5 of the BEST Dry Rub Recipes for Chicken | Homemade Spice Blends (2024)

Transform your chicken dinner with 5 easy & flavorful dry rub recipesthat 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:

1. 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.
2. 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 rubis very much like aseasoning, 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.Rubsare usually coarser thanseasoningsand 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?

• somemeasuring spoonsand a small bowl to mix the dry rubs in
• a couple 4-5 oz spice jars
• afunnelto 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! ProTip: 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!

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