A Dynamite Smoked Chicken Rub

Using a good chicken rub is a simple way to smoke or grill chicken that is tender and juicy on the inside, packed with delicious flavors, and has crispy skin on the outside.

This smoked chicken rub balances sweet and savory flavors by using a combination of smoked paprika, brown sugar, cumin, garlic powder, and chipotle to develop deeply flavored chicken that tastes delicious.  

My goal in creating this recipe was to have a simple dry rub for chicken on hand that worked equally well with the low temperatures and smoke from the smoker and higher heat and fire from the grill. The result is a well-balanced rub that builds on the smoke and fire to infuse the chicken with deep savory flavors while promoting caramelization.

Why You Should Use a Dry Rub When Grilling or Smoking Chicken

A good dry rub uses herbs and spices, usually with salt and pepper, to impart flavor to the meat or vegetables being cooked. The best dry rubs have a point of view that creates interesting flavors using how something is prepared to deliver a delicious dish with balanced flavors.

Using a combination of sweet and heat, this spice rub creates barbecue forward flavors that are ideal for seasoning chicken cooked in a smoker or on a grill.

Using fire and smoke changes how the chicken tastes as it absorbs the flavors and aroma from the fire. What makes this seasoning stand out is how it builds on these flavors. Flavors that strike the right balance between sweet and savory, with just the right amount of heat. 

A Dynamite Chicken Rub

To create this dynamite smoked chicken rub, I combine spices that bring some sweetness, some heat, and a little bit of smokiness. The sweet and heat come from a combination of brown sugar, which promotes caramelization, smoked paprika that accentuates smokiness, with the chili and chipotle powders adding heat and pizzazz.

This versatile dry rub recipe works with whole chickens, chicken wings, chicken thighs, drumsticks, chicken breasts, and chicken quarters. It’s also a great way to add BBQ flavors to chicken roasted in the oven.

I tried different ratios of brown sugar for sweetness, chipotle for heat, and smoked paprika for depth to avoid the trap that a lot of other chicken rubs fall into, which is being cloyingly sweet or so hot they burn your tongue.

This spice rub can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the pantry. If it’s being made ahead of time, I recommend doubling or tripling the amount being made to have some on hand whenever you want barbecue chicken. The rub will essentially last indefinitely, but like all spices, its potency declines over time.

In general, one batch makes just under a cup of rub and will cover 2 to 4 pounds of meat, depending on how it’s prepared. For instance, it will season a whole bird, 4 to 6 quarters, 8 drumsticks, or 2 lbs of wings. 

The ingredients in this chicken rub include:

Brown Sugar – Brown sugar adds sweetness to the chicken while promoting caramelization.

Smoked Paprika – An essential item for great barbecue, smoked paprika adds depth of flavor, smokiness, and a small bit of bite to rubs and sauces.

Chili Powder – A good chili powder can serve as the foundation for lots of dry rubs and barbecue sauces. 

Garlic Powder – When it comes to dry rubs, the best way to add garlic flavor is to use garlic powder. It combines effortlessly with the other ingredients and won’t burn like fresh garlic can when subject to the intense heat of the grill or the long cook time in the smoker.

Ground Cumin – Ground cumin adds bite to dry rubs while brightening a dish. It’s the type of ingredient that makes a dish stand out when it’s used, and tastes like something is missing when it’s left out.

Ground Chipotle – The reason we use ground chipotle in so many of our spice blends is that it has the perfect combination of heat and smokiness that makes it easy to adjust the heat in a rub up or down simply by adding or subtracting a 1/4 tsp at a time. If chipotle isn’t available, substitute cayenne pepper.

Black Pepper – Using a good quality black pepper rounds out the flavors.

Kosher Salt – The large flakes in kosher salt help the spices penetrate the meat while adding enough salt to bring out its flavors. 

Here are a few simple ways to adjust the heat and flavor to fit your taste. 

• Sweeter – Add a 1/2 tsp of brown sugar
• Hotter – Add a 1/2 tsp of ground chipotle
• Smokier – Add a 1/2 tsp of smoked paprika
• Smokier and Hotter – Add a 1/2 tsp of ground chipotle

Applying a Dry Rub 

The best way to infuse the rub’s flavors into the meat is to get it under the skin and into all of the nooks and crannies. The rub can be applied up to a day in advance, giving it and the chicken time to bond.

To help the seasoning stick, it can be helpful to coat the pieces in a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, olive oil, or hot sauce to act as a binder before spreading the rub on. It can also be helpful to pat the chicken dry with a paper towel before adding the binder to get rid of unwanted moisture.

What I like about using vinegar is it helps improve the overall flavor while giving the spices something to hold on to. To add more heat, add a little Tabasco or other hot sauce at the same time as the vinegar.

This versatile seasoning can also be used on pork, turkey, and other poultry. 

More Recipes to Love

Southwest Spice Blend

All-Star Pork Rub

Southwestern Grilled Chicken Thighs

Chicken Rub for Smoking

There are a few reasons why smoked chicken is growing in popularity. The first is that it is one of the easiest and most affordable ways to feed lots of people. The second is because it is a straightforward way to add flavor and moisture to a protein that is often underseasoned and overcooked.

I generally season the chicken with the dry rub and then set up the smoker, giving the spices time to work their magic without complicating meal prep. Keeping your smoker clean helps make sure the chicken tastes great and doesn’t pick up any off-putting flavors.

A common question when it comes to smoked chicken is how long the rub needs to be on before it goes in the smoker. Since it will cook for a couple of hours in the smoker, it’s much more important that the rub completely coats each piece than how long it spends on the bird before smoking.

The primary cause of dry chicken is cooking it too long or letting the internal temperature get too high before taking it out of the smoker. 

To keep the chicken moist and juicy, use a low smoking temperature, generally between 225℉ (107℃) and 250℉ (121℃), and only cook it until it reaches the desired internal temperature. I like to use this Digital Meat Thermometer to keep track of the chicken’s internal temperature. 

The USDA considers chicken safe for consumption when its internal temperature has reached 165℉ (74℃). 

For tips and tricks, including how to get smoked chicken with crispy skin, read Helpful Tips for Smoking Chicken. The piece includes time and temperature recommendations for specific cuts.

Chicken Rub for Grilling

This rub is a simple way to make grilled chicken taste delicious. I often use this grilled chicken rub recipe for chicken drumsticks, thighs, and wings, that I want to have a tangy barbecue flavor when there’s not enough time to break out the smoker.

To get the most flavor from this rub, grill the chicken over indirect heat until it’s almost finished. Then place it over high heat to crisp up and caramelize the skin. 

The best way to do this is to use the Flip, Fire, and Paint Technique with a good homemade BBQ sauce to crisp up thin layers of barbecue sauce on the outside of the chicken. The combination of the chicken rub flavoring the meat and the barbecue sauce flavoring the crispy chicken skin is unbeatable.

Smoked Chicken Rub Recipe

5 from 3 votes

This dynamite smoked chicken rub recipe is a simple seasoning for grilling and smoking chicken packed with delicious flavors.

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

Dry Rub Ingredients

• ▢ 2 tsp brown sugar
• ▢ 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• ▢ 1 tsp black pepper
• ▢ 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ▢ 1 tsp chili powder
• ▢ 1/2 tsp cumin, ground
• ▢ 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• ▢ 1/2 tsp chipotle , ground

US Customary – Metric

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Instructions 

• Mix the brown sugar, smoked paprika, cumin, chili, garlic, and chipotle powders with the salt and pepper in a small bowl.
  2 tsp brown sugar, 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp chipotle
  
• Spread the rub on the chicken, taking the time to get it under the skin and into all the nooks and crannies.
  
• Cook the chicken until it reaches the desired internal temperature.
  

Notes

Here are some recipes with cooking times and temperatures for specific cuts.

• Smoked Quarters
• Smoked Drumsticks
• Smoked Chicken Wings

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Nutrition Information Hide

Nutrition

Calories: 15kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 0.3g | Fat: 0.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.04g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 886mg | Potassium: 44mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 475IU | Vitamin C: 0.04mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 0.5mg

The nutrition information shown is an estimate based on available ingredients and preparation.

Favorite Smoked & Grilled Chicken Recipes

As a big fan of both smoking and grilling chicken, we’ve developed recipes for all sorts of different cuts and occasions. Here are a few of our favorites.

Smoked Chicken Quarters With Crispy Skin – Smoked quarters have a rich smoky flavor and warm buttery texture that melts in your mouth. This recipe includes everything you need to get the meat tender and juicy on the inside with crispy, golden brown skin on the outside.

How to Smoke a Whole Chicken – Learn to smoke a whole chicken that has a light smoky flavor, crisp skin, and tender and juicy meat.

Smoked Drumsticks – Smoked drumsticks are one of the simplest ways to make tasty, smoky chicken legs for a crowd. What makes smoking drumsticks such a great choice is how they absorb the flavors from the smoke and homemade dry rub while staying tender and juicy.

Grilled BBQ Chicken – This sweet, tangy barbecue recipe is a simple way to make slow-cooked, delicious barbecue chicken thighs on the grill.

For more recipe ideas, check out Our Favorite Smoked Chicken Recipes and The Best Meats to Smoke & How to Make Them Taste Delicious.

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