5 Spice Rubs That Make Chicken Mind-Blowingly Delicious

Enter: spice rubs. Whip up several of these mixtures so you can roast Creole chicken, mocha chicken, Middle Eastern chicken, and barbecue chicken all at once. 

Here’s the drill: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Coat each boneless, skinless chicken breast with the spice rub of your choice (see below), then spray very lightly with cooking spray to help the spices stick. 

Bake the chicken until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads 165°F, 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chicken. Store excess rub in an airtight container. 

These rubs work equally well with bone-in, skin-on chicken, and on the grill. The cooking times will vary with other methods; just aim for the 165°F internal temperature. 

Easy as that! Banish bland chicken forever with these insanely tasty combos: 

Smoky Red Rub

This rub from John Stage, founder of the famous Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in Syracuse, New York, combines paprika, cayenne, and sugar for a caramelized, spicy-sweet coating. 

In a medium bowl, combine…

2 Tbsp smoked paprika

2 Tbsp Kosher salt

2 Tbsp sugar in the raw

1 Tbsp chili powder

2 ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 ½  tsp granulated garlic 

1 ½ tsp granulated onion 

⅛ tsp cumin

½ tsp celery salt

⅛ tsp cayenne pepper

Makes about ½ cup

Middle Eastern Rub 

This mix from chef Troy Guard of Denver’s TAG restaurant brings Middle Eastern flavor to the table with ground sumac, a tangy spice you can buy on Amazon or at a specialty spice store like Penzy’s. 

In a medium bowl, combine…

1 Tbsp Kosher salt

1 tsp paprika

½ tsp ground sumac

½ tsp onion powder

½ tsp garlic granulated 

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp dried parsley

½ tsp sugar

Makes about ¼ cup