This smoked paprika chicken rub is easily made in minutes and adds amazing flavor. It's bold and delicious on both skin-on and skinless chicken cuts.

Ingredients and notes:

The flavors of this spice rub are quite similar to those of my cajun chicken marinade. But while the marinade is best for skinless chicken, this rub is also great on skin-on chicken cuts. It adds not only amazing flavor but also great texture while letting the chicken skin crisp up nicely.

As always, I recommend to get the spices (especially the smoked paprika) from a dedicated spice shop to ensure freshness and quality.

Smoked paprika chicken dry rub ingredients in a glass bowl. — You need onion powder, dried oregano, smoked hot paprika, ground allspice, salt and garlic powder to make the spice rub.

Recipe note:

I have included instructions below for how to use this rub. I used chicken leg quarters but you can use the rub on any chicken cut using the same method.

How to use it:

Step 1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Pat chicken leg quarters dry using paper towels, then rub with a mild olive oil until well coated all around. (Use about 1 teaspoon olive oil per leg quarter.)

Two chicken leg quarters on a baking sheet.

Step 2. Evenly rub the dry spice rub onto the chicken skin. (Use about ¾ teaspoon per chicken leg quarter.)

Spice-rubbed chicken leg quarters on a baking sheet.

Step 3. Set a wire rack onto a large rimmed baking sheet. Transfer the chicken leg quarters onto the rack, skin side up. Roast until fully cooked (about 30 minutes).

Raw spice-rubbed chicken leg quarters on a wire rack.

Do I need to let the rub sit on the chicken?

No, there is no need for that. As soon as you've applied the dry rub, you can pop the chicken in the oven.

How spicy is this rub?

This rub has a medium level of spiciness from the smoked hot paprika. If you prefer it mild, you can use smoked sweet paprika instead of smoked hot paprika.

Full Recipe

Author: The Spice Train