The right chicken spices make all the difference between bland and absolutely delicious. This homemade blend combines bold, African-inspired spices into one jar you'll reach for every single time.
🧡 Why You'll Love This Recipe
I grew up seasoning chicken the African way, and let me tell you, there is no going back after that. Once you have chicken that's actually seasoned all the way through, bland chicken just doesn't hit the same.
I use this blend on everything. Thighs, breasts, wings, drumsticks. Grilled, roasted, air-fried. It works every single time and I always have a big jar of it ready to go in my kitchen.
The smoked paprika gives it that deep, smoky base. Garlic powder and onion powder bring that savory punch you can't put your finger on but you know is there. And the cayenne adds just enough heat to keep it interesting without overpowering everything.
And because you're making it yourself? You know exactly what's going in it. No fillers, no hidden carbs, no ingredients you can't pronounce. Just bold, real spices doing what they do best.
🥘 Equipment I Use
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You won't need any fancy tools to make this homemade chicken spice rub. Just grab a bowl, some measuring spoons, and your favorite glass jar for storage.
🧾 Ingredients I Use
You only need a handful of spices for this homemade chicken seasoning blend recipe. This robust blend of spices adds so much flavor to your savory chicken recipes and will have everyone begging for seconds!
- Peppers: Cayenne pepper, black pepper, smoked paprika. You can increase or reduce the amount of cayenne pepper used depending on your preference.
- Aromatics: Onion powder and garlic powder.
- Herbs: Dried parsley and dried oregano.
- Other ingredients: And last but not least, good old sea salt!
🔪 How To Make Chicken Seasoning
- Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Add them to a glass jar or other container.
- Use about one tablespoon per pound of chicken for any cooking method.
🥫 Storing and Reheating
I store this chicken seasoning in an airtight container or spice jar, and keep in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight. This will last approximately six to twelve months.
If you live in a humid place, you may want to add a silica packet to absorb moisture that could cause your seasoning mixture to clump.
💭 Tips and Variations
- If you enjoy really spicy food, add a lot of pepper spices to your chicken seasoning. However, you can use only a little if you don't like spicy food.
- Use this spice mix as a wet rub by mixing it with a little olive oil, soy sauce, or vinegar. Alternatively, you can use this easy chicken marinade.
- You can add lime or orange peels to your spice mix to give it a little zing.
- Feel free to add crushed red pepper if you need even more heat.
🍽️ What to Serve With It
This is the perfect seasoning to add to literally savory chicken dishes, including:
- Fried Chicken Breast
- Air Fryer Chicken Leg Quarters
- Grilled Boneless Chicken Thighs
- Air Fryer Chicken Breast
- Air Fryer Chicken Legs
- Keto Chicken Tenders
- Chicken on a Stick
👩🍳 Questions You Might Have
This simple, healthy chicken seasoning recipe is a dry mix of assorted herbs and spices usually used to season chicken before cooking it. So whether you're going to bake a whole chicken, air fry chicken thighs, or roast any cut of chicken, the spice blend will give you that delicious taste you can trust.
Everyone has their personal preference in their spice mix, but the core spices used are generally about the same.
In addition, some of these spices are shared by other popular seasonings like taco seasoning, cajun seasoning, steak seasoning, or Jamaican jerk seasoning, so the flavor might be familiar.
Chicken seasoning is pretty healthy. It helps to stimulate the digestive system, and spices are excellent antioxidants too. The only issue might be excess sodium if you add more salt when cooking, in addition to those in the seasoning.
To use this homemade seasoning, use a tablespoon of seasoning for every pound of meat.
An easy way to use this dry rub is to rub the chicken all over with a bit of olive oil to ensure the spices stick to it. Then, sprinkle your chicken seasoning on the chicken pieces and rub it in, making sure the spice mix gets on it evenly. Make sure the chicken is at room temperature before using the seasoning.
For chicken breasts, if you're not using skinless chicken breasts, make sure you liberally rub the spices under the skin.
Yes, chicken seasoning is also called poultry seasoning sometimes. However, despite the name, it can also be used to season various types of meat. One thing to note is that chicken seasoning is sometimes mistaken for chicken bouillon.
Chicken bouillon is a cube form of certain spices that are chicken-flavored. Chicken bouillon is like concentrated chicken stock. In contrast, chicken seasoning doesn't taste like chicken; it just adds great flavor to any chicken (or poultry) dish.
Yes, sometimes, store-bought chicken seasoning might have gluten in it. The best way to ensure yours doesn't have any gluten is to make the chicken seasoning yourself.
It is quick and easy to make, and you probably already have all or most of the spices and herbs in your spice drawer. Most of the spices in the mixture can be found in your local grocery store if you do not already have them at home.
📚 Related Recipes
Check out these other delicious homemade seasoning recipes!
📖 Recipe
Chicken Seasoning Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper or ½ teaspoon if you like spicy food
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 2 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoon salt
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together.3 tablespoon smoked paprika, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 tablespoon dried parsley, 2 tablespoon onion powder, 1 tablespoon dried oregano, 1 tablespoon black pepper, 3 tablespoon garlic powder, 2 tablespoon salt
- Store in an airtight container.
- Use about 1 tablespoon per pound of chicken.
Notes
- If you enjoy really spicy food, add a lot of pepper spices to your chicken seasoning. If you don't, however, you can use only just a little.
- Use this spice mix as a wet rub by mixing with a little olive oil, soy sauce, or vinegar.
- You can add lime or orange peels to your spice mix to give it a slightly tangy flavor.
Nutrition
Tayo Oredola is the founder of Low Carb Africa, where she shares healthy, low carb dishes with global flavors. She is passionate about teaching people how to cook drool-worthy dishes while losing weight and living their best lives. Tayo’s recipes have been featured on MSN, Women’s Health, Parade, Yahoo News, Pure Wow, Essence, and other online publications.
This seasoning is on point. So flavorful. We are not a spicy family so I just sed regular paprika and skipped the cayenne. I had to make a batch and now have it on hand to use whenever I like. Thank you!!!
You are so welcome, Joy!
I agree with the other person who said this is the BEST chicken seasoning recipe ever! I also used it on grilled asparagus and it was absolutely delicious! You can use this on grilled vegetables and you won’t go wrong.
Thanks so much, Anny! My kids are obsessed with it too, and I always have a big jar of it in my house!
I recently got a few cans of canned chicken from the food pantry and wanted to make something new. My goodness, I never realized how flavorful chicken can be until I had this recipe. Absolutely delicious folks, I had to hold myself back from another serving because it was so good. Thank you for making my cheap meals taste better than what I could get from a restaurant!!!
Aww, thanks Nick! The seasoning is a keeper for sure!
Used last night on boneless/skinless thighs. Baked in the oven with slices sweet onions and bacon strips underneath the chicken pieces.
That sounds like a delicious and filling dinner!
This is the best seasoning for chicken that I've ever tasted! Not only do I like it but so does my family! This is a huge hit at my house, thank you!
Thank you for the lovely feedback, Tia!
this recipe does not tell how to cook chicken such as temperature or how long
It's a chicken seasoning recipe, not a chicken recipe. You can use the search bar to search for several chicken recipes on my site.