All-Purpose Chicken Seasoning
9/6/2025
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This is my 5-star chicken seasoning — it’s a combination of sweet, savory, and smoky all made from pantry staples.
Perfect for any cut of chicken and cooking method, this chicken rub is designed to be generously applied and left to sit for 15 minutes, ensuring a flavor-packed chicken every time.
Lots of you have made my famous chicken seasoning and rated it 5 stars because it’s truly the best. It’s sweet from brown sugar, savory from garlic powder, chili powder, and cumin, and smoky from the paprika. You can season any cut of meat with it and make a big batch to store in the cabinet for later. Heck, I’ve even used it to season veggies and other types of meat 🙈
I truly believe this is the most delicious seasoning for chicken as we’ve featured it in so many of our chicken recipes on Fit Foodie Finds — baked chicken legs, spatchcock chicken, and stuffed chicken breast. And, I think it rivals Montreal Chicken Seasoning for the best on the internet 😎
Featured Comment
“This is our go-to chicken seasoning! It’s so easy and yummy.” – Michelle
What spices are in this chicken seasoning?
Instead of buy a pre-made chicken seasoning at the store, dig into your pantry for these spices:
- Garlic powder
- Chili powder
- Cumin
- Dried thyme
- Ground mustard
- Dried basil
- Ground pepper
- Red pepper flakes
- Sea salt
- Paprika
- Brown sugar
How much seasoning per lb. of chicken?
A good rule of thumb is 1 tablespoon of seasoning per 1 lb. of chicken. Typically 1 lb. of chicken breast yields around 3 chicken breasts, so you can use 1 teaspoon per breast.
Variations
Add some heat: feel free to up the paprika or add in a little ground chili peppers for extra heat.
Swap the sweetener: you can swap (or omit) the brown sugar with coconut sugar of maple sugar.
Now it’s time to season your chicken!
Wondering how to season chicken? It’s so easy. My #1 tip is to make sure not to under-season your chicken. Nothing is worse than flavorless chicken. Plus, this seasoning isn’t overly salty, so you really can’t over-season.
- Pat your chicken dry with a paper towel.
- Then, sprinkle seasoning on all sides of your chicken and lightly rub it into the meat.
- Let sit for around 15 minutes for optimal flavor.
How long does homemade chicken seasoning last?
This homemade chicken seasoning will last around 12 months if stored in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. That’s if you don’t use it up first!
Glass
Spice Jars
Organize your homemade spices with this empty glass spice jar set!
How to Store Homemade Chicken Seasoning
Store this seasoning in an airtight container such as a jar for up to 12 months in a cool, dark place.
All-Purpose Chicken Seasoning
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
Instructions
- Place all ingredients for the chicken seasoning into a large glass container or Mason jar.
- Then, stir the spices together to create your rub.
- Seal jar and store in a dry, cool place.
- To season chicken: use around 1 tablespoon of seasoning per 1 lb. of chicken. Pat your chicken dry and then sprinkle the seasoning on top of the chicken. Lightly rub the seasonings into the chicken. Let sit for 15 minutes and then cook using your favorite method.
Tips & Notes
- This recipe yields 5 teaspoons (a little more than 1.5 tablespoons) of seasoning. Feel free to double or triple this for leftovers!
- Per 1 lb. of chicken, use 1 tablespoon of chicken seasoning.
- Feel free to double or triple this recipe to make extra seasoning.
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This is my favorite seasoning. I never cook my chicken without it.
Aw, we’re blushing!
This is a new dish that I have never eaten before.
easy and yummy
Excellent seasoning! I find it very similar to the one used for the preparation of “pollo a la brasa”, a kind of baked chicken very traditional in Peruvian cuisine. So good!
This was delicious! Will be my go-to from now on!
Making this for my people for Christmas! So good!
This is our go-to chicken seasoning! It’s so easy and yummy.
Will try this