Good Spices for Chicken: Poultry Herbs, Spice Blends and Wet Seasonings

Chicken will take seasoning from just about any cooking tradition, so the easiest way to choose is by the job you want done. Want a woodsy, savory roast? Reach for the classic poultry herbs. For a shortcut, lemon pepper, Madras or vindaloo curry powder, or jerk seasoning does it in one jar, and pesto or balsamic vinegar seasons and sauces at once. Whatever you choose, the USDA’s safe minimum internal temperature for all poultry, from breasts and thighs to wings and ground chicken, is 165°F (73.9°C).¹

At a glance

For cumin, Mexican oregano, achiote and dried chiles, see good Mexican spices for chicken.

The classic poultry herbs

The standard American set shows up in poultry seasoning. McCormick Culinary’s blend lists thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, black pepper and nutmeg,² and since US labels list ingredients in descending order by weight, thyme is the biggest part of that blend.¹¹ See poultry seasoning for other makers’ versions.

Timing depends on the herb. America’s Test Kitchen classes thyme and rosemary as hearty herbs to add early,¹² so they suit roasting, braising and rubs. The LSU AgCenter puts basil, parsley, chives and other delicate herbs at the end, a minute or two before the dish is done.¹³ Basil belongs with chicken in its own right: PROSEA, the Southeast Asian plant reference, lists chicken among the Italian dishes that use the leaves.¹⁴

Bay leaf works in anything simmered. J. Kenji López-Alt, talking to The Splendid Table, says bay leaves bring out the meaty flavors of beef and chicken. He also compares eating one to eating a fish bone, so fish it out before serving.³ See cooking with bay leaves, cooking with thyme and cooking with sage.

Lemon pepper

McCormick describes its Lemon & Pepper Seasoning as black pepper, lemon oil and salt with a touch of onion and garlic, and suggests it as a rub on chicken wings. Garlic and onion go well with it, partly because many blends already contain them. Salt is the first ingredient on the McCormick label, and McCormick’s Signature Lemon Pepper carries 170 mg of sodium in a 1/4-teaspoon serving,⁴¹⁵ so cut back on other salt when you use it.

Lemon pepper is fairly gentle on its own; add garlic, paprika or extra black pepper if you like. See lemon pepper substitutes.

Curry powders: Madras and vindaloo

Madras curry powder. You’ll often read that Madras curry powder is mild because it was made for British palates. The history points the other way: Julia Fine, writing for the spice merchant Diaspora Co., notes that 19th-century Madras curry powder was often sold as spicier than the Bengal and Bombay styles, with recipes heavy on turmeric, chile and cayenne.⁵ Heat varies by maker; World Spice Merchants rates its Madras blend 2 out of 5.⁶ The yellow comes from turmeric. On chicken, try it in a classic curry, a dry rub or the flour for fried chicken.

Vindaloo curry powder. Vindaloo is a Goan dish with Portuguese roots, and Tony Jackman calls it a hot curry both in Goa and in Britain.¹⁶

Commercial vindaloo powders vary a lot in heat. Savory Spice calls its blend closer to medium and not as hot as typical vindaloo, while America’s Test Kitchen’s homemade version aims for fiery, complex heat.¹⁷ Check the label or taste first. Savory Spice suggests about 1 teaspoon of its vindaloo seasoning per pound of beef, pork, poultry or fish (their figure, for their blend).⁷ See vindaloo vs. Madras curry powder and cooking with curry powder.

Jerk seasoning

Jerk is a method as much as a spice mix. Smithsonian Magazine describes it as the way meat is seasoned, smoked and grilled, traditionally over pimento wood, with pimento (allspice) berries and Scotch bonnet peppers as the essential seasonings. Chicken, sausage and pork are now the most common jerk meats on the island.⁸

It comes in two forms:

One way to use the paste: loosen it with oil, vinegar or soy sauce and marinate the chicken before grilling. Start with a little liquid and add more until it coats. Pimento-wood smoke is hard to come by outside the Caribbean, so most home versions rely on the seasoning alone. Jerk is good in stews and stir-fries too, if you like it there. See jerk seasoning substitutes and allspice.

Wet seasonings: pesto and balsamic vinegar

Pesto. Britannica describes the classic Genoese pesto as basil, pine nuts, garlic, grated Parmesan and olive oil, and lists poultry among the things it commonly tops, along with pasta, vegetables, fish and bread.⁹ Spread it on chicken before baking or grilling, or spoon it over cooked chicken. Neither is a documented tradition, just an easy way to use it. See basil uses.

Balsamic vinegar. Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI is made from fermented, cooked or concentrated grape must with wine vinegar, and matured in barrels, vats or casks of fine woods.¹⁰ Its sweet-tart flavor suits a marinade, or you can reduce it to a glaze.

Food safety

• Cook to 165°F. FSIS sets 165°F (73.9°C) as the safe minimum internal temperature for all poultry: breasts, whole birds, legs, thighs, wings, ground poultry and giblets.¹
• Don’t rinse raw chicken. FSIS doesn’t recommend washing raw poultry before cooking.²⁰

Related

• Good Mexican spices for chicken
• Spices for chicken soup
• Spices for turkey
• Poultry seasoning
• The master list of herbs and spices