No boring chicken here! Get our Montreal Chicken Seasoning copycat recipe to add complex flavor to your dishes.
Note: Below you’ll find a recipe for a full 1/2 cup (4oz.) batch of Montreal Chicken seasoning. In addition, in case you’re trying to make a recipe that calls for Montreal seasoning and you just want to make a little bit, we’ve also given a recipe below that makes a small batch of just 2 tablespoons. We hope you find this helpful!
What Is Montreal Chicken Seasoning?
Also known as Canada Chicken Seasoning and Quebec Chicken Seasoning, Montreal Chicken Seasoning is a popular blend of onion, garlic, orange zest, herbs and spices like rosemary, thyme, and black pepper.
Both the Montreal Steak Seasoning and Montreal Chicken Seasoning are robust with garlic, onion, and heat from black pepper. However, the Montreal Chicken flavor profile is more complex with additional herbs and citrus peel.
Different blends like the popular McCormick version can be easily found in grocery stores and online, however, they tend to be very salty and peppery. So I like to make my own so that the flavors are more balanced and more like the pickling spice origins on which the Montreal spice blends are based.
What Ingredients Do I Need?
I like to use dehydrated garlic and dehydrated onion to mimic the store-bought versions. These are little dried bits of garlic and onion, instead of a powdered form. If you want to use garlic powder or granulated garlic instead, use half the amount listed in the recipe. Same goes for the dehydrated onion and substituting onion powder.
In addition to the garlic, onion, and pepper base, Montreal Chicken Seasoning also contains rosemary, thyme, paprika, and orange zest. The blend also typically has dehydrated green bell pepper, which can be hard to find in grocery stores and can be an expensive ingredient that you might not use very often.
On the label of store-bought blends, the bell pepper is usually listed last, so there would be very little of it in the mix. I’ve substituted this with ground coriander. It gives my homemade version that same fresh, grassy flavor that a bell pepper would provide, along with citrus and floral notes that blend well with the orange zest.
How To Make Copycat Montreal Chicken Seasoning
To make the Montreal Chicken Seasoning, whisk together the onion, garlic, black pepper, salt, rosemary, thyme, paprika, coriander, and orange zest in a medium bowl.
Set this aside and let the mixture stand for 20 to 30 minutes to allow the salt to draw out the moisture and oils from the orange zest. Break up any clumps that form and then transfer mixture to an air-tight container. Store up to 3 months in a cool, dry, dark, place.
| To Make 2 Tablespoons of Montreal Chicken Seasoning, Combine: |
|---|
• 2 and 1/4 tsp. dehydrated onion • 1 and 1/2 tsp. dehydrated garlic • 1/2 tsp. black pepper • 1/2 tsp. salt • Pinch each of coriander, rosemary, thyme, and paprika • 1/4 of orange, zested |
To Add Directly to the Food You’re Cooking: Add dehydrated onion and then half that amount of dehydrated garlic. Then go in with a third of that amount each of salt and pepper and tiny bits of any or all of the following – coriander, rosemary, thyme, and paprika. Zest some orange on top.
Uses For This Seasoning Blend
The Montreal Chicken Seasoning makes a quick and easy dry rub for chicken, shrimp, fish, and pork. You can absolutely use this on roasted or grilled vegetables too.
I also like to mix it with oil and vinegar to make a marinade or salad dressing, or with sour cream to make a dip. In addition, it’s perfect as a seasoning rub for beef and pork roasts, too.
More Amazing Seasoning Blends
Montreal Chicken Seasoning Copycat Recipe
Use for chicken, fish, vegetables and so much more.
As written, this recipe fits into a standard 4 oz. spice jar, but can be easily doubled or tripled.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: About 4 oz. (1/2 cup) 1x
- Category: Spice Blend
- Method: Mix
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp. dehydrated onion*
- 2 Tbsp. dehydrated garlic*
- 2 tsp. ground black pepper
- 2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp. ground rosemary
- 1/2 tsp. ground thyme
- 1/2 tsp. paprika
- 1 orange, zested
Instructions
- In a medium bowl whisk together onion, garlic, black pepper, salt, rosemary, thyme, paprika, coriander, and orange zest.
- Let mixture stand for 20 to 30 minutes to allow the salt to draw out the moisture and oils from the orange zest. Break up any clumps that form.
- Transfer mixture to an air-tight container. Store up to 3 months in a cool, dry, dark, place.
Notes
*If you’d like to use garlic and onion powders instead, halve the amount listed.
Is dehydrated garlic same as ground garlic?
Brenbren, dehydrated garlic is also called minced garlic. It’s little dried chunks of garlic. It therefore takes up more space for the same amount of flavor as granulated garlic or garlic powder. I use it here to have those nice chunks like Montreal Seasoning has.
If you want to use garlic powder or granulated garlic instead, use half the amount listed. The recipe calls for 2 tablespoons, so you’d use 1 tablespoon of garlic powder. Same goes for the dehydrated onion and substituting onion powder.