This Chicken Seasoning makes absolutely the BEST, most flavorful roasted or rotisserie chicken! It truly is a great rub.
The best part is that this chicken seasoning is easy to make and you probably already have all the ingredients right in your pantry, or easily found in the grocery store!
It is one of our favorite recipes, and one of the most requested of all my seasoning mix recipes, or seasoning blends.

One of my favorite childhood memories is coming home on Sunday after church to the smell of a roasted chicken in the oven.
It filled the whole house and made me anticipate that mouthwatering, juicy, savory roasted chicken with its delicious seasoning offering that savory flavor.
Often, my Mother or Grandmother would roast a whole chicken, and cover it with a homemade dry rub, when we had extended family coming over, which made it more meaningful because I loved to see everyone.
This Sunday rotisserie chicken was the only thing that everyone agreed on. Then, of course, I always looked forward to the leftover chicken during the week.
Table of Contents
- What Gives Roasted Chicken (or Rotisserie Chicken) Its Flavor?
- Why Make Chicken Seasoning Instead of Buying Store-Bought?
- Which Spices Are Included in the Chicken Seasoning?
- How Much of Each Spice Do I Use?
- How Do I Make This Chicken Seasoning?
- How Much Does This Chicken Seasoning Make?
- How Much of The Chicken Seasoning Do I Use for 1 Roast Chicken?
- Can I Substitute Some of the Spices?
- In Which Chicken Recipes Can I Use This Chicken Seasoning?
- Can I Use This Chicken Seasoning In Dishes Other Than Chicken?
- How Do I Store This Chicken Seasoning?
- How Long Can I Store This Chicken Seasoning?
- What Other Seasoning Mixes Can I make?
- Recipe
- Reviews
What Gives Roasted Chicken (or Rotisserie Chicken) Its Flavor?
- Slowly Roasting the chicken in the oven. Cooking it more slowly brings out the flavor.
- That awesome Homemade Chicken Seasoning! For this blog post, I’m going to focus on the Chicken Seasoning. It provides a savory combination of flavors that compliment the chicken perfectly.
Why Make Chicken Seasoning Instead of Buying Store-Bought?
- Less Expensive. Usually, a store-bought package gives you enough seasoning mix for one use. Then you have to buy more. However, with this homemade version, you are using spices you likely already have on the shelf and you can make enough for many servings.
- No Artificial Preservatives. Have you ever tried reading the ingredient list of some of the packaged seasoning mixes? It sounds like something from a chemistry class. My family and I don’t need all the artificial ingredients.
- No added sugar. It is incredible how much sugar companies sneak into foods, including store-bought seasoning packets. Why? It is not needed in this Chicken seasoning mix.
- Fits into healthy diets. Paleo, Gluten-Free, Whole30, you name it. Since you know what is in the seasoning mix, you don’t have to worry about added sugars, excess salt, or artificial preservatives.
- Customize it to your taste. Wow, I love my chef at home (me.) Everything tastes just the way I like it! Want more garlic flavor or less thyme? That is no problem because you control the amounts of the ingredients to customize the seasoning to the way you like it.

Which Spices Are Included in the Chicken Seasoning?
You probably have all the spices you need to make this Chicken Seasoning in your pantry.
- Paprika – Whether you use Smoked, Sweet, Hungarian, or Spanish Paprika, it will work.
- Garlic Powder – I recommend using the garlic powder instead of garlic salt. That way you can better control the amount of salt used in the recipe.
- Onion Powder – You have to add that awesome onion flavor to the spice.
- Thyme – Often used in Italian dishes, this dried herb adds a special flair to the mix.
- Black Pepper – I like to use freshly cracked black pepper, especially for roasted chicken
- Salt – Whether it is regular Morton salt or Himalayan Sea Salt, this will balance out the flavor. In the recipe below, I start out with a 1/2 teaspoon of salt. This is on the low side. You may want to add the salt to taste. I recommend adding the salt in 1/2 teaspoon increments until you get it to your taste preferences. I don’t want to add too much salt right away because you can always add more salt but you can never take it away.
- Cayenne – (Optional) – This cayenne pepper adds a little spicy heat, if desired.

How Much of Each Spice Do I Use?
See the printable recipe at the bottom of this blog post for the specific amounts of each ingredient.
How Do I Make This Chicken Seasoning?
Ha Ha! I am almost embarrassed to say how to make it because it could not get much easier. Just add all the ingredients in a small bowl and stir. That’s it!

How Much Does This Chicken Seasoning Make?
The default recipe below makes enough seasoning mix to cook 1 roasted chicken. To more of the seasoning mix, change the servings to make below and then it will calculate the amount of each ingredient you need.
How Much of The Chicken Seasoning Do I Use for 1 Roast Chicken?
About 2 tablespoons for 1 medium-sized roasted chicken.
Can I Substitute Some of the Spices?
You can substitute the garlic salt for garlic powder, but then would need to reduce the amount of salt to compensate for the salt in the garlic salt.
If you don’t like thyme, you could use dried oregano or rosemary instead.
It would be difficult to substitute the paprika and still get the same flavor. You may substitute different types of paprika, but I recommend not trying to use another ingredient other than paprika because that would significantly change the flavor of the seasoning.

In Which Chicken Recipes Can I Use This Chicken Seasoning?
I use it on almost every chicken dish, whether it’s a whole chicken (I like to use a 2 lb chicken, chicken pieces, or only chicken breasts or chicken thighs.
In many cases, all you do is rub a chicken with olive oil and sprinkle the seasoning all over. How easy is that? Heck, I even like to sprinkle it on french fries.
I use it on almost every chicken dish. However, here are some of my favorite chicken recipes on which you could use this Chicken Seasoning.
- Roasted Chicken
- Oven Baked Chicken Breast
- Rotisserie Chicken Tenders
- Hasselback Chicken Stuffed with Bacon and Cheddar
- Honey Balsamic Sheet Pan Chicken
- Easy Skillet Chicken Breast Weeknight Dinner
Can I Use This Chicken Seasoning In Dishes Other Than Chicken?
Absolutely! Try this chicken seasoning on these pork and side dishes! It is a fantastic rub that adds wonderful flavor.
- Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches
- Smothered Pork Chops
- Breakfast Potatoes
- Oven Roasted Garlic Herb Potatoes
How Do I Store This Chicken Seasoning?
Store in airtight containers, such as these.
How Long Can I Store This Chicken Seasoning?
When stored in airtight containers, it can last indefinitely or until you use up the seasoning mix.
What Other Seasoning Mixes Can I make?
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Recipe
Chicken Seasoning Recipe (For Roasted or Rotisserie Chicken)
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 teaspoons paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne (Optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt Adjust to taste. This is on the low side.
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.
Store excess in an airtight container.
Michelle from Maryland says
I got kudos on this from my husband. He loved the rotisserie chicken! Thank you so much!!!
Michele says
That’s awesome! I’m so glad he liked it! Be sure to check out our other chicken recipes for more ideas!
Ms. Linda says
My family loved this! I made only a half chicken to see if they could tell the difference from store bought. They said it was the best. Thank you!
Michele says
I’m so happy to hear that. Thank you for sharing that with me. That’s awesome. Have a Happy New Year!
laurel kassay says
It’s delicious my husband and I enjoyed it. December 9, 2020
Tracy says
Hi could I make a paste from onions to add to this if I don’t have onion powder? Also I am going to add to butter to spread on the seasoning (do you think this would enhance it? )
Brenda Jackson says
I too would like to baste my chicken with Butter and mix the ingredients in it. I will cooking mine in a rotisserie ..
Vicky says
This is amazing. I have used it again and again and it is my go-to for roasting chicken now. I add some celery salt to mine too. It’s so tasty.
Lauren Lopez says
I’ve been using this seasoning recipe now for the past two years and it’s by far the best rotisserie seasoning! Family loves it and roast chicken is no longer boring!!
Michele says
Hi Lauren,
Thanks for the nice comment. I’m so glad you like the seasoning.
Michele