It is a hard thing to learn how to cook any meat properly, and that includes knowing how to season it. Chicken is one of the most consumed animal proteins in the world and knowing how to season it, is a great help for achieving great recipes.
Not all herbs and spices are a perfect match for chicken and I will show you which ones are the best.
This homemade easy recipe is the best I have come up with and you can make a big enough batch to last a while and have it on hand whenever you need it.
The most widely used herbs and spices used for seasoning poultry are sage, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, and nutmeg. This recipe is a mixture of these herbs plus a couple more spices added that I think to make the mix even better!
WHAT IS POULTRY SEASONING?
It is the perfect mixture of spices to use when cooking meals that include poultry as the main ingredient. You can use this spice mix on a wide variety of recipes ranging from baked poultry recipes to pies, soups, or grilled meals.
WHAT HERBS ARE IN POULTRY SEASONING?
- Sage: sage leaves are a grayish color and are part of the mint family as well as oregano, rosemary, thyme, and basil. The leaves are “rubbed” together to make a light powder.
- Marjoram: it has a citrus undertone. It is known as sweet or knotted marjoram and is a member of the oregano family.
- Rosemary: is an herb with needle-like leaves that smell like evergreen and have a slightly bitter and astringent taste.
- Thyme: its flavor is “minty” with floral and peppery notes which makes it perfect for blending with other herbs.
- Nutmeg: a nut-like seed from the Myristica fragrans tree. Dried and grated, it adds great flavor to dishes. If you can, buy the whole seed. It keeps indefinitely if stored in an airtight container, but once ground, it can lose its flavor rather quickly.
- Paprika: it is made from dried and ground Capsicum annuum (a variety of red peppers that is mild in flavor). It not only adds great flavor but also some color.
- Allspice: It is the dried berry of the allspice tree and has notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. It is very aromatic and should be used sparingly.
HOW TO MAKE POULTRY SEASONING?
Measure out all your herbs and spices, mix them together and store them in an airtight container with a tight lid. Below are the amounts you will need of each herb and spice.
WHAT’S A GOOD POULTRY SEASONING SUBSTITUTE?
The herbs used in poultry seasoning are widely used in Mediterranean cooking and so is Italian seasoning. They have a very similar herb combination.
Italian seasoning has a few extra herbs like basil and oregano, but these are also members of the mint family, so it is a great substitute.
You can add sage, nutmeg, paprika, and allspice to Italian seasoning, or use it as is.
WHAT CAN I USE POULTRY SEASONING IN?
You can add it to any dish using poultry as a main ingredient like chicken broth or soups: Cream of mushroom soup, chicken noodle soup, Aguadito de Pollo, black-eyed pea soup, as a rub for chicken or turkey when mixed with a little oil, in stuffing for turkey, chicken pot pie for example.
You can even use it to flavor meat dishes, fish, or for roasting vegetables. It really is a universal seasoning that can enhance the flavor of any dish.
IS CHICKEN SEASONING THE SAME AS POULTRY SEASONING?
Poultry includes chicken, turkey, ducks, and geese. So poultry seasoning can be used to season the chicken as well as the other fowl. It basically means the same thing.
CAN I USE CHICKEN BOUILLON INSTEAD OF CHICKEN SEASONING?
These two are completely different things. Chicken bouillon is made from dehydrated stock made from chicken meat, vegetables, some chicken fat, salt, and usually MSG which is a flavor enhancer.
Using bouillon can certainly make chicken taste better, but it is not a substitute for poultry seasoning.
The herbs in poultry seasoning impart a very different flavor than bouillon.
HOW LONG DOES POULTRY SEASONING LAST?
It all depends on how you store it. If you store it in airtight containers, it can last about 6 months. Make sure all the herbs you use are dry and not humid.
Storing them in opaque or amber-colored containers also helps expand their shelf life, as sunshine can accelerate spoilage as well as oxygen.
Also, remember to check all your herbs for freshness because your poultry seasoning will only be as fresh as the spices you use to make it.
Homemade Poultry Seasoning
Ingredients
- 3 teaspoons dried sage
- 1 ½ teaspoons paprika
- 2 ½ teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 ½ teaspoon dried marjoram
- 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
Instructions
- Measure out all your herbs and spices, mix them together and store them in an airtight container with a tight lid.
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