Poultry seasoning does more than enhance flavor to poultry dishes. The most common ingredients in poultry seasoning are sage and thyme with many variations. Thus, you can imagine the possibilities for flavoring your favorite savory dishes. I love using my homemade poultry seasoning to herb and spice up casseroles, soups, stews, chili, rice, veggies, and pot pies. Tis the season when it’s cold 😋. I’m excited to share with you my poultry seasoning blend version.
My Poultry Seasoning Inspiration
Winter is the season I spend in the kitchen making primarily soups, stews, chili, warm casseroles, and homemade bread. This time of year, the oven and stove become my best friends; they warm up the kitchen (and me 😉). I keep poultry seasoning on hand to make my chicken pot pie (or veggie variation). It can also be added to rice dishes and soups. I made a fresh batch of poultry seasoning recently and decided to share it with you.
Poultry is a Fav! Why not spruce it up?
According to the United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization, poultry is the second most widely eaten meat in the world at 33%. Coming in first is pork by only 3% more at 36%. So, with poultry apparently on many of our minds, poultry seasoning is a good place to start when it comes to adding flavor to those simple chicken and turkey cuts. Poultry seasoning is not just for poultry either or to be used only at Thanksgiving! You can pretty much add it to many of your favorite savory dishes including fish, tofu, salads, and sandwiches.
What is Poultry Seasoning?
Common Seasoning Ingredients
The typical poultry seasoning herb and spice mix contains thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, nutmeg, and black pepper. Other variations might include celery seed, coriander, onion, allspice, cayenne pepper, and ginger. In looking at the ingredient list, you may notice they resemble the herbs and spices often bought to season a Thanksgiving turkey. These flavors certainly go well with turkey, but they can be used any time of year with many different foods.
Different Texture Varieties
Commercial brands of poultry seasoning can either be a homogeneous brown powder made of all ground herbs and spices or a green leafy mix of ground spices and leafy herbs. Regardless, both versions can contain the same herbs and spices. Growing up, I only ever saw the ground version; it’s the version I think is most common, at least in the United States. You can choose the texture you prefer without adjusting the ingredient list. Therefore, you have a choice of texture in my recipe version, and I’ll explain how to achieve both texture varieties.
Poultry Seasoning Ingredients
Poultry seasoning can be made of all ground spices and herbs or a mix of ground spices and leafy herbs. For my poultry seasoning blend, I use a mix of both. However, the result is more of a ground mixture. There are seven ingredients; they include dried ground thyme, dried ground sage, dried crushed rosemary, dried leaf marjoram (or oregano), dried ground coriander, ground nutmeg, and ground black pepper. For an all-leafy variation, just use all dried leafy herbs with ground spices. As with all homemade herb and spice blends, you have freedom. Create a mixture that best suits your pantry ingredients and your preferred flavors. Feel free to use my ratios for the herbs and spices you have or like and add or subtract as you desire.
Combine the Ingredients
Measure out Herbs & Spices
It’s best to have a “mis en place”, which is French, meaning to have all the ingredients measured out and ready to go. It makes it easier to keep track of them.
Add All Herbs & Spices to Small Bowl
To a small bowl, measure out and add 6 grams (1 tablespoon) of dried ground thyme, 3 grams (1 tablespoon) of dried ground sage, 3 grams (1 tablespoon) of dried crushed rosemary, 3 grams (1 tablespoon) of dried marjoram leaf (or oregano leaf), 2 grams (½ tablespoon) of dried ground coriander, ½ gram (¼ teaspoon) of ground nutmeg, and ½ gram (¼ teaspoon) of black pepper.
TIP: Marjoram may not be easy to find in your area. Feel free to use oregano as a substitute for marjoram in this recipe. While they are different herbs, they are both from the mint family and both are used in Mediterranean cooking.
Stir & Store Poultry Seasoning
Use a spoon or small whisk to mix up and combine all the herbs and spices. This recipe makes a little more than a ¼ cup or 4 tbsp which is enough to fill a small spice jar. Transfer the spices to a spice jar or container that has a tight-fitting lid. You can use a spoon or small funnel to easily transfer the poultry seasoning blend. The seasoning is ready to be used whenever you’re ready. Store this poultry seasoning blend in a sealed container for up to a year or based on the shortest expiration date of the oldest individual spice.
TIP: For a finer texture, purchase all herbs in ground form or grind them yourself. You can grind them using a mortar and pestle, coffee grinder, or pepper mill. For all leafy herbs, use all dried leaves.
Final Product Close Up
Notice the mix of finely ground herbs like thyme and sage and the leafy herbs like marjoram and rosemary. I gravitate towards the mix of textures because the specific textures of the individual herbs and spices are what is readily available in my grocery stores. You can adjust the texture based on the versions that are available to you. Regardless of the texture, you can still create a flavorful herb and spice blend to fit your needs.
Usage Suggestions
Add this poultry seasoning as you would a commercial version in a 1:1 ratio in your favorite recipes that call for poultry seasoning. It adds an earthiness to your dishes and complement chicken, turkey, roasted vegetables along with fish, beef, pork, and even tofu. The herbs in the mixture also work well with many savory dishes. Add it to eggs, casseroles, soups, stews, chili, and my favorite chicken pot pie. Why not sprinkle it on salads and sandwiches for an enhanced herbal and spice flavoring?
Final Thoughts
Store-bought poultry seasoning ingredients vary between brands. Since the ingredients and ratios vary, you can easily create a version that’s a perfect fit for your taste buds. The recipe I’m sharing with you is a version I like. You can start by following my ratios and add or subtract the ingredients and quantities based on what you like. What I love about making your own herb and spice blends is that they are extremely customizable. No more store-bought versions are needed when you can make what you like or have available in your pantry. I created a version that I like to eat; you can do the same. 😊
Check out my short YouTube video on mixing these herbs and spices to create your own Poultry Seasoning blend. “Poultry Seasoning Blend: Flavor Your Favorite Savory Dishes From Meat to Veggies to Eggs to Soups.”
Poultry Seasoning Blend
Ingredients
- 6 g (1 tbsp) dried ground thyme
- 3 g (1 tbsp) dried ground sage
- 3 g (1 tbsp) dried crushed rosemary
- 3 g (1 tbsp) dried marjoram leaf (or oregano leaf) crushed between fingers
- 2 g (½ tbsp) dried ground coriander
- ½ g (¼ tsp) ground nutmeg
- ½ g (¼ tsp) ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl combine all ingredients. Rub dried herbs between your fingers to crush prior to adding them to the bowl. Stir until combined using a small whisk or the back of a spoon to break up any small masses of spices. You can also use a small sifter or mesh sieve. Taste the mixture and increase slightly any preferred herb. TIP: For a finer texture, purchase all herbs in ground form or grind them yourself using a mortar and pestle, coffee grinder, or pepper mill. For all leafy herbs, use all dried leaves (not ground) for each herb.
- Scoop or use a small funnel to transfer the spices from the small bowl to a spice jar or container that has a tight-fitting lid. This recipe makes a little over a ¼ cup (4+ tbsp).
Video
Notes
You might be interested in some of these other recipes for homemade spice blends and mixes.
French Herbes de Provence Blend
Ranch Dressing & Seasoning Mix
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