I don’t always have time (or the ingredients) for a marinade. I call this the Best Chicken Seasoning Blend because it is a perfect balance of spices that make most proteins like chicken flavorful enough to be served on its own, but versatile enough to be made into tons of recipes throughout the week. While this is also great on steak, shrimp, and vegetables, my favorite way to use this is on chicken.
I like this because I can control the seasoning ratio including the salt. Some spice blends are great (I love Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute) but I wanted to make a good "all purpose" seasoning blend so I can bulk prep chicken for meal prep. I wanted something simple and tasty, but not something too specifically seasoned where it tasted like I was eating the same thing every single day.
Must have pantry seasonings
There is a good chance you have all (or most) of these seasonings on hand. I wanted to make this recipe easy and accessible to anyone who may not have time, money, or access to ingredients some recipes will call for when they claim they make the best chicken. While chicken needs some love to make it tasty, it doesn't need to be that complicated.
While I am fortunate to have a pretty well stocked pantry, this seasoning blend is the building blocks of most of my recipes and the spices I always recommend to beginner cooks. For a versatile but minimal pantry, I recommend: garlic powder, onion powder, KOSHER salt, black pepper, dried parsley, smoked paprika, and extra virgin olive oil. Now, there are plenty of other spices I love, but for simplicity's sake let's start there.
How to cook chicken breast
Seasoning is half the battle. Chicken breast can easily be dry, especially if you are worried about food poisoning. If you are looking for a comprehensive guide to cook chicken breast that is tasty, juicy, and fully cooked, check out my guide here.
The Best Chicken Seasoning Blend
This easy pantry seasoning blend is a perfect balance of spices that make most proteins like chicken flavorful enough to be served on its own, but versatile enough to be made into tons of recipes throughout the week. This is also great on steak, shrimp, and vegetables!
Ingredients
- 2-3 lb. chicken (or another protein or vegetables)
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp dried parsley
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- ⅛ tsp smoked paprika
- ⅛ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.
- Add your protein to the bowl.
- Let your protein marinate for at least 15 minutes, covered, before grilling or cooking.
Notes
Because this spice blend does not have acidity, you can marinate this for a full 24 hours but 15 minutes is totally fine.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Amount Per Serving: Calories: 6Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 70mgCarbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g
Meal Prep Chicken Recipes
This chicken is perfect for meal prep. You know those recipe lists out there that call for a rotisserie chicken? This is perfect for those too. This is a truly versatile and easy chicken recipe. On my blog, you can find a bunch of recipes that call for cooked chicken, but here are some of my favorites:
