Making your own poultry seasoning at home can allow you to experiment and change the tastes of the seasoning to fit your palate. If you've been wondering what is in poultry seasoning, you'll probably be pleasantly surprised to find you have most or all of the ingredients waiting in your pantry already.
Making Your Own Poultry Seasoning Blend
There is no one blend you can use to season your poultry; the kind of meat - chicken, turkey or duck - and how you are preparing it may influence how you want to season the bird. Whether you are adding the seasoning directly to the poultry, or including it in a stuffing mix can also affect the final poultry seasoning ingredients. These three recipes will give you varying tastes and can be made with fresh herbs, rather than dried, if desired.
Nutmeg and Sage Seasoning
This recipe blend complements stuffing mixtures, particularly cornbread stuffing. It can be used to rub down a bird, or added to a breading mixture.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons ground sage or 2 tablespoons of fresh sage
- 1-1/2 teaspoons ground thyme or 1-1/2 tablespoons fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon ground marjoram or 1 tablespoon fresh marjoram
- 3/4 teaspoon ground rosemary or 2-1/2 teaspoons fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
Instructions
- Mince the fresh herbs into small pieces.
- Combine the ingredients together in a large, resealable bag.
- Shake the bag well to combine the mixture.
- Use fresh herbs right away; dried herbs can be mixed and stored in a tightly closed container for future use.
Savory Seasoning
This recipe blend uses savory instead of sage and adds celery seed to the mixture. It complements both chicken and turkey well; just sprinkle or rub it right into the skin of the bird with a little butter before roasting.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon dried marjoram or 1 tablespoon fresh marjoram
- 1 teaspoon dried summer savory or 1 tablespoon fresh summer savory
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoons dried rosemary or 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley or 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
Instructions
- Mince the fresh herbs into small pieces.
- Combine all herbs in a resealable plastic bag.
- Shake well to combine.
- Use fresh herbs immediately or store the dried herbs in a tightly covered container. Shake the container well before using, as the celery seeds will settle.
Oregano and Ginger Seasoning
This seasoning blend has a little warmth to it that allows it to complement barbecued chicken, as well as some bland pastas. It is similar to the poultry seasoning blends you would find in the grocery store.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary or 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 tablespoon fresh oregano
- 3/4 teaspoon dried sage or 3/4 tablespoon fresh sage
- 1 teaspoon ground dried ginger or 1 tablespoon fresh, peeled ginger
- 1 teaspoon dried marjoram or 1 tablespoon fresh marjoram
- 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme or 3/4 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Mince the fresh herbs.
- Place all ingredients in a resealable bag and shake well to combine.
- Use fresh herbs right away or save the dried herbs in a tightly closed container.
Additions and Substitutions
Depending on your personal taste, and how you're preparing your poultry, you may want to vary your blend. Try adding any of these herbs, or substituting one for something else you don't enjoy, to make your own unique blend:
- Garlic
- Sea salt
- Paprika
- Smoked paprika
- Cumin
- Fennel seed
- Cinnamon
- Cloves
- Brown sugar
Flavor Your Poultry
Mix up your own blend of poultry seasoning at home. The results are sure to be fresher and better suited to your tastes than anything you may buy at the store.
