
I always recommend adding some seasoning or a dry rub to your meat before cooking. At a minimum, you should use some Salt and Pepper.
If you want to take your chicken game up a notch, I suggest you give the BBQ Chicken Dry Rub a try.

As you would expect, you can make this dry rub recipe in a matter of a couple of minutes. You will probably spend more time gathering the ingredients than making the rub.

How to use Dry Rub
Before you apply your dry rub to your meat, pat your meat down with a paper towel to remove as much moisture as possible. Next, you need a binder to help the dry rub stick to the meat. For Chicken, I prefer to use a little Olive Oil.
Once the binder has been applied to the meat, liberally apply the dry rub all over the meat. Make sure you take the proper precautions not to cross-contaminate! I suggest you use one hand to apply the dry rub and the other to rub the dry rub into the meat.
Tips
Adjust the amount of Cayenne Pepper if you prefer your rub to have less heat.

Gather your Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make this BBQ Chicken Dry Rub recipe. For ingredient amounts please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Light Brown Sugar – dark brown sugar works as well
- Paprika – adds a mild, smoky, and slightly sweet flavor, along with vibrant colors
- Chili Powder – adds a warm, smoky, and mildly spicy flavor
- Ground Dry Mustard – adds a sharp, tangy, and slightly spicy flavor
- Garlic Powder – adds a savory, mellow, and concentrated garlic flavor
- Cayenne Pepper – more or less to taste
- Ground Black Pepper – fresh ground black pepper if possible
- Salt – a must for most recipes
How to Make BBQ Chicken Dry Rub
- In a small mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients.
- Apply generous amounts of dry rub to the chicken before cooking.
- Cook the chicken using your preferred method.
More Recipe Ideas
Printable Recipe Card

BBQ Chicken Dry Rub
↑ Click stars to rate
Ingredients
- ¼ Cup Light Brown Sugar
- 3 Tbsp Paprika
- 2 Tbsp Chili Powder
- 1 Tbsp Ground Dry Mustard
- 1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
- 1 Tbsp Cayenne Pepper, or to taste
- 1 Tbsp Ground Black Pepper
- 2 Tbsp Salt
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients.
- Apply generous amounts of dry rub to the chicken before cooking.
- Cook the chicken using your preferred method.