Italian Seasoning
This Italian seasoning blend is super easy with pantry-staple ingredients. Enhance your spaghetti sauce, intensify your herbed butter, and make awesome garlic bread with extra herbs. Never worry about store-bought seasonings again.
Homemade seasonings are my jam. Besides, it’s so fast to customize blends to your preferences. Why not? It makes crazy weeknight dinners much easier to throw together.
I season a lot of meat and vegetables with Italian herbs, especially tomato-heavy dishes. A sprinkle here and there, and voila, you have a flavorful dish to devour. In fact, my pantry has at least 2 jars of homemade seasonings sitting there, Italian and Creole seasonings.
But even when I run out, there’s no stress in my kitchen. Last week, my chicken was ready and waiting for the seasonings, when I reached out and grabbed an empty bottle. Dang!!
I had no time to back out and change the menu because the kiddo would be dampened for sure. So I mixed up a bunch of Italian-style herbs, used what I needed for the recipe, and stored the rest in the jar for the next time.
What Makes a Seasoning Blend Italian?
The popular Italian seasoning blend has a mix of dried basil, oregano, parsley, rosemary, and thyme. Ironically, you won’t typically find Italian seasonings in Italy. I have an Italian cookbook I absolutely love, and no seasoning blends in sight because they customize every recipe.
One of the best things about this seasoning is that if you don’t have an ingredient, leave it out or add something else. Dried sage, savory, and marjoram are other great additions, and for a more rounded blend, feel free to add granulated garlic, onion powder, freshly ground black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Mix and done!
How to Season Chicken With Italian Seasoning
- Gather your seasoning ingredients, mix, and store them in a glass spice jar.
- Prep your chicken by optionally rinsing and patting it dry with paper towels. (Yes, it’s controversial. But I don’t know where that chicken has been, so I disinfect my kitchen after it goes in the oven.)
- Rub the chicken with a tablespoon or two of butter, then season it with as much Italian seasoning as you need.
- Bake the chicken in a roasting pan at 375℉ (190℃) until tender and the internal temperature reads a minimum of 165℉ (74℃). (1-2 hours, depending on your oven and the size of the chicken.)
Tips and Notes
- Are you missing an ingredient, or don’t care for one on the list? Leave it out. Simply add more of what you do have.
- If you grow your own herbs, pick the herbs in the morning as they have more flavor at that time. Let it dry until it reaches a crinkly texture. If you want the easy version, you can dry them in a dehydrator or in the oven at a very low temperature. You can crush them in a food processor before making your seasoning blend.
- Made-from-scratch seasoning blends make fantastic gifts for friends and family who love to cook, especially if you have cute labels for spice jars.
Recipes That Use Homemade Italian Seasoning
- Creamy Tuscan Shrimp
- Chicken Caesar Salad
- Roasted Cornish Hens
- Hamburger Vegetable Soup
- Stuffed Shells
By Imma
This blog post was originally published in November 2018 and has been updated with additional tips and mouthwatering photos.
Italian Seasoning
Ingredients
Italian Seasoning
- 2 tablespoons (9g) dried basil
- 2 tablespoons (11g) dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons (12g) dried rosemary
- 1½ tablespoons (8g) dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon (7-8g) ground sage
- 1 tablespoon (14-15g) garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon (6g) dried parsley
- ½ tablespoon (11g) onion powder
Italian Herbed Chicken
- 1 whole chicken (4-5 pounds)
- 1½ teaspoon (9g) salt
- 1 teaspoon (3g) freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons (28g) melted butter
- 1 tablespoon (6g) Italian seasonings
- 1 tablespoon (15g) minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon (3g) paprika
- 1 lemon, cut into quarters
- fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, celery, etc., optional)
- 1 medium onion, cut into quarters
Instructions
Italian Seasoning
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl or jar and stir until thoroughly combined.
- Store in an airtight container (glass is best) and start seasoning your meals.
Italian Herbed Chicken
- Rinse chicken with water, inside and out, then pat dry with paper towels.
- Generously season the chicken inside and out with salt and pepper.
- Combine melted butter, Italian seasonings, garlic, and paprika. Then rub the chicken with the herbed butter inside and out and under the skin.
- Next, stuff the cavity with lemon wedges and fresh herbs (if using).
- Refrigerate it until ready to cook for up to 24 hours.
- Preheat oven to 375℉ (190℃).
- Add the onions to a roasting pan or cast-iron skillet, and then place the chicken on top, breast-side up. Tie the legs of the chicken together with kitchen twine so it holds its shape. I always forgot this step, and it still turns out great.
- Roast 375℉ (190℃) for 1 hour and 15 minutes or longer until your meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part reaches about 170°F (177℃). The minimum is 165℉ (74℃).
- Let the chicken rest for 10-20 minutes before carving so the juices settle back into the meat.
Tips & Notes:
- Store seasoning mix in a glass jar for a longer shelf life.
- Mix and match different herbs in traditional Italian cooking. If you don’t have one, replace it with another. Marjoram, savory, and ground bay leaf are also common.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate for just the Italian seasoning (not the chicken) and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
I made up decorative bottles of this seasoning (and creole and blackening) for Christmas presents last year. They were so popular! My recipients asked for the recipes so I sent them a link to this page. 🙂
I use this to heavily coat my pork loin. It gives it a delicious crunchy shell.
Awesome!!! Thank you so much, Heidi. You just made my day.
Bravo, great recipe. This is pretty much the same seasoning as what we use in Greece.
Thank you, Maria!
Hola Imma; estoy preparando, bueno, ya lo preparé .El condimento italiano, das los ingredientes por Cdas.. Yo vivo a 60 kms de Madrid, en Guadalajara, en el campo así es que tengo las ramas de las hierbas secas colgadas boca abajo (ventajas de vivir en el campo ji ji ji), así es que lo que he hecho es pulverizar las hierbas .He hecho bien? Hay bastante diferencia entre por ej; tomillo en púas y tomillo pulverizado. Gracias de antemano. Besitos linda
oh wow, eres tan afortunado! Me encantaría vivir en el campo :).
Normalmente no pulverizo mis hierbas secas. Pero si prefiere una consistencia más fina para su condimento, puede continuar y pulverizar un poco las hierbas.
Do not rinse raw chicken, It increases the likelihood of food-borne illness
Hi Valerie. I know a lot of people feel that way. But I am very careful and disinfect my kitchen and the sink afterward. You never know where that chicken has been.