This healthy homemade chicken rub recipe has the best savory, smoky flavor taste and can be used on all cuts of chicken! A simple, easy recipe for perfectly seasoned and flavorful chicken every time! By the way you can also use it on pork, lamb, and vegetables as well! It's so good you should double the recipe and store the extras for later.
The Best Chicken Seasoning Rub
Easy Chicken Seasoning. This is an EASY recipe. Mix the seasonings and sprinkle over chicken or pork. It's like a dry marinade that just gets better the longer it sits.
Easy Grilled Chicken Recipe. Here is my favorite recipe for grilled chicken - Dry Rub Grilled Chicken with White Barbecue Sauce. You will go crazy over this!
Make-Ahead Recipe. You can easily make this ahead, double or triple the recipe, and save it for later use - storing it in an airtight container.
Healthy Homemade Spice Blend. This chicken dry rub is sugar-free and uses only whole ingredients. This works perfectly for low-carb, paleo, keto, whole-food, and sugar-free diets.
Want more low carb and easy keto grilling recipes? Check out these recipes!
Chicken Dry Rub Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need to make dry rub for chicken. 1 recipe will season approximately 2½ pounds of bone-in chicken, 2 pounds of boneless chicken, or 1 whole chicken (a general rule of thumb: 8 thighs, 6 breasts, or a whole chicken).
- Dried oregano
- Cumin
- Smoked paprika (regular paprika is fine, but smoked has the best flavor)
- Dried parsley
- Garlic salt
- Ground thyme
- Onion powder: I used onion powder, but garlic powder can be used or a combination of both.
- Ground mustard
- Ground Black Pepper
For exact ingredient quantities, please see the recipe card below!
Be sure to save this pin to Pinterest for later! 😉
Chicken Rub Recipe Variations
- Rub it on dry or drizzle the chicken with olive oil first then sprinkle on.
- After you make this the first time, play around with different herb and seasoning combinations until it's just right for you!
- For a little sweetness, a tablespoon of brown sugar or brown sugar substitute may be added.
- Garlic powder may be added or used in combination with the onion powder.
- Make it spicy and add chili pepper flakes and as much cayenne pepper as you want.
Recipe idea! Slow Cooker Pulled Pork With Dry Rub Seasoning: place a pork butt roast in a slow cooker. Pour a can of root beer (regular or diet/sugar-free) over the top, then add this dry rub. Cook on low 8 to 10 hours or until pork is very tender and pulls apart easily. Remove from liquid and shred pork. Add some Barbecue Sauce if you like, and serve on a sandwich bun or wrapped in lettuce. Voila! Super easy dinner idea
How To Make Rub for Chicken
- Add all the spices to a small bowl. Mix all ingredients until blended. Use or store in an airtight container until ready to use.
- Place chicken (pork or veggies, too) in a plastic bag or bowl. Sprinkle dry rub over the meat or vegetables and toss until all pieces are evenly covered with dry rub. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or even overnight if you have to.
How to Apply Chicken Rub to Chicken
My favorite way to apply dry rub to chicken is to place the chicken pieces in a gallon-sized plastic bag and then add the dry rub. Seal the bag and then toss until the chicken is coated. You can then place the bag and all straight into the refrigerator! Super easy!
How To Use Dry Rub for Chicken
On chicken! Use boneless or bone-in chicken, and then grill, bake, or fry in a skillet. It's also a great dry rub for chicken cooked in a smoker! Instructions for how to bake chicken in the oven and or cook on a grill are below.
On pork! This recipe works great as a pork rub for pork chops (bone-in or boneless), tenderloin, and more! You can enjoy baked, grilled, or fried in a skillet. You can even cook a pork roast with dry rub in a slow cooker!
On vegetables! This really tastes great on pork and vegetables too. One of my favorite things to do is toss with vegetables such as potatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, onions, etc and then grill in a basket or roast in the oven. SO dang good! 🙂
How To Bake Chicken In The Oven
To bake chicken in the oven, set your temperature to 400ºF. For easy cleanup, line a baking sheet with nonstick foil or foil coated with a nonstick spray. Bake bone-in chicken for about 45 minutes and boneless chicken for 20 to 25 minutes.
The times below are approximate and can change based on the sizes of your chicken pieces. According to the USDA, always cook your chicken to a safe temperature of 165ºF.
How Long To Cook Chicken In Oven:
These are approximations; cooking times will vary with the size of your chicken pieces. Chicken is done when its internal temperature reaches 165 degrees in the center when measured with a meat thermometer.
- Bone-in chicken: bake for approximately 45 minutes
- Boneless chicken: bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
How To Cook Chicken On The Grill
To grill chicken, preheat the grill to medium (350º to 450ºF). The times below are approximate based on the sizes of your chicken pieces.
How Long To Cook Chicken On Grill
Note that cooking times will vary according to the size of the chicken pieces. Always make sure that chicken is cooked to the proper internal temperature (165 F).
- Bone-in chicken: grill for 25 to 30 minutes (flipping once).
- Boneless chicken: grill for 8 to 10 minutes, flipping halfway through.
How to Store Chicken Dry Rub
Transfer the chicken dry rub to an air-tight container and store in a cool, dark place for up to 12 months.
Chicken Dry Rub Top Tips
- Adjust salt and pepper to taste after cooking.
- 1 recipe will season 2½ lbs bone-in chicken, 2 lbs of boneless chicken, or 1 whole chicken (a general rule of thumb: 8 thighs, or 6 chicken breasts - or a whole chicken).
- Spicy lovers can add more heat with cayenne pepper.
- Make extra and store in an airtight container for future use!
- For the best taste, use fresh, dried herbs if possible. I am guilty of having a large spice cabinet full of old spices! Most of the ingredients in this recipe are commonly used. The two that aren't as common are ground thyme and smoked paprika. You can substitute 1 tablespoon of dried oregano instead, and once you try smoked paprika, you will use it all the time - it's definitely worth buying!
Chicken Rub FAQs
Use a Thermometer to test (most accurate method)
Using an instant-read thermometer, insert it into the middle of the thickest part of the chicken without touching the bone. The chicken is done when the temperature reaches 165º.
Check the Color of the Chicken
Another way to test the chicken for doneness is to cut it into the thickest part. Chicken is done cooking when you can no longer see pink. Tip: Don't let the chicken cook until the fibers separate, or it will be very dry.
One recipe makes approximately 6 tablespoons of seasoning (or, a heaping ⅓ cup). This recipe seasons approximately 8 chicken thighs, 6 chicken breasts, or one whole chicken. If you make extra for storing later, you can estimate approximately 1 tablespoon per piece - give or take.
The dry rub in this recipe will stick if the chicken is slightly moist, and I've never had an issue getting it to stick. However, if you have a more granular dry rub you can moisten chicken by rinsing in water and removing excess, or you can brush with a little oil (like olive oil).
You can let this dry rub sit on the chicken up to 2 days. If you can, refrigerate chicken with dry rub on it for a minimum of 2 hours (it's ok if you can't do this). I frequently let the chicken sit in the refrigerator with a dry rub overnight. It has more flavor when I do this.
If you are following a different dry rub recipe, the amount of time you can leave dry rub on chicken may vary.
Safe cooking temperature for chicken is 165ºF. If you don't have a thermometer, cut into the middle of the chicken. When it is no longer pink in the center it is done.
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📖 The recipe.
Easy Chicken Dry Rub
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika (regular paprika is fine, but smoked has the best flavor)
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 2 to 3 teaspoons garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon ground thyme
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
Instructions
How To Make Dry Rub
- Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Store in an airtight container until ready for use. Use immediately or store in an airtight container for later.
- Place chicken in a plastic bag or bowl. Sprinkle dry rub over chicken and toss until all pieces are evenly cover with the dry rub. Refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours or even overnight if you have to.
How To Cook Chicken In The Oven
- Preheat oven to 400ºF. For easy cleanup, line a baking sheet with nonstick foil or foil coated with a nonstick spray. For boneless chicken bake 20 to 25 minutes, bone-in chicken 40 to 45 minutes until chicken is no longer pink or internal temperature reaches 165ºF.
How To Cook Chicken On The Grill
- Preheat grill to medium (350º to 450ºF). Place chicken pieces on the grill and cook 25 to 30 minutes for bone-in chicken, and 8 to 10 minutes for boneless chicken - turning once. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink or the internal temperature reaches 165ºF. Note that larger pieces of chicken will require additional grilling time.
Video
Kori's Tips
- One recipe makes approximately 6 tablespoons of seasoning (or, a heaping ⅓ cup). This recipe seasons approximately 8 chicken thighs, or 6 chicken breasts - or one whole chicken. If you make extra for storing later, you can estimate approximately 1 tablespoon per piece - give or take.
- Make extra and store in an airtight container for future use!
- Spicy lovers can give it some heat by adding cayenne pepper.
- Try our recipe, Dry Rubbed Chicken with White Barbecue Sauce
Nutrition
© 2025 Seeking Good Eats™
More Seasoning Recipes
Here are a few more homemade spice blends and seasoning mixes I think you'll enjoy:
Kim bebout
Hubby and I tried this recipe today in our new Christmas present Nuwave and thought that it was pretty good! Added about 1/4 t cayenne but decided next time to add more!
seekinggoodeats
Thank you! So glad you loved the seasoning. I will be posting some air fryer chicken recipes in the near future! 🙂