We’re obsessed with these easy dry rub chicken wings! They’re covered in the best chicken wing seasoning, then air fried for 15 minutes for the perfect crispy skin. It’s the perfect party appetizer or fun family dinner!

a plate full of dry rub chicken wings with a side of alabama white sauce

 

If you’ve ever been disappointed by dry rub wings, don’t worry, I understand! I’ve been served bland wings where the seasoning melted off before they ever made it to my plate, but I promise these are nothing like that. For football season, I decided to perfect them by borrowing a seasoning technique from my favorite smoked boston butt recipe and popular pecan pork chops! We use mustard as the “glue” for our delicious chicken wing spice rub so that each bite is still loaded with smoky, bold flavor. With about 20 minutes in the air fryer, the skin gets perfectly crispy long before the seasoning has time to burn! Trust me, these dry rub chicken wings are going to disappear fast!

Chicken Wing Rub Ingredients

  • Chicken Wings – I used “party wings” separated into drummies and flats with the skin on. You can use this method on full wings or even other cuts of chicken, but you would need to adjust the cooking time.
  • Yellow Mustard – This is what the seasoning sticks to so that the blend doesn’t melt right off the skin during cooking. If you don’t like mustard flavor, don’t worry; we’re not using enough for you to be able to taste it.
  • Baking Powder – This soaks up moisture to help make sure the skin comes out amazingly crispy. Leave it out if you prefer, but you will not get as crunchy of a bite.
  • Kinders “The Blend” Seasoning, Paprika, Onion Powder, Dry Mustard, and Cayenne Pepper
  • You’ll also need an air fryer, a mixing bowl, cooking oil spray., and a meat thermometer

How to Make Dry Rub Wings

wings coated in mustard in a glass bowl
wings tossed in seasonings and baking powder
overhead shot showing crispy dry rub wings on a platter with dipping sauce
  1. While the air fryer is preheating to 375 degrees F, pat your wings dry and place them in a mixing bowl.
  2. Add your yellow mustard to the wings in the bowl and toss until they are fully covered in the mustard.
  3. Sprinkle the remaining ingredients into the bowl and toss again to get them completely coated.
  4. Spray your preheated air fryer with cooking oil, add in the wings, and give them another spritz or two of oil to help them crisp up even better.
  5. Cook for 10 minutes, then flip them and give another spritz of oil if you like them super crispy. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes or until a meat thermometer registers 165 degrees F. Serve immediately.

What to Serve with Dry Rub Chicken Wings

Serve these hot and fresh with a side of Alabama White Sauce or Jalapeno Ranch. Add one of our favorite side dishes:

Storage and Reheating

  • Fridge: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3-4 days.
  • Freezer: Place in freezer bag and freeze up to 3 months for best taste and texture. Separate into individual portions before freezing if you will want to pull out one at a time for solo meals.
  • Reheating: Wings crisp up well in the air fryer (350 for 2-4 minutes), but you can also use the oven (350 for 5-10 minutes) or microwave (50% power, 1-minute increments, flipping between blasts).
perfectly crispy dry rub chicken wing dipped in alabama white sauce

Variations and Tips for Chicken Wing Spice Rub

  • Like it spicy? Increase the cayenne pepper and use a spicy mustard.
  • Don’t have Kinder’s The Blend seasoning? You probably could replace this with another all-purpose seasoning that includes salt, pepper, and garlic.
  • Want the crunchiest bite possible? The day before you plan to cook your wings, pat them dry and place them (unseasoned) on a rack and baking sheet in the fridge. This helps dry out the skin so that you get super crispy wings.

More of Our Best Chicken Recipes

a plate full of dry rub chicken wings with a side of alabama white sauce

Get the Recipe: Dry Rub Wings Recipe

Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
In just 20 minutes, you can have amazing dry rub wings with the best dry rub recipe for chicken wings! The air fryer makes sure these come out super juicy on the inside and beautifully crispy on the outside with the perfect seasoning.
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Ingredients
 

  • 2 pounds wings
  • 1-2 tablespoons yellow mustard
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon Kinders “The Blend” seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Equipment

Instructions
 

  • Preheat an air fryer to 375 degrees F for 3 minutes.
  • While the air fryer is preheating toss the wings in the mustard so they are fully coated.
  • Sprinkle the baking powder and spices on the wings so they are fully coated.
  • Add the wings to the air fryer and spray with cooking oil.
  • Air fry 10 minutes, turn and fry an additional 5 minutes or until the wings reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

Notes

  • Don’t worry, you will not taste mustard. It simply works as the “glue” and adds depth to the flavor.
  • Net carbs per serving: 2.1 g
Serving: 0.5 pound, Calories: 443kcal, Carbohydrates: 2.7g, Protein: 40.1g, Fat: 29.4g, Cholesterol: 251.7mg, Sodium: 835mg, Fiber: 0.6g, Sugar: 0.2g
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