Are you tired of the usual flavor you get when you cook chicken, turkey, and other poultry? Do you want something new to spice up your dinner? Are you keen on impressing your friends during a weekend get-together with poultry dishes that tickle their taste buds? If you answered yes on all three questions, you may want to get add some poultry seasoning on your dishes while preparing them. At this point, you may be asking: what is it?
Well, if you want to know what poultry seasoning is and how you can make some at home, continue reading. We will explain and give you some recipes and tips on when and how to use it, along with how you can make your own.
What is Poultry Seasoning?
First of all, let’s take a look at what poultry seasoning is. It’s simply a mixture of herbs and spices that you use to enhance the flavor of poultry.
Some of the seasonings contain are black pepper, sage, thyme, rosemary, and marjoram, among others. They are typically available in groceries and supermarkets.
People use the seasoning to spice up their chicken or turkey dishes. But, some also use the seasoning to add flavor to other types of meat. They also use it on veggie burgers, soups, and pot pies.
While they are called poultry seasoning, they do not contain any poultry or meat. It’s called by this name simply because it’s used to season poultry. So, this makes it safe for people who follow a vegetarian diet.
How Poultry Seasoning Came To Be
Similar to other meat seasonings, poultry season has a basic formula depending on the taste of the person making it. Their main ingredients included sage, thyme rosemary, and marjoram. At times, nutmeg, onion powder, and celery seed, among others were also added.
The first records of this type of seasoning appear to come from the Baltimore area where the first cookbooks were published. According to Bell’s, William G. Bell started the oldest spice and seasoning brand in Boston in 1867.
The seasoning the company created has remained relatively unchanged for over 150 years. It combined sage, oregano, rosemary, marjoram and ginger for its original recipe. The seasoning they created was designed to enhance the flavor of turkey.
Nearly a century after Bell’s was established, McCormick’s came out with its own version of the seasoning following its acquisition of the A. Schilling & Company in 1947. Even as other companies later offered their own poultry seasoning versions, the main ingredients were similar with only some variations in the proportions.
These days, numerous versions of poultry seasoning are available in the market. While most of the ingredients are similar, there are some innovations depending on the preference of the one who made the recipe.
Recipes for homemade poultry seasoning
Make Your Own Poultry Seasoning
Poultry seasoning is sold in supermarkets and groceries. Food manufacturers have made it readily available for consumers to make their lives easier and simplify food preparation. This allows you to simply take the food seasoning out of the cupboard and use it on the dishes you want to eat for dinner.
But, did you know that making poultry seasoning does not take hours of work? In fact, you can make your own poultry in minutes if you have all the ingredients ready. It is just a combination of herbs and spices you can probably grow in your garden.
Aside from saving money, you can also customize the seasoning depending on what you want. You can even customize it to meet the dietary needs of your family.
So you’ll have something to look forward to, we’ve come up with a couple of poultry seasoning recipes you can use. Just make sure to measure each ingredient properly before you mix them together.
Check out the recipes below that are some of our favourites.
Poultry Seasoning Recipe #1
For a basic recipe, you will need the following ingredients:
- 1 tbsp. marjoram (ground)
- 1 tbsp. thyme (ground)
- 1 tbsp. sage (ground)
- 1 tsp. black pepper (ground)
- 1 tsp. rosemary (ground)
- 1 tsp. celery seed (crushed)
All you need to do is to combine all the ingredients properly. Then, store the resulting mixture in an airtight container.
Recipe #2
Here’s another take on the basic recipe for this delicious, flavourful combination:
- 1 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
- 2 1/2 tsp. dried sage (ground)
- 1 tsp. dried marjoram
- 1/2 tsp. peppercorns or coarse ground black pepper
- 3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 3/4 tsp. dried rosemary
Combine all ingredients properly. Then, use a mortar and pestle or an electric spice grinder to process the mixture.
You can blend it until it turns into powdered form. Once it’s in powdered form, you can store it in an airtight container.
Recipe #3
Enhance the flavor of your chicken or turkey dishes with the following poultry seasoning recipe.
- 3 tsp. thyme (ground)
- 4 tsp. sage (ground)
- 2 tsp. rosemary (ground)
- 1 tsp. marjoram (ground)
- 1 tsp. white pepper
- 1 ⁄8 tsp. nutmeg
Combine all the ingredients together and put them inside an airtight container. If you store it in a cool, dry area, it can last up to six months.
Recipe #4
Here’s another one you may want to make in your kitchen.
- 3 tbsp. dried sage
- 1 tbsp. dried marjoram
- 1 tbsp. dried thyme
- 1 tbsp. black pepper (ground)
- 1 tbsp. dried rosemary
- 1 tsp. celery seeds
- 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
If you only have whole rosemary and sage leaves, break them up using a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder. Make sure all the ingredients are mixed properly before storing the seasoning in a sealed container.
Recipe #5
Can’t get enough of poultry seasoning for your dishes? Well, check out this recipe.
- 2 tsp. sage (ground)
- 3⁄4 tsp. rosemary (ground)
- 1 tsp. marjoram (ground)
- 1 1⁄2 tsp. thyme (ground)
- 1⁄2 tsp. black pepper (ground)
- 1⁄2 tsp. nutmeg
All you need to do is to mix all the ingredients thoroughly. Once they’re properly mixed, you can put the seasoning in a clean spice bottle that you can seal tightly. Just make sure you store it in a cool, dry place.
Where can I Use Poultry Seasoning?
Poultry seasoning or chicken rub is mainly used as a rub on chicken, turkey, and other poultry. It is also used to enhance the flavor of stuffing to make the dish delectable after it is cooked.
But, the seasoning is not only limited to poultry. You can also use it on other types of meat, including pork, lamb, and veal. It is also used on soups, pot pies, and even veggie burgers. The seasoning can also be used on dressings, meatloaf, casseroles, stuffing, herb sauces, and loaves of herbed breads.
Since the seasoning is made of herbs and spices, vegetarians can also use it to add flavor to their food if they choose to. You can also use poultry seasoning to enhance the flavor of egg dishes like scrambled eggs or quiche.
As indicated earlier, it does not contain poultry despite its name. It’s called poultry seasoning since it’s mainly used on poultry dishes.
Homemade poultry seasoning recipes
Tips and Facts About Poultry Seasoning
Now that you have all the basic information you need about poultry seasoning along with some recipes, we’ll discuss some tips and facts about poultry seasoning.
- It may remind you about Thanksgiving since it’s normally used to add flavor to turkey stuffing.
- While it is mainly used to spice up your chicken and turkey, you can also use it to add flavor to other types of meats. You can even use it to spice up some vegetables, stews, and soups.
- it can also be your go-to spice in case you’re too tired to go through your spice rack during dinner. Just get the container of poultry seasoning and add it to your meals to make them delectable.
- You can add this seasoning as a rub to chicken, turkey, and other meats.
- You can boost the flavor of vegetable dishes if you add a bit of poultry seasoning on them.
- Even as the main ingredients among recipes are similar, you can make your own version by removing or adding other herbs and spices depending on your preference.
- When using herbs from your garden, you should make sure they are dry before you use them. You can dry the herbs by hanging them in a dry spot, using a dehydrator, or using the lowest temperature of an oven.
- You don’t have to overdo mixing the ingredients of poultry seasoning. All you need to do is to make sure all the ingredients are mixed up to appoint where they have a similar texture and color.
- A mortar and pestle is useful in grinding up the various spices. But, you can also use a food processor or spice grinder to get a powdery consistency.
- When storing the seasoning, make sure you use an airtight container to allow you to keep it for several months. But, its shelf life is determined by the age of the oldest spice used in the mixture.
- The container should also be placed in a cool, dry place so you can prolong the shelf life of the poultry seasoning.
Have your Say about this Poultry Seasoning
Do you have any tips or tricks for how to make this delicious seasoning or what you can serve it with? Please leave a comment below and let us know. We’d love to hear from you.
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