Chicken Seasoning Recipe

We got our hands on the best Chicken Seasoning Recipe for literally any chicken dish, and we're never letting go. This all-purpose chicken seasoning adds so much flavor and gorgeous color to chicken.

It's great for traditional American dishes but also perfect for Italian and even Tex-Mex chicken recipes. Any time you want to add the maximum amount of flavor to chicken breasts, this is your new go-to recipe. It's literally the best seasoning for chicken out there.

Why You'll Love this Chicken Seasoning

This homemade chicken seasoning is made of dried herbs and spices you probably already have in your pantry. It's super savory with a tiny kick of heat; a special blend suited to enhance the flavor of dark meat chicken dishes like baked chicken leg quarters and light meat chicken dishes like chicken cutlets.

Versatile and customizable, you can even use it as the seasoning in a flour dredge for fried chicken or on a chicken sandwich.

You will love that it's so quick and easy to make, too--less 5 minutes to mix!

If you prefer to make your own seasoning blends like this one, we always have all-purpose seasoning and taco seasoning on rotation in our kitchen.

Ingredients

• Kosher Salt | Kosher salt has larger, coarser grains than table salt, making it easier to sprinkle evenly over the chicken. It also dissolves more slowly, allowing for a more gradual and even distribution of saltiness, enhancing the overall flavor of the chicken.
• Black Pepper | Black pepper not only enhances the flavor of the chicken but pairs well with a variety of other spices and herbs, making it a versatile addition to many seasoning blends like this one.
• Dried Oregano | We love dried oregano for our chicken dishes for its warm, earthy, slightly bitter flavor.
• Garlic Powder | Rich and savory in flavor, this spice is one of our favorites in so many spices blends!
• Paprika | Paprika adds a mild, sweet, and slightly smoky flavor to spice blends like meatloaf seasoning and beautiful red hues.
• Onion Powder | Onion and garlic powder are a dynamic duo in many spice blends that add rich, savory flavor in spades to anything it touches.
• Cayenne Pepper | This is what gives our blend a kick of heat. If you're sensitive to spicy foods, leave this one out altogether.

Customizing Your Chicken Seasoning

As mentioned above, this seasoning will 100% work for any cuisine on any cut of chicken, but if you want to get a little more specific with your flavor profile, here are some easy ways to do that.

BBQ Rub | Add a ⅓ cup of brown sugar to quickly convert this chicken seasoning into a chicken rub! Like our rib rub recipe, the brown sugar creates a sticky, savory-sweet flavor bomb. It's best to bake, grill, or smoke chicken with a brown sugar rub. We also use brown sugar as a key ingredient in our homemade breakfast sausage seasoning.

Tex-Mex | If you want to convert this chicken seasoning recipe into a chicken taco seasoning recipe for a recipe like tacos de pollo, add 1-½ teaspoon of cumin and chili powder, and you're there!

Italian | For an extra bit of Italian flare, add 1 tablespoon of Italian spice blend! It would be perfect in chicken pasta primavera

Asian | For Asian-style chicken, nix the paprika and sub in ground ginger. You might also want to consider a soy sauce/rice vinegar marinade to really set this one off.

Cajun | Swap the regular paprika for smoked paprika, add a teaspoon of dried thyme, and you've got a homemade blackened seasoning perfect for blackened chicken.

How to Make the Best Chicken Seasoning

This spice blend recipe is so easy--just combine spices and use right away or store.

How to Store

Keep the mix sealed, in an airtight container at room temperature in a cabinet, drawer, or the pantry.

How to Season Chicken

Pat Away Excess Moisture | Always pat away the excess moisture on a chicken breast using a paper towel. We do this because the seasoning is much more likely to stay put and adhere to an oiled surface, and the oil won't stay put if there are water droplets (even microscopic) on the exterior of your chicken.

Drizzle with Oil | Next, drizzle the chicken with oil (Use about a tablespoon of oil per pound of chicken).

Add Seasoning | Use about a tablespoon of seasoning per pound of chicken. Sprinkle all over, rub, and pat to adhere.

Cook | There are so many ways to cook chicken. See below for some of our favorite chicken cooking methods.

Favorite Ways to Cook Chicken

• Whole Roasted Chicken
• Pan-Seared Chicken
• Oven-Baked Chicken Breasts
• Crock-Pot Chicken
• Smoked Chicken Legs