Instructions
What is Poultry Seasoning?
McCormick Poultry Seasoning is a classic blended herb and spice mix created to deliver a deep, savory, and aromatic warmth to poultry dishes like chicken and turkey, as well as traditional holiday meals. Poultry Seasoning has a foundation of garden herbs like sage and thyme and brings a woodsy flavor to every meal it is added to.
While the name highlights how well it is paired with for poultry dishes, this versatile blend is a shortcut to long-simmered herbal flavor across a wide variety of meats, gravies, and plant-based dishes.
What is in Poultry Seasoning?
Poultry Seasoning is a blend of ground, aromatic herbs combined with warm spices. The core ingredients that give McCormick Poultry Seasoning its beloved flavor include:
- Sage: The earthy herb that provides the classic holiday aroma.
- Thyme: Delivers a piney, floral, and herby undertone.
- Marjoram & Rosemary: Add sweet, woodsy and minty notes for complexity.
- Black Pepper & Nutmeg: Provides a touch of sharp heat and cozy background spice to round out the herbs.
Together these ingredients create a balanced mix that is savory, sweet, piney, and comforting.
How to Make Homemade Poultry Seasoning
If you ever run out while prepping a big meal or just want to know how to make poultry seasoning in a pinch, you can whip up a quick DIY poultry seasoning using pantry staples from your McCormick spice rack.
Quick DIY Poultry Seasoning Recipe:
- 2 teaspoons McCormick® Ground Sage
- 1 1/2 teaspoons McCormick® Dried Thyme Leaves
- 1 teaspoon McCormick® Dried Marjoram Leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Rosemary Leaves (crushed)
- 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Ground Black Pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Ground Nutmeg
Just combine the above ingredients into a small bowl and use them immediately in a 1:1 ratio as a substitute for your McCormick Poultry Seasoning.
Poultry Seasoning Substitutes
When you need a quick alternative for McCormick Poultry Seasoning in a recipe, and don’t have the ingredients to make DIY poultry seasoning, there are other spices you can use as a substitute to get similar flavors:
- Italian Seasoning: Italian seasoning shares a similar herb foundation, so is a good 1:1 substitute. Adding even a pinch of ground sage can help you get even closer to traditional poultry seasoning!
- Ground Sage & Dried Thyme: Combining an equal amount of ground sage and dried thyme creates a substitute that is warm, savory, and perfect for gravies and turkey. Just use 1:1 ratio of the blend when cooking.
- Herbs de Provence: This spice provides a French-style herbal twist with thyme, savory, and rosemary that works beautifully on roasted chicken and pork in a 1:1 ratio.
How to Use Poultry Seasoning in Cooking
Because McCormick Poultry Seasoning contains ground herbs, it blends effortlessly into dry rubs and wet cooking liquids without leaving behind any tough stems.
For roasted meats, combine poultry seasoning with fat like olive oil or butter, salt, and garlic powder. Rub it generously over the skin or the skinless meat before roasting. In simmered dishes (like chicken noodle soup, pot pies, or pan gravies) whisk the seasoning directly into the warm stock during the early stages of cooking so the herbs can rehydrate and infuse the entire dish.
Poultry seasoning also works as a great seasoning for ground meat mixtures. Knead a spoon of poultry seasoning into burger patties, meatloaf, or vegetarian grain burgers before cooking for an instant boost in flavor.
Best Meals to Make with Poultry Seasoning
While poultry seasoning shines in chicken and other poultry dishes, its herbal depth makes it a great choice for a variety of savory comfort foods.
- Thanksgiving and Holiday Classics: It wouldn’t be a traditional Thanksgiving without a roast turkey, bread stuffing, or pan gravy! It is the defining flavor in classic sage-and-onion bread stuffings, turkey marinades, and leftover turkey pot pies.
- Chicken Dishes: As the name implies, poultry seasoning is great for chicken dishes! It adds nuanced depth to roast chicken, pan-friend chicken, chicken soup, slow cooker stew, and cold chicken salad for sandwiches.
- Other Meats & Vegetables: Poultry seasoning is great on non-poultry too! Add it to spice rubs and marinades for beef, pork tenderloin, veal and lamb. It also brings savory warmth to roasted root vegetables, winter squash, and hearty casseroles.
How to Store Poultry Seasoning
Store your bottle of McCormick® Poultry Seasoning in a cool, dry pantry away from direct heat, sunlight, and moisture. Our SnapTight™ bottles seal tight to lock in aroma and flavor, keeping your herbs tasting fresh season after season. Learn more about proper spice storage here!
Flavors That Go with Poultry Seasoning:
Looking to explore while cooking? Look no further than the McCormick spices in your pantry! Some of the favorites we recommend include:
- Garlic Powder & Onion Powder: These two spices create the ultimate savory seasoning base for roast meats, gravies, and marinades.
- Paprika: Adds a warm and sweet pepper note as well as a golden-brown color to roasted chicken skin and fried chicken batter.
- Butter & Olive Oil: These fats help distribute the ground herbs evenly over proteins and vegetables while keeping moisture in place.
- Lemon Zest: The bright notes of citrus cut through the woodsy herbs in poultry seasoning for a fresh finish.
Grab Your Poultry Seasoning Products Today!
- McCormick® Poultry Seasoning, 0.65 oz
- McCormick Culinary Poultry Seasoning, 12.0 oz
- McCormick Gourmet™ Organic Poultry Seasoning, 0.87 oz
- Gourmet Garden™ Limited Edition Poultry Seasoning, 0.42 oz
