Louisiana Rub Wingstop (Best Dry Rub Chicken Wings)
on Feb 26, 2021, Updated Nov 19, 2023
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Wingstop calls the Louisiana Rub a “crispy dry rub with some Deep South Cajun love”. You’ll call it your go-to seasoning for wing night! This medium-heat spice mix is super easy to prepare and will load up your wings with a ton of flavor. Pair it with a creamy Wingstop Ranch dipping sauce and it’s a party hit!
If you want to spice up your at-home wings, this is the
recipe for you. This Wingstop Louisiana dry rub can be used on either frozen or
fresh wings and can even be made in batches and stored in an airtight container
for easy access when needed.
It’s a garlicky dry rub that embodies the flavors of Louisiana cooking, and
making it at home means you can tailor it to your own preference. Turn up the
heat or turn up the sweet. The ingredients are easy to find and combined are
sure to be a hit on any game day or easy dinner evening.
What is the Louisiana Rub at Wingstop?
The Louisiana Rub is Wingstop’s take on Southern flavors. It’s a little milder than their Cajun rub, for anyone who wants a similar taste with less heat. It has several different spices each bringing their unique flavors into the wings, for a little taste of Louisiana that you can get in any state.
Louisiana Dry Rub Ingredients
- Smoked Paprika: Known for its reddish hue, paprika adds more to your wings than just a bright color. This sweet peppery spice is a staple in Cajun cooking and will act as one of the base ingredients in your dry rub.
- Garlic Powder: Garlic is what will have all your wing-eaters licking their fingers. This recipe is pretty heavy on the garlic, but I find it hard to believe anyone would want to cut back on this spice.
- Dried Oregano: Oregano brings in an earthiness and slight bitterness to this dry rub. It’s pretty easy to find fresh, but you’ll want to use the dry version to avoid bringing any moisture into the rub. This is going to keep your wings nice and crispy.
- Cayenne Pepper: Here’s where the heat comes into the recipe. You can play around with your measurements of cayenne pepper to adjust the spice level of this rub to your liking. Or, if you have a divided crowd, add a little bit more to some of your wings. Just make sure to remember which are which!
- Chili Powder: This is an aromatic spice with mild heat. If you have chili flakes at home, you can always grind them into a fine powder, but it’s very easy to find in stores if it’s not already in your cupboards.
- Cumin: Here’s one that might surprise you. Cumin brings in a nice warmth to your wings. It works well to complement and amplify the pepperier spices.
- Brown Sugar: With all that spice, you need to add a bit of sweetness! Brown sugar will help to offset some of the heat from this recipe, but has a nice toasty flavor. You can also use white sugar.
- Salt & Pepper: Can’t talk about spice without mentioning these staples. Salt and pepper can be added to virtually any savory (and some sweet!) foods to taste.
How to Make Wingstop Louisiana Rub Recipe
- Whisk together all dry rub ingredients in a small mixing bowl.
- Add chicken wings to a large bowl. Drizzle with vegetable oil and toss to coat.
- Add the dry rub mixture to the chicken and massage it into the wings.
- Place the wings onto a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.
- Bake for 45 minutes 400 ºF or until fully cooked and crispy. Serve and enjoy!
What is the Hottest Flavor at Wingstop?
If you’re really looking to test your capacity for spice, you’re going to have to give Wingstop’s Atomic wings a try, as it’s considered the hottest among Wingstop Flavors. Made with Habanero Peppers (which land pretty high up on the Scoville scale – the scale to measure spiciness), these wings are sure to shock even the least sensitive taste buds.
What Are the Other Flavors at Wingstop?
Wingstop has 11 flavors in total, varying from sweet to super spicy, so there’s something for everyone. On the milder side, try Hawaiian, Garlic Parmesan, Lemon Pepper, Hickory Smoke BBQ or Mild. Louisiana Rub leads the medium-spice group joined by Spicy Korean Q. Then comes the hottest options with Original Hot, Cajun, Mango Habanero and of course, Atomic. You can read more about each flavor here.
What Can I Serve With Louisiana Rub Wings
You can serve these wings with French Fries, Mashed Potatoes, Blooming Onion, Salad, and many more. You can find more chicken wing side dish ideas in this post.
If You Like This Recipe Try These Out
Wingstop Louisiana Rub Wings Recipe
Ingredients
For the Louisiana Rub
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, (or to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoons brown sugar, packed
For the Wings
- 2 lbs chicken wings
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 ºF. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and set it aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together all dry rub ingredients.
- In a large mixing bowl, add chicken wings. Drizzle with vegetable oil, and toss to coat.
- Sprinkle the dry rub mixture and massage it into the chicken wings using your hands. Make sure to coat the wings evenly.
- Place the seasoned chicken wings on the baking sheet. Arrange them in one single layer.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until fully cooked and crispy. Remove from the oven and serve with your favorite dipping sauce such as Ranch Dressing.
Notes
- If you plan to use frozen chicken wings, make sure they’re completely thawed before cooking.
- Pat the wings dry with a paper towel in order to season them properly.
- You can adjust the amount of cayenne powder and chili powder for a more and less spicy dish.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate only and will vary based on ingredient brands and cooking methods used.
I loved this rub recipe…it made awesome wings.
This dry rub is now my husband’s all-time favorite! Thanks for another great recipe!
This looks good though I’m fairly certain there’s no smoked paprika in their Louisiana rub.
I would agree. As well as a lot less cumin, but this will get you pretty close to Wingstop.
I just read your recipe and I really appreciate the way you describe all the ingredients in the recipe and how they change the outcome of the recipe hotter cooler Boulder. It’s something I found very interesting. Thank you
Pretty darn similar. I cut back on the cumin to a 1/4 tsp, and added a bit more salt and pepper. I love this rub.
I keep going back to back to this rub. You can use it as a stand along for dry wings, then just dip your cooked wings in ranch dip or blue cheese. Or you can used it as a base to put your buffalo or other spicy sauces over. It is delicious either way. I usually do some with this for dry wings and then do some buffalo wings and its hard to say which I like better. I just always want them both! Great recipe, don’t need to change a thing.
Tried this recipe for the first time. My family loved it! This recipe will be a staple in my home for sure. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
I didn’t have cumin, so I subbed yellow curry powder and we loved it. I’m going to try it on boneless thighs tonight and add a honey glaze and see where that gets me!
Thanks for the recipe!
Been using this recipe and has become the favorite chicken recipe of the family. Thank you.
Can this be deep fried? Would I coat the wings before or after frying them?
Hi Brad, this cannot be deep fried and seasoning will fall off the wings in the oil.
I’m going to try this on New Year’s Eve. I’m going to coat the wings with this rub then smoke them and then deep fry them. If the oil is hot enough, the rub will stay in tacked.