Our homemade turkey rub seasoning recipe combines simple pantry seasonings to create a flavorful spice rub perfect for pairing with any poultry recipe! Use it to season a holiday turkey or a weekday chicken dinner.
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Spice Rub for Turkey
For our Thanksgiving dinner this year, we decided we would make all of our dishes in the air fryer, from air fried whole chicken in place of a traditional Thanksgiving turkey, to mashed potatoes, green beans, acorn squash, and dressing.
During our extensive recipe testing, we developed this dry rub for roasted turkey, and it is fantastic. It blends savory spices perfect for the holiday season, and will fill your home with the warmth and aroma of Thanksgiving. But, the flavors are universal enough to enjoy year-round with your favorite chicken recipes!
Our turkey rub seasoning blend is very tasty. We love it with roasting turkey, chicken, and our cornish hen. It even tastes great on pork! Give it a try for the holiday season, or keep it on hand in your pantry to use with your weeknight chicken dinners.
Be sure to save your pan drippings; this seasoning adds a ton of flavor to gravy!
Ingredients
- Kosher Salt: We recommend using kosher salt or sea salt flakes and avoiding table salt, for best flavor in your turkey seasoning rub.
- Dried Thyme: Thyme has an earthy, aromatic flavor that pairs really well with poultry. Especially when paired with rosemary!
- Dried Rosemary: Rosemary is similar to thyme, but has a slightly more savory and bitter taste. Paired with thyme, it is extra tasty for poultry seasoning recipes like this one.
- Black Pepper: Freshly cracked black pepper is always best, but as this is a seasoning you can store to use later, you can use ground black pepper.
- Garlic Powder: Adds a garlicky flavor to the spice blend that is just irresistible. It's a staple!
- Ground Sage: Or, you can use rubbed sage. Sage has an herby, peppery taste. It's delicious with poultry.
- Paprika: Use regular paprika, and not smoked, sweet, or hot paprika. Note that using another variety of paprika will alter the flavor.
Note: We recommend using dried herbs, but you can also use fresh herbs for the seasoning.
How to Make Turkey Seasoning
Step 1
Add all seasoning ingredients to a bowl.
Step 2
Mix together until fully combined, then use immediately or store in an airtight container in a cool, dry location, such as your pantry with your other spices.
How to Season Poultry
- Pat turkey or chicken completely dry with paper towels.
- Season the inside of the turkey or chicken cavity with salt and pepper.
- Brush the turkey or chicken with oil to completely coat all sides.
- Rub the turkey or chicken with turkey rub seasoning. Coat the entire surface and rub under the skin wherever possible.
- We recommend you cook immediately after seasoning according to your preferred cooking method.
Recipe Tips
- We use Badia seasoning, but you can use your favorite brand.
- Stir or shake well to ensure seasonings are mixed well before measuring.
- Use 2 Tablespoons to season 1 whole chicken OR 1 whole turkey breast (bone-in). There are approximately 4 Tablespoons in this recipe.
- If using rubbed sage, up the amount to 1 teaspoon to replace the ground sage.
- We try to keep the flavors of our seasoning blends well-balanced; however, we always encourage you to taste and adjust the flavors to your liking. For instance, add more rosemary if you prefer a more rosemary-forward seasoning.
- This recipe is easily doubled or tripled. Make as much or as little as you can use in a year.
- For oil, we recommend light olive oil.
- Other than oil, you can also use melted butter when seasoning whole poultry with this turkey seasoning recipe.
What to Make with Turkey Seasoning
Air Fryer Thanksgiving
With more than 15 recipes, it's easy to make your entire holiday dinner in the air fryer!
Storage Instructions
- Store homemade turkey dry rub in a container with a tight fitting lid in the pantry for up to 1 year.
FAQ
Rubbing the turkey with seasoned butter under and over the skin can add moisture and additional depth of flavor. It will also help the skin crisp up. Oil can also be used. For our air fryer whole chicken recipe, we're using oil.
Holiday Sides
Leave a comment and review for us below if you enjoyed our homemade turkey rub recipe, or if you have questions about any of our air fryer recipes!
Homemade Turkey Rub Seasoning
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 4 teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
- 1½ teaspoons black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground sage or 1 teaspoon rubbed sage
- ½ teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine 4 teaspoons kosher salt, 4 teaspoons dried thyme, 2 teaspoons dried rosemary, 1½ teaspoons black pepper, and 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon ground sage, and ½ teaspoon paprika. Stir to incorporate.
- Use immediately or store in an airtight container for up to a year at room temperature.
Notes
- We use Badia seasoning, but you can use your favorite brand.
- Stir or shake well to ensure seasonings are mixed well before measuring.
- Use 2 tablespoons to season 1 whole chicken OR 1 whole turkey breast (bone-in). There are approximately 4 tablespoons in this recipe.
- If using rubbed sage, up the amount to 1 teaspoon to replace the ground sage.
- We try to keep the flavors of our seasoning blends well balanced, however, we always encourage you to taste and adjust the flavors to your liking. For instance, add more rosemary if you prefer a more rosemary forward seasoning.
- This recipe is easily doubled or tripled. Make as much or as little as you can use in a year.
- Store in a container with a tight fitting lid in the pantry for up to 1 year.
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