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Thanks to a 5-minute homemade barbecue seasoning mix, dry rub BBQ chicken has the classic sweet, smoky, savory flavor of meat cooked on a grill even if it’s cooked in the oven or air fryer.
If you love sweet, smoky, savory BBQ chicken but don’t have an outdoor barbecue, I have you covered with a flavor-packed seasoning mix. My favorite way to use it is on chicken, but it’s also great on steak, salmon, burgers, and even vegetables. Bring BBQ flavor to your next cookout without having to fire up the grill!
What I Love About This Recipe
- Budget-friendly. I like using economical bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs here. Dark meat stays moist and juicy, and the seasoned skin forms a deliciously crispy crust on top. However, you can use any kind of chicken you like or have on hand (and adjust the roasting time accordingly).
- Versatile, convenient cooking method. You can use the oven, air fryer, or outdoor grill to cook this.
- Special diet friendly. As written, this recipe is naturally gluten free, grain free, low carb, and keto friendly. Even with using a spice mix that contains regular brown sugar, it has just 3 grams of net carbs per serving (and you can reduce that further by making your homemade barbecue spice mix with keto brown sugar).
- Minimal ingredients. This is a pantry recipe that you might have everything on hand for (even the spice mix ingredients!) in a well-stocked kitchen.
- Great for meal prep. Shred the leftover chicken and use it to make tacos, quesadillas, sandwiches, wraps, salads, rice bowls, soups, etc.
What is a Dry Rub?
A dry rub is a blend of spices, sometimes dried herbs, and frequently some kind of sweetener (usually white or brown sugar) that’s rubbed onto raw meat before cooking. Unlike a marinade, it doesn’t contain any liquid ingredients. Dry rubs add flavor to the outside and create a caramelized crust.
Dry Rub BBQ Chicken Ingredients
Breaking It Down
Ingredients Explained
In this section I explain the ingredients and give substitution ideas where applicable. For the full recipe (including the ingredient amounts), see the recipe card below.
- Olive oil spray – We spritz the chicken with a little oil to help the seasoning stick.
- Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs – You can use thighs, breasts, or any kind of chicken you have on hand and adjust the roasting time accordingly.
- BBQ seasoning – This spice blend lends sweet, smoky, savory barbecue flavor without having to turn on the grill!
Instructions
One of the best things about BBQ seasoning is that you don’t have to use an outdoor grill for barbecue flavor. The oven, air fryer, or grill work well here. No matter which cooking method you choose, you start by seasoning the chicken (or beef or any kind of meat you like) the same way.
To Season the Chicken: Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels, and put them on a large cutting board with the skin side facing down. Lightly spray the bottom of each thigh with olive oil cooking spray and sprinkle about 1/4 teaspoon of seasoning on each. Flip them over and lightly spray the top of each with cooking spray and sprinkle about 3/4 teaspoon of seasoning on each. Use your fingers to rub the spice mix in.
Oven
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a large baking tray with a wire rack. Season the chicken as described above, and then arrange it spaced evenly apart on the wire rack with the skin side facing up.
- Bake. Bake until the chicken is fully cooked, about 35 to 45 minutes (don’t flip it). (TIP: Dark meat chicken is fully cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 to 175F.)
Grill
- Prep. Preheat the grill to medium-high (around 400F). Season the chicken as described above.
- Grill. Grill until the chicken is fully cooked, about 35 to 55 minutes (depending if you use direct heat or indirect heat and whether or not you close the grill).
Air Fryer
- Prep. Preheat the air fryer to 400F. Season the chicken as described above.
- Air fry. Place the thighs in the air fryer basket skin-side-down and air fry for 12 minutes on the first side, and then flip and continue air frying until the skin on top is crisp and they’re fully cooked, about 10 to 12 minutes more.
Storage
Let the chicken cool to room temperature, and then store it covered in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Tips For the Best Dry Rub BBQ Chicken
- If you’re using chicken with the skin on, you can skip the oil if you like. Oil serves a couple purposes here: 1) it acts like “glue” and helps the spice blend stick to the chicken, and 2) it helps keep the chicken moist as it bakes. However, even after patting the chicken skin dry, the skin has enough moisture to make the spices stick and enough fat to keep the chicken moist as it roasts.
- No worries if you’re using the oven to make side dishes to serve with this and the oven needs to be at 350F. You’ll just need to cook the chicken a little longer because of the reduced temperature; I find that bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs usually need to cook for about 45 minutes to 1 hour at 350F.
- This recipe is really easy to scale up or down. You’ll need about 1 teaspoon of BBQ seasoning for each chicken thigh (1/4 teaspoon for the bottom and 3/4 teaspoon for the skin on top).
Frequently Asked Questions
Unlike a marinade, you don’t have to wait for a dry rub. You can dry rub the meat and cook it immediately, or give it up to 24 hours (covered in the fridge) if you want.
If you’re using boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, a light coating of oil ensures the spices stick. On the other hand, if you’re using chicken with the skin on, you can skip the oil because the skin has enough moisture to make the spices stick and enough fat to keep the chicken moist as it roasts.
If you let a dry rub containing salt sit on meat for a while, eventually the salt will start to penetrate. The other ingredients (i.e., the sugar and spices) remain on the outside to form a caramelized crust.
Dry brining is essentially the salt version of a dry rub. Coarse salt is applied to the outside of the meat without any water. Initially, salt draws out the meat’s natural moisture through osmosis, creating a salty liquid. Subsequently, if left to sit, the meat draws the salty liquid back inside, which is what seasons the meat and locks moisture in.
More Easy Chicken Dinner Ideas
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Easy BBQ Dry Rub Chicken Recipe (Oven, Air Fryer, or Grill)
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Equipment
Ingredients
- Olive oil cooking spray
- 2 pounds bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (2 pounds is about 6 to 8 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs; see Notes)
- 2 tablespoons BBQ seasoning (see Notes)
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a large baking tray with a wire rack.
- Season the chicken. Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels, and then arrange them spaced evenly apart on the wire rack with the skin side facing down. Lightly spray the bottom of each thigh with olive oil cooking spray and sprinkle about 1/4 teaspoon of seasoning on each. Flip them over and lightly spray the top of each with cooking spray and sprinkle about 3/4 teaspoon of seasoning on each. Use your fingers to rub the spice mix in.
- Bake. Bake until the chicken is fully cooked, about 35 to 45 minutes. (TIP: Dark meat chicken is fully cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 to 175F.)
Notes
- Storage: Let the chicken cool to room temperature, and then store it covered in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- Oil: If you’re using boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, a light coating of oil ensures the spices stick. However, if you’re using chicken with the skin on, you can skip the oil if you like. Oil serves a couple purposes here: 1) it acts like “glue” and helps the spice blend stick to the chicken, and 2) it helps keep the chicken moist as it bakes. However, even after patting the chicken skin dry, the skin has enough moisture to make the spices stick and enough fat to keep the chicken moist as it roasts.
- Chicken: You aren’t limited to bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs here. You can use thighs, breasts, or any kind of chicken you have on hand and adjust the roasting time accordingly.
- BBQ Seasoning: I use my homemade BBQ spice mix for this recipe. You can use any spice mix you like, and feel free to add more or less than I use.
- Net Carbs: 3 grams per serving. To reduce the carbs further, you can make your own spice mix with keto brown sugar instead of regular brown sugar.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
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I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
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