seasonings Archives - The Midnight Baker

All-Purpose Poultry Rub

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 11 Aug 2020 23:00:52 +0000

Quite possibly the best poultry rub you’ll ever use.

Another Wonderful “Accident”

Since I acquired my “office” (a little bungalow nestled in the woods) to separate my business from my home, I rarely do any real cooking where I live. I did leave basic cookware and an assortment of herbs and spices behind just in case.

I invited a neighbor I’m very friendly with for a socially distanced dinner on the deck and I was making a chicken done on my BBQ’s spit. Had none of my regular seasoning made up so I had to start from scratch. However, I discovered that I lacked a couple of ingredients at my house so I had to improvise.

Discover Dill

Have you ever tried dill as the main flavor with chicken? If not, you’re really missing out.

That’s all I had on hand that wasn’t really “stale.” You know what they say about herbs and spices getting less potent with time. It’s really true if you have them for several years and they do last longer than the spice companies tell you–well, they do have a vested interest in you chucking them and buying new–but when you’ve had dried basil for almost 10 years, they tend to be correct.

So using what I had and forgetting how much I love the flavor of dill with chicken, I went ahead and used that as the main flavor in the poultry rub. And it was so good, my neighbor remarked on how utterly delicious it was.

A Word About Rotisserie Chicken

Everyone seems to love those rotisserie chickens you get at the store. I’m one of those people too. The flavor and texture is amazing and it’s so juicy and it’s never dry.

It suddenly came to me about a year ago why this is so; they brine that chicken! With the amount of cooking I do, I am ashamed to admit that I never made that connection. Now I brine, but I don’t do it for longer than 5 hours. For a chicken between 4 and 6 pounds, that seems to be the perfect length. My brine recipe is in the notes in the recipe card.

The Recipe

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All-Purpose Poultry Rub

Possibly the best chicken seasoning ever

Prep Time5

Cook Time0

Course: condiments, Dips/Sauces/Dressings

Cuisine: American

Keyword: best brine recipe for chicken, dry rubs for chicken, rotisserie chicken flavorings

Servings: 2 chickens

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 tbs smoked paprika
1 tsp dried dill
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper

Instructions

Mix all ingredients together, then store tightly covered.
May be doubled or tripled. This recipe will season 2 smaller chickens and one large one.

Notes

Brine: 1 gallon (128 oz/3.5L) water; 1/3 cup kosher salt; 1/3 cup sugar; 1 bay leaf; 4 peppercorns

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Restaurant Style Taco Seasoning

Judith Hannemann — Thu, 08 Jun 2017 23:00:31 +0000

Great tasting taco seasoning that’s just like the restaurant. Takes less than a minute to make!

Restaurant-Style Taco Seasoning Goes Homemade

The taco seasonings I have bought in the supermarket just don’t cut it for me as far as flavor.

Most are way too heavy on the cumin for my personal taste and frankly, most tasted artificial. That’s probably all the stabilizers and other chemicals that’s in them.

However, I discovered a really tasty and natural version over at Allrecipes. It had the perfect blend of herbs and spices!

Think Out Of The Taco Box

Sure, this seasoning blend is perfect for tacos, but it’s so flavorful that I’m sure you will want to use it for a lot more than just that!

I used it to season a meatloaf and also as a chicken rub; superb!

Let your imagination run wild since there are infinite ways to use this savory taco seasoning!

The Recipe

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Restaurant Style Taco Seasoning

Great tasting taco seasoning that’s just like the restaurant. Takes less than a minute to make!

Prep Time5

Total Time5

Course: condiments

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: taco seasoning

Servings: 1 /4 cup

Calories: 102kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
4 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp beef bouillon granules
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions

Place all ingredients in a small bowl and mix together thoroughly.
Store in an airtight container.

Nutrition

*Adapted from Allrecipes

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Dry Rub for Chicken

Judith Hannemann — Thu, 25 May 2017 23:00:27 +0000

This dry rub will add an awesome flavor to all your chicken dishes. Mix it with breadcrumbs too for a seasoned chicken coating!

A Versatile Seasoning For Chicken

I love well-seasoned chicken and here’s the perfect way to get it.

The recipe for this rub comes from an online course I recently completed in grilling taught by CIA chefs.

The chef who taught the course on chicken said this rub will add terrific flavor to any grilled chicken. He said it was also a base seasoning and you could finish with any sauce or glaze. However, when I mixed this rub together, I could tell that it would be great as a stand-alone seasoning. The blend of spices and herbs has an incredible aroma.

Don’t Buy Seasoned Coating Mixes!

I admit to loving the flavor of original Shake-n-Bake, and have tried to duplicate it for years.

You can imagine how pleasantly surprised I was when I discovered that this chicken dry rub smelled exactly like my beloved Shake-n-Bake!

So if you mix this with some regular or Panko bread crumbs, you’ll get that seasoned coating mix, but you’ll save a boat load of money!

Uses Common Herbs & Spices

You probably have everything you need for this chicken rub right in your pantry.

The only ingredient you may have to buy is ground coriander, but if you have coriander seeds, then just crush those up in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder.

You also have a choice of paprika varieties. Use whatever you have on your shelf. I made mine with mild, but hot and smoked would work very well here too.

The Recipe

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Dry Rub for Chicken

This dry rub will add an awesome flavor to all your chicken dishes. Mix it with breadcrumbs too for a seasoned chicken coating!

Prep Time5

Total Time5

Course: Chicken, condiments

Cuisine: American

Keyword: dry rub for chicken

Servings: 1 /2 cup

Calories: 117kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 tbsp paprika hot/mild/smoked
3 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp sage
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ground coriander

Instructions

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
Store in an air-tight container

Nutrition

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Steak with Herb Butter

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 13 Jul 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Steak with Herb Butter

Herb butters are all the rage. Easy to make and delicious!

Lately I’ve been seeing herb butters for seasoning cropping up everywhere–not only for meats and fish but in sweet baked goods as well.

In fact, a blogging pal of mine, Heather T. has a great recipe for cupcakes using basil! This refreshing treat may be found on her blog Sugar Dish Me.

These flavored butters have many uses, from meats to veggies. Any herb or combination of herbs may be used to suit your taste. Of course the amount of fresh herbs you use will depend on your personal taste and the herb being used.

For instance, strongly flavored herbs such as sage, basil and thyme, I’d start out with a small amount, taste and add as needed. More lightly flavored herbs such as chives, dill, parsley and cilantro I would personally double from the “standard” formula I give here.

Whether you use unsalted or salted butter is up to you as well. I chose salted here.

I used basil and I used it on steak. Wouldn’t dill be great with salmon? Dying to try that one.

One tip on grilled steak–fight the urge–I sure had to–to eat this immediately when it comes off the grill. Let it rest at least 5 minutes before you eat it. Picked up this tip from Chef Madeleine Dee and it’s a goodie. Visit her site for more great practical tips and some of the best recipes you’ll find on the net.

Herb Butter (Basil Flavor)

1 stick butter, room temperature and soft
2 tbs basil, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely minced

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Steak with Herb Butter

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