome wings!!
Lisa
Glad they worked out!
Robot Asimov
I did not enjoy these at all.
Lisa
It’s simple to make some adjustments to the seasoning to taste.
Nancy
I’m going to make these tomorrow. Can you tell me what was wrong with them?
Margo
Please forgive my ignorance, but where do the carbs come from as none of the ingredients have them? What am I missing?
Lisa
Some of the spices do contain carbs.
Rashie C
Hands down the best wings I’ve EVER made…I’ll be making these often (but I’ll have to triple the recipe next time!)
Thanks a ton!
Darryl
Great job. Just got done making them. After they were done we dipped some of them in a wet hot sauce which made them taste more “Buffalo” These tasted great.
Steve
Superb! I cooked longer than recommended, but otherwise a perfect recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Troy Jarrell
Hands down the best baked wings I have ever tasted. I have eaten lots of wings in my 50 years but none close to this. These will be my go to from now on.
Lisa
I’m so glad you like them Troy!
Vani
My wings are still in the oven but the time is almost done and they don’t look crispy.
VBE
Lisa
Put them under the broiler if needed.
Michele
I put these on parchment paper and cooked them under the broiler. They were excellent. Note: I added 1 1/2 tsp Rosemary.
Lisa
Thanks for sharing the tip on cooking under the broiler! Rosemary is always a great spice to add.
Jennifer S.
We’ve recently gone lchf in my house and I’ve been struggling to find recipes that are not only flavourful and satifsfying but easy to make. These wings of yours totally fit the bill. I made them, following your recipe exactly and WOW was I a hero!! They are no in the regular rotation. Thanks so much!
Lisa
You’re welcome Jennifer! Thanks for stopping in. 🙂
Chris
Tried these on the BBQ grill last night, turned out so good! Perfect flavour and just the right amount of heat for my taste. Definitely making this again, might even try the spice blend on some pork chops tonight (BBQ’D again – i’m Australian lol…) thanks heaps! ☺
Lisa
I never thought to cook these on the grill. May give that a try.
Candy
What if I don’t have a rack?!any suggestions ?
Lisa
You can put in directly on the pan, but I find it crisps up better on a rack.
sarah
I usually do a wet marinade for my wings but, I thought Id try a dry rub. Not only are these wings well seasoned, ( I agree, not too much) they came out crispy, flavorful and fall off the bone tender! I did keep the wings whole and baked at 400 degrees for 50 minutes with a quick, 5 minute broil and flip at the end to get those extra crispy favorable edges.
Lisa
Thanks for the tips Sarah!
Mary Rose van Kesteren
Do you put spiced wings on baking rack or on foil? Both are mentioned in your instructions. Otherwise look great.
Lisa
I line the pan with foil then put a baking rack on top of the foil. That way any drippings are easily cleaned up.
Tom
That is some damn good chicken.
Lisa
Agree!
diana claar
I use a similar recipe but instead of baking I freeze them and then deep fry. They are spicy until I put them in the deep fryer. When they come out they are not spicy. ???????? HELP
Lisa
Sounds like the spice is lost in the oil. You’d need to reapply the spice after frying.
Brian Moman
Don’t bother spicing something you’re going to deep fry if it’s not breaded. The spices just wash off in the oil. Instead, fry them naked and them toss them in the spices right after frying.
Marci
Just made these today for the Superbowl…Absoultely delicious!!
Lisa
Glad they worked out for you Marci!
Colbert
Just tried this recipe using chicken breast strips instead of wings. DELICIOUS.
Lisa
Sounds yummy and easier to eat!
Elizabeth
About to flip them here pretty soon. Hopefully they taste as good as they smell! Thanks for the recipe!!
Lisa
Hope they worked out Elizabeth!
William
Best rub I have ever had. Made the chicken wings 3 times now,every one loves them. I mix all the spices and then put them in a shaker. Put chicken on rack and then shake spices over top and again when I turn the chicken.
Lisa
Using a shaker is a great idea!
Jocelyn R
Hi there! Just came across this recipe and will try it tonight! My question is, are the wings frozen at the time that you put on the dry rub? Or do you use thawed wings?
Thanks!
Lisa
I used fresh wings, not frozen. You might be able to adjust the cooking time to use them frozen, though.
Elba O
I made these for Super Bowl Sunday. They were a hit! Making them again, tonight, while we watch the Oscars. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Lisa
Thanks for writing in Elba! Glad they went over so well!
KalynsKitchen
Good Morning! Just letting you know that I featured this recipe (and another one from your site) in a round-up of 50+ Low-Carb and Gluten-Free Superbowl Appetizer Recipes. Hope a lot of people will click over from my site and check it out!
Lisa
Thank you! I’ll give the round-up a share.
Geni
Instead of baking the wings, try grilling them… I discovered this years ago and now always grill my wings instead of frying. Use medium to low heat to keep them from burning.