Name: Brazilian Chicken Seasoning (Tempero Em Pó Para Frango)
Prep time: 5 min
Ingredients: 2 Tablespoons onion powder; 1 Tablespoon garlic powder; 2 Tablespoons dried chives; 1/2 Tablespoon dried parsley; 1/2 Tablespoon ground paprika; 1 teaspoon ground achiote pepper (colorau) (optional); 1 teaspoon ground turmeric; 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper; 1 whole large bay leaf (about 2 inches long) (or 2 small (1 inch) ones )

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This chicken seasoning recipe is a fantastic way to add beautiful color and flavor to all your chicken dishes! An easy chicken seasoning powder, with Brazilian flair, full of amazing herbs and spices you probably already have in your pantry. Whether you’re grilling, baking or pan frying, this seasoning mix contains the best spices for chicken.

A spoon holds a scoop of Brazilian Chicken Seasoning over a jar of the mixture

A sliced chicken breast on a white plate

Good seasoning for chicken? How about the BEST!

Oi Gente!

This Brazilian Chicken Seasoning, tempero em po para frango as we say in Portuguese, is my favorite weapon against boring, bland chicken!

Whether you’re making chicken breasts, chicken thighs, chicken tenders, drumsticks or even a whole chicken, this chicken seasoning recipe will ensure you get deliciously flavorful, juicy chicken! Every-time!

So, on to the details.

What makes this a good seasoning for chicken? The turmeric and achiote pepper add beautiful color to chicken. The onion and garlic powder, along with the chives and parsley add savory dimension, while the cayenne and paprika add a little heat.

But, my favorite ingredient in this spice blend are the bay leaves. They add beautiful depth of flavor and combined with the turmeric, you get some real sexy woody/earthy notes. I just love how all these flavors come together!!

And the best BEST thing about mixing your own chicken seasoning powder is the control you have over salt, and all the flavoring ingredients in the mix. You can add more of your favorite spices, or a little less of any ingredients you don’t want to taste as much. Plus, being that it’s so easy to make, you can throw this together and keep it in your spice cabinet for whenever you need it!

Chicken Seasoning Recipe Ingredients

Spices for Tempero em po para frango in a bowl

A spoon in a jar of the best spices for chicken

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Chances are, you’ve got all the ingredients for this seasoning recipe in your spice cabinet already, but if you don’t they’re all super easy to find at your local grocery store.

Here’s what you need:

Onion powder
Garlic powder
Dried chives
Dried parsley
Paprika
Ground turmeric
Ground cayenne pepper
Dry whole bay leaves
Ground achiote pepper—this is a popular spice in Latin America. In Brazil, we call it colorau, and we primarily use it to add color to dishes. It’s sometimes referred to as annatto in English. You can find it online, or in any Latin/Mexican grocery store near you.

In addition to these ingredients, you’ll also need the following tools:

Spice grinder—you could try to use a food processor for this if you don’t have a spice grinder, however, a food processor will most probably not grind the bay leaves to a powder, which isn’t great. Any chunks of bay leaf left behind are very unpleasant to bite into.
Mason jar and if you’re feeling cute, get some labels, too!

How to make Brazilian Chicken Seasoning

A collage showing how to make the best Chicken Seasoning powder

Add all the ingredients to a spice grinder and grind to a powder. It’s important to grind them well to break up the chunkier ingredients, like the bay leaves, parsley and chives.

Place the seasoning in a jar and cover with a lid. Keep it stored in a dry place for months and use whenever you’re in the mood for tasty, flavorful chicken.

How to Season Chicken

This chicken seasoning powder is great for baking, grilling, pan frying, slow cooking, pressure cooking, you name it! And while you can use it with any cut of chicken, I think this is the best chicken breast seasoning EVER!

Just season with salt, then sprinkle in the seasoning and pick your favorite cooking method.

I tend to make oven baked chicken breasts more often, so I can just prepare it in a few minutes, then throw it in the oven and forget it there while I’m doing something else.

Prefer Pan Seared Chicken? Check out How to Pan Sear Chicken Breasts!

A collage showing how to season chicken breasts with a Brazilian Chicken Seasoning Recipe

Start with salt. For about one pound of chicken breast, you’ll need about 1-2 teaspoons of kosher salt to properly season it. We all have different tolerance to salt, so start with one teaspoon, then figure out if and how you need to adjust based on your taste.

Sprinkle on the seasoning. For about one pound of chicken breast, I use 2 teaspoons of this seasoning blend, but you can add as much or as little you and your family like.

Rub it with some fat. I always drizzle my chicken breasts with some olive oil, regardless of how I cook it. You can also add butter, as in the photo above.

Choose a cooking method and cook it. If you choose to grill or pan fry I recommend you let the chicken sit on the counter for about 10-15 minutes before cooking. If you choose to bake it, no need to let it sit, just add a bit of butter on top of each breast, then bake it at 375F for about 30 minutes. (Cooking time will vary depending on your oven and the thickness of the chicken breasts. Keep an eye on them so they don’t overcook because dry chicken is the saddest.)

What to serve with your tasty chicken

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