What Is Poultry seasoning and How Can I Use It?
Here's everything worth knowing about poultry seasoning and how to pick it, what it is, how to store it, and what to use instead, plus 137 recipes to cook tonight.
Key Points
- Dried herb blend built on sage, with thyme and marjoram, often rosemary, pepper, and nutmeg.
- The classic flavor of stuffing and dressing; also rubs, gravies, and ground-meat dishes.
- Go light, about a quarter to half a teaspoon per pound, since sage turns bitter fast.
- Make your own from 2 teaspoons sage to 1 teaspoon thyme plus a pinch of others.
- Store in a tightly closed jar away from heat; use a ground blend within a year.
What is poultry seasoning?
Poultry seasoning is a dried herb blend built around sage, with thyme and marjoram filling it out. Many mixes add rosemary plus a little black pepper, and some fold in a pinch of nutmeg for warmth.
Despite the name, there is no poultry in it. It is simply the seasoning that classically goes with chicken and turkey.
Sage carries the blend, which is why poultry seasoning tastes like Thanksgiving stuffing in a jar. It is the herb base behind roast birds and bread dressings, and it saves you from measuring five separate herbs every time.
Cooking With Poultry Seasoning
The blend's home turf is stuffing and dressing, where it flavors the bread and the broth at once. Crockpot Stuffing with Apples & Cranberries leans on it for that familiar holiday backbone.
Rub it into chicken or turkey before roasting, or whisk a teaspoon into the flour for a pan gravy so the herb flavor cooks into the sauce. Best Sausage Gravy uses it the same way.
It also seasons ground-meat dishes well, turning up in Sage Breakfast Sausage, Scottish Eggs, and meatloaf, where the herbs cut through the richness.
Beyond birds, a small pinch lifts a chicken soup or a savory grain. Add it early in long-cooked dishes so the dried herbs have time to soften and bloom.
Go light, around a quarter to half a teaspoon per pound of meat, since sage turns bitter and dusty if you overdo it.
What It Pairs With
It belongs with the usual roast-dinner crowd: onion, celery, garlic, butter, and bread. Apples and cranberries in a stuffing play off its herbal, slightly piney edge. It also works in chicken and rice bakes and shows up in dishes as varied as Wild Rice & Artichoke Salad.
The mistake people make is treating it like an all-purpose seasoning and dumping it in. Sage dominates fast.
Used heavily it can make a dish taste medicinal, so start small and taste before adding more. Old jars are another trap, since the volatile oils fade and you end up adding more of a blend that has lost its punch.
Substitutes
The easiest fix is to mix your own. For about one tablespoon, combine 2 teaspoons dried sage with 1 teaspoon dried thyme, then add a pinch each of marjoram, rosemary, black pepper, and nutmeg. Crush everything between your fingers to wake it up.
No sage on hand? Use dried thyme plus a little marjoram, or a general Italian herb blend. You lose the signature sage note but keep the savory herb base. In a pinch, ground sage alone covers most of what poultry seasoning does in stuffing or gravy.
Buying and Storing It
It comes ground or rubbed (loosely crumbled), and either works. Rubbed has a slightly fluffier, fresher feel. Buy the smallest jar you will realistically use, because like all dried herbs it fades over time.
Store it in a tightly closed jar, away from heat and out of the steam of the stove. Whole-leaf dried herbs hold flavor longest, but a ground blend like this is best within about a year.
Test an old jar by rubbing a pinch and smelling it. If the sage aroma is faint, it will do little for your food and is worth replacing.
Quick facts
Where to find poultry seasoning: Poultry seasoning is usually found in the spices section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.
- In Chinese
- 家禽调味
- British (UK) term
- Poultry seasoning
- en français
- assaisonnement de poulet
- en español
- condimento de pollo
Recipes using poultry seasoning
There are 137 recipes that contain this ingredient.
Sweet Justice Kung Pao Chicken
Traditional Chinese Recipe. You can cook this kung pao chicken in many ways, it depends on your own flavour, this sweet juistice should be loved by kids and women!
Turkey Cocktail Meatballs
Lean ground turkey cocktail meatballs baked on a broiler pan with a sweet-tangy chili sauce dip. Lower-fat party appetizer, makes about 50 bite-sized balls.
Crockpot Stuffing with Apples & Cranberries
Free up oven space with this hands-off slow cooker stuffing loaded with buttery herb bread cubes, sweet apple chunks, and tart cranberries for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.
Tofu Pot Pie
A delicious and tasty pot pie is made with lots of vegetables and tofu that are simmered in the broth. The cracker-like crust adds some great texture and extra deliciousness.
Wild Rice & Artichoke Salad
Love this salad. We jut had some leftover wild rice, and we didn't have sweet bell pepper, so used the picked hot cherry pepper instead, also added some sliced celery and smoked tofu. It came out delicious. A very good side dish or can be a wholesome and tasty main dish as well.
Barley-Shiitake Mushroom Soup
Barley and Mushroom soup makes you feel filling, provides you with lot of goodness, and it also tastes delicious.
Favorite Chicken Noodle Soup
Nothing is like a bowl of warm and delicious chicken noodle soup on a cold winter day.
Crispy Chicken Tenders
Crispy chicken strips made with chicken tenders. Kids love them and perfect when combined with a variety of dipping sauces.
Sage Breakfast Sausage
Homemade breakfast sausage recipe. It's straightforward and easy to make your own. You're in control so you can jazz up the spices and even make low-fat or low-sodium breakfast sausage.
Scottish Eggs
Have some Scotch Eggs for dinner the old Scottish way with this savory recipe that will find its place in your cookbook.
Phyllo Chicken Pot Pie
An excellent way to use up leftover chicken or turkey meat. The recipe uses phyllo instead of a carb-dense and high-fat pie crust, which significantly reduces the amount of calories.
Yummy Tuna Mounds With Curry Mushroom Sauce
Yummy tuna mounds with curry mushroom sauce shapes tuna into breadcrumb-bound baked patties surrounded by a curried cream-of-mushroom gravy. Mid-century pantry comfort with a warm spice lift.
Microwave Chicken & Potato Casserole with Swiss Cheese
Layers of tender chicken, sliced red potatoes, carrots, and sweet peas blanketed in creamy Swiss cheese sauce. Made entirely in the microwave for a fast weeknight dinner.
Microwave Chicken & Potato Casserole with Swiss Cheese
Layers of tender chicken, sliced red potatoes, carrots, and sweet peas blanketed in creamy Swiss cheese sauce. Made entirely in the microwave for a fast weeknight dinner.
Turkey Stuffing Bread
A bread machine cornmeal loaf seasoned with sage, celery seed, and poultry seasoning, then cubed and turned into a savory turkey stuffing with walnuts. Bake the bread, make the stuffing, stuff your bird.
Turkey Stuffing Bread
A bread machine cornmeal loaf seasoned with sage, celery seed, and poultry seasoning, then cubed and turned into a savory turkey stuffing with walnuts. Bake the bread, make the stuffing, stuff your bird.
Turkey Stuffing Bread
A bread machine cornmeal loaf seasoned with sage, celery seed, and poultry seasoning, then cubed and turned into a savory turkey stuffing with walnuts. Bake the bread, make the stuffing, stuff your bird.
Lite Apricot Stuffing
An apricot stuff for roasting whole chicken or turkey, perfect for the holidays. From a church LIFE cookbook. Bake outside the bird for a low fat alternative.
Peachy Pork Chops
Peachy pork chops stuffed with a sage and peach bread dressing, then baked over more stuffing with a peach preserve glaze. Sunday dinner with sweet-savory Southern charm.
Curried Chicken Rolls
Flattened chicken breasts stuffed with curried rice, sweet raisins, and herbs, then pan-browned and simmered in white wine. An elegant weeknight main that looks fancy but comes together in about an hour.
Turkeyburgers Parmigiana
Breadcrumb-coated ground turkey patties baked with a bubbling oregano tomato sauce and melted mozzarella on top. All the flavor of chicken Parm in burger form, and on the table in 40 minutes.
Tomato, Onion, & Orzo Frittata
This light dinner is full of vegetables and pairs well with a simple salad in summer or a warm bowl of soup in winter. Can be made gluten-free!
Garlic & Sage Tangy Grilled Chicken
Garlic and sage grilled chicken with a tangy cider vinegar marinade thickened by an emulsified egg-and-oil base. Smoky from indirect charcoal heat, juicy and herby in every bite.
Southern Dixie Veal, Ham & Cheese Rolls
Southern-style veal rolls stuffed with ham and cheese, breaded with a horseradish egg wash, and baked in a mushroom soup and white wine sauce until golden.
Fish & Stoffle
Cod fillets baked over a savory bread stuffing seasoned with mustard, poultry seasoning, and onion. Topped with bacon for a one-pan New England fish and stuffing supper.
Turkey with Sage & Rosemary
Roasted turkey with fresh sage leaves tucked under the skin and rosemary, stuffed with aromatic vegetables. A low-fat, herb-forward holiday bird with minimal seasoning and maximum flavor.
Lemon Grilled Chicken
Lemon grilled chicken with a warm bay-and-basil marinade. Bone-in quarters basted with citrus and poultry seasoning, charred over coals for juicy, herb-bright BBQ.
Holiday Highland Dressing
Holiday Highland dressing made with rolled oats and bread cubes, seasoned with sage, onion, and butter. A Scottish-inspired turkey stuffing with hearty oat texture for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Seasoned Turkey Patties
Seasoned turkey patties with Worcestershire sauce, poultry seasoning, and breadcrumbs for a juicy, well-spiced burger. Grill, pan-fry, or bake in under 10 minutes for a quick lean protein dinner.
Basic Vegetarian Broth
Vegetarian broth that mimics chicken stock using nutritional yeast, mushrooms, onions, and poultry seasoning. The 5-minute meatless replacement for chicken stock in any recipe.
Cornish Hens (Gallina De Cornuallo Al Ajillo)
Spanish-style butterflied Cornish hens rubbed with crushed coriander and garlic, roasted crisp, then topped with sauteed almonds and julienned bell peppers. Gallina de Cornuallo al Ajillo for a crowd.
Creamy Turkey or Chicken & Broccoli Casserole
Creamy Turkey or Chicken and Broccoli Casserole recipe
Sopa De Pasta (Mexican)
Classic Mexican sopa de pasta: noodles toasted golden in oil, then simmered in a savory tomato and chicken broth. Everyday comfort food ready in 30 minutes.
Herbed Cauliflower
Baked herbed cauliflower with poultry seasoning, sage, mushrooms, and sauteed onion-celery base. A savory stuffing-flavored vegetable side dish that pairs with roast chicken or turkey.
Pheasant with Wild Rice Stuffing
A simple and delicious dish that is perfect to make when your family's tired of the same old dry turkey.
Chicken-Style Noodle Soup
A plant-based twist on classic chicken noodle soup. Blended chickpeas create a creamy, protein-rich broth with noodles, potatoes, and poultry seasoning. Add scrambled tofu for extra heartiness.
Aunt Bunny's Stuffing
Aunt Bunny's Stuffing combines apple, orange, pineapple, water chestnuts, and preserved ginger with raw sausage and 13 herbs and spices for a holiday turkey stuffing that's genuinely unlike any other.
Cozy Chicken Barley Soup
Homemade chicken barley soup with pearl barley, carrots, celery, onion, and sage. Made from scratch with a whole chicken simmered into the broth for deep homestyle flavor.
Family's Favourite Chestnut Stuffing for Poultry
Family's Favourite Chestnut Stuffing for Poultry recipe
Bit-O-Barley Stuffing
Barley and wheat germ stuffing with cashews, sage, poultry seasoning, cream of mushroom soup, and tomato puree. A hearty, nutty alternative to bread stuffing.
New Orleans Red Beans & Rice
New Orleans red beans and rice cooked low and slow in a crockpot with smoked turkey legs, onion, celery, bay leaves, and hot sauce. Makes enough to freeze multiple family meals.
Low-Fat Chicken Meatloaf
Healthy chicken meatloaf with oats and applesauce instead of heavy binders. Lean ground chicken stays moist while poultry seasoning adds savory depth in just 1 hour.
Savory Turkey Loaf
Savory turkey meatloaf with horseradish, dry mustard, poultry seasoning, and green bell pepper. A leaner take on classic meatloaf with a peppery kick.
Chicken & Rice Dinner
Golden-brown chicken pieces nestle into creamy rice cooked in milk for this foolproof one-pan dinner. Just brown, layer, and bake. Tender meat, fluffy rice, zero fuss.
Lemon-Garlic Chicken
Crockpot lemon-garlic chicken braised all day in white wine with half a cup of crushed garlic and lemon juice. A dump-and-go slow cooker recipe served over rice.
Rabbit Pie
Old-fashioned rabbit pie with slow-stewed meat topped with buttermilk biscuits and served with homemade gravy. A hearty country supper for a crowd.
Braised Turkey Drumsticks
Budget-friendly turkey drumsticks browned and braised low and slow with poultry seasoning until fork-tender. Just 5 ingredients and a couple hours of hands-off cooking for juicy, fall-apart meat.
Turkey - Vegetable Soup
Leftover turkey simmered with egg noodles, mixed vegetables, garlic, and poultry seasoning in a rich broth. A warming 45-minute soup that turns Thanksgiving leftovers into the best meal of the weekend.
More poultry seasoning recipes
- Cheddar Chicken Pot Pie
- chicken balls
- Chicken Pie I
- Chicken with Pomegranates & Walnuts
- Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Cream
- Chicken, Corn & Tomato Chowder
- Chicken-Style Noodle Soup
- Crockpot Stuffing with Mushroom Soup
- Herb Stuffing
- Herbed Cauliflower
- Holiday Roast Turkey With Old-Fashioned Corn Bread Stuffing
- Impossible Turkey & Stuffing Pie
- Lemon Grilled Chicken
- Low-Fat Chicken Meatloaf
- New Orleans Red Beans & Rice
- Nova Scotia Dressing
- Old Fashioned Dressing
- Pan-Fried Lemon Sesame Chicken Breasts
- Pork Chops & Stuffing
- Pork Chops with Stuffing
- Sage Sausage Holiday Dressing
- Savory Turkey Loaf
- Seasoned Turkey Patties
- Sesame Chicken with Broccoli
- Sopa De Pasta (Mexican)
- Steak Roll-Ups
- Turkey - Vegetable Soup
- Turkey Wings & Gravy
