Simple Poultry Seasoning Recipe

Whether you’re out of the mix or scoured the internet for a recipe and realize it calls for poultry seasoning, right before you want to make it, I’ve got you covered.

In this post, I share my simple poultry seasoning recipe and everything you need to make your bird-centric recipes taste great!

Missing an ingredient? Don’t X out. Make sure you read the section on substitutes, and you’re good to go!

What is Poultry Seasoning

Poultry seasoning is a mix of finely ground dried spices, including sage, thyme, rosemary, and marjoram, that complement chicken and turkey dishes well.

The texture of poultry seasoning is finely ground, making it perfect for soups, stock recipes, and stuffings without finding leaves or twigs in each bite.

Poultry Seasoning vs. Poultry Flavoring

Poultry seasoning is finely ground spices, while poultry flavoring is a concentrated paste or cube to give a dish the flavor of chicken -also called chicken bouillon. 

Poultry seasoning and flavoring are not the same thing and cannot be substituted for each other in a recipe. 

Poultry Seasoning Ingredients

Don’t have Marjoram? No problem. Keep reading.

Poultry Seasoning without Marjoram

If you don’t have Marjoram, use dried oregano instead. Make sure to cut the quantity in half since oregano is a stronger spice. 

Ex: 1 teaspoon Marjoram = ½ teaspoon dried oregano

Poultry Seasoning Substitute

Both dried sage and dried thyme make the best substitutes for poultry seasoning when you don’t have the four main spices needed to make a homemade mix: sage, thyme, marjoram or oregano, and rosemary.

Another option is to use Herbs de Provence, Italian seasoning, and Za’atar in place of poultry seasoning. Those will get you close.

All you have to do is substitute the amount of poultry seasoning the recipe calls for with either dried sage or dried thyme or a combination of both. 

How to Make Poultry Seasoning

What gives poultry seasoning its fame is the fine texture, almost pulverized, that incorporates itself well in any recipe. Here is how to make it:

Measure Spices
Measure out your seasonings in a medium bowl or directly inside a spice grinder, coffee grinder, mini chopper, or small blender jar.

Combine
Either mix your seasonings well in a bowl or begin to blend to pulverize the spices in the grinder. 

Store
Transfer the finely ground mixture into a lidded jar or zip jar and keep it in your pantry for up to 6 months.

How to Grind Spices

The powder-like texture of poultry seasoning is what helps it seamlessly incorporate itself into recipes. More than likely, the spices in your pantry needed to make this recipe have a leaf-like texture. Don’t worry!

You can grind your spices several ways:

• In a spice grinder
• In a coffee grinder
• In a bleender (you’ll need to double the recipe or more)
• In a mini chopper (double the recipe)
• With your hands, by rubbing your palms together with the seasonings inside.

The refrigerator is not a good place to store your seasonings since it contains moisture and it can “cake up” your spices.

Recipes with Poultry Seasoning

Poultry seasoning can be used with chicken or turkey recipes, and here are some of my favorites:

• Old Fashioned Chicken and Rice Soup
• Sausage Apple Stuffing
• Cornbread Sausage Stuffing
• Turkey Noodle Soup
• Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Print