Best Poultry Seasoning for Any Kind of Poultry

You could sort through all of your herbs and spices and find just the right blend to make finger-lickin-good chicken. Or you could just buy the best poultry seasoning. I don’t know about you, but I’m rarely in the mood to brave my seasoning cabinet, where I swear the nutmeg and cardamom hide until I completely give up, only to reappear days later when I no longer need them. So, I’m happy to have the knowledge I do now, after tasting nine poultry seasoning brands. I know the best poultry seasoning to buy and soon you will too. 

What is poultry seasoning?

We have a whole article explaining everything that goes into poultry seasoning, but the short answer is poultry seasoning is typically a blend of sage, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, nutmeg, and onion powder, along with occasional other herbs like oregano and parsley, and seasonings like garlic powder, chili powder, and black pepper. 

What is the difference between poultry seasoning and chicken seasoning?

It’s hard to say, really. Some people say that chicken seasoning is a specific type of poultry seasoning, only meant for chicken. Others say that poultry seasoning is more herb forward than chicken seasoning. For our purposes, we only tested seasonings that were specifically labeled as “poultry seasoning.” If you’re interested in the best chicken seasoning, we tasted and ranked some of those as well. 

How we taste tested poultry seasoning

In order to find out how each poultry seasoning brand complemented the flavor of poultry, I fully coated raw chicken tenders in each type of poultry seasoning, then baked them in our counter top oven. 

What we looked for in the best poultry seasoning

• Works well with poultry flavors. Obviously the number one thing we quality we looked for in the best poultry seasoning is compatibility with poultry. We wanted poultry seasoning that didn’t clash with the natural flavors of chicken or turkey. 
• Utility. Can it be used on roast turkey? In breading for fried chicken? As a flavor enhancer for popcorn chicken? If you’re investing in poultry seasoning, you want to get as much use out of it as possible. 
• Balanced flavor. Many of the poultry seasonings we tasted went heavy on one particular flavor rather than tasting like a harmonious blend of flavors. No thanks!

Here’s the best poultry seasoning brands we found, ranked. 

Best Poultry Seasoning, Ranked

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Best Herby

Gourmet Garden Poultry Herb Seasoning

Walmart

If you want a classic poultry seasoning filled with herbs, this is the best poultry seasoning to buy. It’s like the best version of something you might make at home. The herbs are “lightly dried,” per the brand, which means they taste much fresher than seasoning made with completely dried herbs. It’s a simple mix of parsley, oregano, sage, thyme, and rosemary. And you really can taste each individual herb. The flavor comes in waves of rosemary, thyme, etc. For my money, this is the best poultry seasoning to use on roast turkey or roast chicken. You do have to keep it in the fridge, though. But it won’t take up much space, I promise.

Credit: Merc / Walmart

Rating:

8.5/10

Sporks

Best Smoky

Morton & Bassett Poultry Seasoning

Walmart

This finely powdered poultry seasoning is on the complete other end of the spectrum from Gourmet Garden. Instead of leaning into the herbs, it’s smoky, thanks to a blend of cumin, ginger, onion, parsley, white pepper, and sage. It’s subtle, but it really amplifies the natural flavor of chicken. The brand also recommends using this poultry seasoning in stuffing or on potatoes, and I say hell yeah to that. Heck, I’m putting this stuff on popcorn. This is some of the most versatile poultry seasoning—but you do have to like cumin.

Credit: Merc / Walmart

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Best of the Best

Chef Paul Prudhomme Magic Seasoning Blends Poultry Magic

Walmart

Even though he’s no longer with us (RIP), Chef Paul Prudhomme (who is not Dom Deluise) keeps on giving. This poultry seasoning is so damn good. It’s savory and a little spicy—but surprisingly restrained. It really amps up poultry flavor. Even my boring white meat chicken tenders were good with a coating of this seasoning. Don’t worry, it’s not a Cajun seasoning bomb. (If you want the best Cajun seasoning, consult that ranking.) It would be just as good on chicken wings as it would on smoked turkey or even duck. This really is a magic seasoning.

Credit: Merc

Rating:

10/10

Sporks

Other poultry seasonings we tried: 

Great Value Poultry Seasoning, Kroger Poultry Seasoning, Private Selection Poultry Seasoning Rub, Spice Hunter Poultry Seasoning, Spice Island Poultry Seasoning, Great Value Organic Poultry Seasoning